Have you ever bought a Swiffer refill for your Wet Jet thinking that once it was out of solution you would put your own in there (because its EXPENSIVE!) ? Just to find out that unless you’re the hulk you cannot remove the cap?! Well…. thats exactly what I did .
Its surprisingly easy!
All you need is :
Swiffer refill bottle
Water
Pot
Pliers
Put about 2 inches of water (or enough to cover the cap on the refill bottle) in your pot and bring to a boil. Once it is boiling put your bottle nose down (cap down) in the water and let it sit for about 3 minutes. Take the bottle out of the water and use your pliers to twist the cap off the bottle.
It is so easy! Now you can use any solution you like for a lot less.
I found that the swiffer solution was leaving my floors with a film over it and made the floors sticky within a few days. So i decided to go with a solution made of Dawn soap, cleaning vinegar and water.
You might be thinking “gross why would you use vinegar.” Vinegar is actually very useful for removing smells and with two dogs who run the house I don’t want to chance any bad odors in my home.
I use 1 part water 1 part vinegar and about 2 squirts of Dawn soap. I have laminate wood floors and for me, this solution works like a charm!
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SKIP TO HOW-TO
You have a Swiffer Wet jet. The bottle of cleaning solution it came with is now empty and you want to fill it with your own cleaning solution. You go to unscrew the cap to refill it and realize ... it doesn't come off. Yup. Those Swiffer people are sneaky. Here's how you can be sneakier.
I have nothing against beer, I just don't want to wash my floor with it. And for some reason every time I used my Swiffer Wet jet on my floor (no this isn't a sponsored post) I could smell beer wafting up from my checkerboard kitchen tiles. Not such a bad thing but in a kitchen it meant I was constantly craving beer battered fish and chips.
At first I thought my beer loving mother Betty was sneaking in during the night to have one of her famous keggers, but as it turned out it was just the smell of the Swiffer Wet jet cleaning solution.
I love my Wet jet for doing quick cleanings of my floor but I'd been meaning to figure out a way to refill the container because a) I didn't like the smell and b) my VCT tile floor needs a very specific type of cleaner to keep it looking good. Also it angers me to no end that they purposely package the solution in a bottle that isn't refillable so you constantly have to buy new plastic bottles of cleaning solution.
My VCT tile floor needs a neutral PH floor cleaner and I need a lemony smelling floor cleaner. It just gives a cleaner scent than the Swiffer cleaner which smells like Oktoberfest farts.
My first thought was to try to pry the cap off of the bottle and refill it that way but they're done a really good job of making that impossible without breaking something. Either your hand or the bottle.
So I gave up.
It wasn't that important and I had other more important things to do like take care of my compulsion to cook bratwurst.
Then about a month ago it hit me that I was going about it backwards. I didn't need to pry off Swiffer's opening, I needed to make a new one.
And if you're wanting to make your Swiffer Wet jet container reusable it's all you have to do too.
Do Your Own Swiffer Wet Jet Refills
- Grab a cork and a big drill bit.
2. Drill a hole in the top of the Swiffer container. It's easiest to do this with the bottle still in the Swiffer because it holds it still.
3. Little bits will have fallen into the container. Remove the Swiffer container and shake it until all the plastic bits fall out.
If you use a cleaner that needs to be mixed with water, write on the bottle how much cleaner you need to add to the filled container. For me it's 4 teaspoons of cleaner to 1.4 litres of water (the amount the Swiffer container holds)
4. Fill the container with your cleaner and water. You might find it helpful to use a funnel. You might not. The GREATEST thing about this whole refilling tip is that when you mix your cleaner you can use HOT water to clean your floor.
5. Plug the hole with your cork or stopper.
5. Done!
Materials
- Cork or another type of plug
Instructions
- Find a cork or plastic plug that you can use as a stopper in a hole.
- Drill a hole into the top of the Swiffer bottle that's the size of your plug.
- Remove the bits of plastic that fall into the container after drilling.
- Fill the Swiffer Wet jet container with your favourite floor cleaner.
- Plug the hole with your cork or stopper.
- Done! You now have a refillable Swiffer Wet Jet.
Notes
The size of hole you drill doesn't matter, it just needs to be big enough to pour cleaning solution and water into and you need to have a cork that will fit into it tightly.
If your cork doesn't fit tightly you can make it bigger by soaking it in hot water. An hour might be long enough, or 12 hours depending on how much bigger you need the cork to be.
If your cork is too big, you can shave it down with a knife.
Here's another Swiffer tip if you don't know it already.
Instead of buying their disposable cleaning pad, use a microfibre cloth. It will velcro right on the bottom just like the original Swiffer pad but it does a better job of cleaning and you can just toss them in the washing machine to reuse over and over.
ALSO I'm terribly worried you don't know that you can make your own diy foaming hand soap. You can. Here's how to do it. I mean if you're the kind of person who's into refilling your Swiffer bottles, chances are you're gonna want to know how to make your own fluffy, foamy soap.
By creating your own refillable bottle you're saving the environment, money and your nose from those Oktoberfest beer smells which you've replaced with the sunshiny scent of lemons.
Now if you'll excuse me I have a really strong urge to make a lemon curd.
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