I'm going to add to my many craft talents here as well. I sew, do beadwork, and even play with polimer clay (I know that's not spelled right, so give me a break, it's 4am here).The following is an eco-friendly version of the ReadyMop Pads and solution.
I thought I would share my pattern and the recipe I found for my Clorox Ready Mop with the world. I don't know much about the Swiffer Mop, though from what I heard, there is a way to get the cap off of the bottle and you can refill with this solution.
I'm starting off with the pads I made for my ready mop. I did 9 of these in a single afternoon, so it's not that hard to do.
This first picture shows both the front and back of 2 of the pads.
This one is a close-up of the netting I put on the front.
The materials I used were a package of white wash cloths from Wal-Mart. You know, the ones that they have 2 for $5 (the cheap ones). I'm sure you can use those Microfiber cloths that are out there, but since I'm on a tight budget, I haven't tried that yet
An old thick (in this case, an ugly pink) towel, but even another folded washcloth should work here.
And last, but not least, Nylon Netting. You can get the netting at any fabric store.
Now while I designed these using the Ready Mop pads, I'm going to put in measurements so you don't have the frustration (sometimes it's better if you have one of the disposable pads close by for reference).
For as many pads as your going to make, you need to cut rectangles out of the old towel and netting 4 inches wide by 11 (?) inches long. The length does depend on how big the washcloth is. Placement of these 2 on the main cloth is in the middle 1/3rd. My washcloths measure about 11 3/4 inches, so from one side I measured in 3 1/2 inches. I know it doesn't sound right, but it does work out. I laid the pink towel on one side, then holding it, turned the whole thing over and laid the netting on the other side. (sometimes it helps to have a clean disposable pad on hand to check the placement) Grab the sewing machine and I zig-zagged around the netting. When that was done, double check to make sure you caught the towel on the other side. That's it!! The reason why I used the pink towel was so I can make sure that the pink side is always against the head so I can use the netting as a type of scrubber. And it helps the kids to make sure the cloth is put on the right way. I ran a test between the 2, disposable pad vs. this home-made one. Honestly, the homemade one held more liquid and cleaned the floor better than the disposable one. The only thing I don't know is if this pattern could be adapted to the Swiffer Mop.
One thing I did notice is that there is some extra cloth on each side when you put it on the mop. I'm hoping that soon I can afford a serger and see about removing this extra edge for a neater appearance.
At this time, I have forgotten where I found this cleaner. But, IMHO, it works just as good as the cleaner you buy in the stores.
All Purpose Spray Cleaner (Clorox mop liquid)
1 pint rubbing alcohol
1 tbsp dishwashing detergent
1 tbsp household ammonia
1 tbsp vinegar
1 gallon Water (this is optional, as you can use a clean Milk Jug Container and tap water)
If using bought water, pour some out into a pitcher and hang on to it, or if using a an old milk jug, then fill it about half full. Using a funnel, put all ingredients in the jug, top off with reserved water (or tap water) and shake gently. Pour into a spray bottle (or mop bottle) and start cleaning.
This solution works very well with the Ready Mop, plus I keep some in a spray bottle for the counters and mirrors. So far, I havn't found anything that it won't clean. Even tried it on some nasty spots in my carpet, and it did wonders.
A friend doesn't have the ReadyMop system, so she uses it in a spray bottle with rags on her Swiffer and it does a wonderful job as well.
Yes, it's a slight trick to knitting on double point needles like this in the beginning, but it's worth the results when they are done. If anyone wants to try to do this pattern the way I did, I used size 7 for my daughter's boots, size 8 for my son's and probably will use the 8's for my own boots as well. Just not sure yet. These were also made slightly larger than they probably should have been, but then there is enough room to wear socks if you want. Oh, before I forget, the yarn is Red Heart Super Saver worsted weight yarn.
