Stop filling the land and sea with Swiffer disposables! Most “Swiffer homes” I’ve gone into have a plethora of plastic dusters (because the stores are so often out of refill-only boxes) which they feed with an endless supply of microfiber disposables. And those who have bought into the Wet Jet craze are using batteries, plastic refillable bottles, unwanted chemicals and many replacement pads.
Try breaking with tradition and dusting with your vacuum. Use the soft brush attachment of your vacuum for dusting blinds, window sills, lampshades baseboards and, if your vacuum has a HEPA filter and adjustable power setting, you can even use it for your finer dusting needs! Most new vacuums have excellent emission ratings and even the worst have at least good emission ratings when tested with fine flour particles.
Are you ready for innovation at it’s finest? Even if you’re not religious, I’d bet anything you have a hole-y t-shirt in your home. Take it, run your hands under water a few times, drying them on the almighty shirt and safely dust your finest furniture and decor. Worried about sacrificing convenience? Take that crew sock who’s lost it’s better half and introduce it to a slender amount of water, inserting your dusting hand and go to town without leaving your home… convenient AND cozy. The damp cloth holds dust particles as well as any disposable microfiber and then I toss it in my laundry. Make sure to not use fabric softener with your dusting cloth of choice – while fabric softener is GREAT for your skin, it makes fabrics worse at capturing moisture and dirt, which can lead to streaking (and not the fun kind, either)!
To replace the Wet Jet and it’s plastic, batteries, chemicals, and disposable pads… get ready… I’m going rogue on you again…use a mop! It’s a radical idea, I know, but is it really easier to replace the pad (and batteries and refill the fluid) than to give a quick rinse under running water? If you forgot to pick up replacement pads at the store then you’re out of luck. Recently a White Glove Elite housekeeper was using the Wet Jet for a client and the batteries died AND it ran out of fluid. He had enough pads, but used them down to the last one, so hopefully someone will get to the store before the next cleaning and fill Procter & Gamble’s coffers while accelerating the arrival of our coffins. Being stuck mopping the floor with Windex in one hand and the Wet Jet in the other is a cruelty you should never need to inflict upon your cleaner, especially when the time for 2-armed elbow grease comes around.
Do you know the #1 cause of film on your floors? It’s cleaning product residue! Why are we putting dirt and chemicals back on our floors by rinsing in a bucket when we have clean running water to give us a fresh mop with each rinse? Try it. That’s right. Mop your wood floors with just warm water. You might have to add a little more elbow grease, but that’s cheap and it never runs out (and might just burn some calories.) For kitchen and bathroom floors, dilute your product in a spray bottle and spray on the floor as you go. Your product will go ten times further before you run out. I like the old school cotton hair mop, feel free to use a sponge mop that you can ring without getting your hands wet.
Are you paying to dust and clean your floors? We love the Swiffer duster and Wet Jet, just don’t be fooled into thinking they’re a necessity.
We hope the knowledge on this blog helps you treat your home with care. However, sometimes it’s great to have help – otherwise we wouldn’t be in business. Book service online today or call us at 212-684-4460 to schedule an appointment with New York City’s top-tier housekeepers.
