# Swiffer? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 6, 2003, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swiffer/180167 "2003-06-06T20:13:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swiffer/180167/1 "2003-06-06T20:13:22Z")
The darn thing is goofy looking, and something in my brain says, “No way can this work,” but I’m also tired of filling up a bucket and making cruddy mop water to clean the 2 sq. feet of tile we actually have. Anyone have a Swiffer or opinions on em? ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swiffer/180167/2 "2003-06-06T20:29:11Z")
I’ve got one, but wouldn’t use it if I only had a small area. With the exception of the basement, our floors are all hardwood, tile, linoleum, and slate. I use the dry Swiffer for dusting under furniture. The wet ones are good for quick cleanups on the linoleum, tile, or slate. But when I clean them weekly, I get down on my hands and knees… The wet pads aren’t good for doing large areas - say more than one average sized room - but would probably be sufficient for smaller areas. IMO, they are a little pricey to use too frequently. And I don’t think they do as good a job as my elbow grease. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swiffer/180167/3 "2003-06-06T20:33:02Z")
I want one! Kinda clean is clean enough for me most days. ---
**Author:** ![Audrey\_Levins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Audrey\_Levins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Audrey_Levins)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swiffer/180167/4 "2003-06-06T20:47:57Z")
They’re not bad if you’re a moderately crappy housekeeper like me; they’re no substitute for a real mop and lots of hot bleach water, but who the hell wants to do all that? 😃 Seriously, the wet ones are good for in-between cleanings…you know, when someone is going to drop by soon and you don’t have time to actually clean with care. (And don’t lie; you know you like to pretend to your friends and family that you’re a far better housekeeper than you are.) Plus the wet Swiffers make your house _smell_ like you cleaned really well. I highly recommend them for that purpose alone. A little Swiffering, a couple of Glade candles, and Lo! It smells like you care. ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swiffer/180167/5 "2003-06-06T20:53:04Z")
Weekly cleaning? We clean every 6-8 months, whether it needs it or not… ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swiffer/180167/6 "2003-06-06T20:53:38Z")
The dry Swiffers are good for getting dust off the floor. I have hardwood in half of my house, and use a dry Swiffer after a sweeping–if I have time. The wet ones do smell clean, but they don’t cover enough area to be very economical. I use them mainly for the bathrooms and if the kitchen needs a quick swipe. I still have to mop for real, more’s the pity. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swiffer/180167/7 "2003-06-06T21:19:50Z")
The dry ones are BOSS for dog hair. I speak from experience . . . ---
**Author:** ![auntie\_em](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@auntie\_em](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/auntie_em)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swiffer/180167/8 "2003-06-06T21:33:34Z")
I live for Swiffers of every variety. I used to use the dry ones for dusting, but then I discovered[Swiffer Dusters](http://www.homemadesimple.com/swiffer/usenglish/dusters.shtml), and my whole little world came out of the darkness and into the light! Everyone’s right about the Swiffer Wet things, though–nothing beats scalding Pine Sol/bleach water (or, if you’re more environmentally minded, scalding vinegar water) for intensive cleaning, but Swiffer Wets do in a pinch, to keep up appearances (as long as nobody looks too closely). ---
**Author:** ![Beadalin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Beadalin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beadalin)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swiffer/180167/9 "2003-06-06T22:05:34Z")
I’ve got the Swiffer Wet Jet, so it’s sort of the best of both the wet and dry Swiffer worlds. I really like it-- I have hardwood floors all over the house, and I can get the (completely disgusting and all-too-frequent) dust bunnies picked up as well as get muddy tracks wiped up. I still use a mop for the kitchen, but for hardwood maintenance, it gets two thumbs up from me. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swiffer/180167/10 "2003-06-06T23:31:03Z")
My apartment has two areas of non-carpet, and each is about 2x5 feet. The Swiffer wetjet does a fine job for such tiny areas and I’m done in less time than it’d take to wait for the water to get hot and fill a bucket. And the Swiffer duster does wonderful work around stereo knobs, TV screens, tops of VCRs, amplifiers, etc and all those other tight spots that dust loves to get into. ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swiffer/180167/11 "2003-06-07T03:33:01Z")
Thanks **gotpasswords** , that’s exactly our situation, though probably with a little less area, frankly. And thank you all. I’ll have to see how much it costs n stuff. ---
**Author:** ![SanibelMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@SanibelMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanibelMan)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swiffer/180167/12 "2003-06-07T07:06:56Z")
I clean my linoleum floors first by vacuuming, then with a dry Swiffer, then with the WetJet. It’s the kitchen, 3’x2’ entry, and bathroom. The WetJet diaper (as I call it) usually has very little dirt in it, no matter how much I scrub, so I assume all three techniques get the floor pretty darn clean. And I wish I could apply Swiffer to other areas of my life, like relationships and jobs, that’s how much I love Swiffer. ---
**Author:** ![scotandrsn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a4c791/32.png) [@scotandrsn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scotandrsn)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swiffer/180167/13 "2003-06-07T08:07:38Z")
The dry Swiffer is a godsend. Prove it to yourself: Have someone bring one over, sweep the floor with a broom or vacuumit, then Swiffer it. the Swiffer will still be filthy. Wet Swiffer, not so much. Leaves a film on the floor. I prefer one of those mops with the removable, washable terry cloth covers. The secret: clean your sink first, put two or three covers in an inch of water, use a standard floor cleaner like MopnGlo or Brite, and put a clean cover on when the old one gets too dirty. No buckets of filthy water! ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swiffer/180167/14 "2003-06-07T11:56:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SanibelMan \* > \*\*I clean my linoleum floors first by vacuuming, then with a dry Swiffer, then with the WetJet. \*\* Wow! You busy later today? Need something to do? I’ll make lunch for you. ---
**Author:** ![SanibelMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@SanibelMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanibelMan)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swiffer/180167/15 "2003-06-07T16:29:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Early Out \* > \*\*Wow! You busy later today? Need something to do? I’ll make lunch for you. \*\* Heh. All told, that takes about 15 minutes for my tiny kitchen and bathroom. And I’m having lunch with a friend, but thanks anyway. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swiffer/180167/16 "2003-06-07T19:57:02Z")
I use the dry Swiffer for dust bunnies and cat hair, and then for quick clean-ups, I squirt a little Windex on the kitchen or bathroom floor (both vinyl) and use the dry Swiffer again with a new cloth. No need to buy the Swiffer Wet Jet. I made my own! ---
**Author:** ![voguevixen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5ac83/32.png) [@voguevixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voguevixen)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swiffer/180167/17 "2003-06-07T20:10:57Z")
I also clean around every 4-6 months and find the Swiffer wet-jet isn’t hardy enough for the kind of cleaning I have to do. (I need to seriously scrub – lord knows what some of this crud is!) I actually find using the dry Swiffer mechanism, but with a wet washcloth instead of a Swiffer cloth to be good for a quick cleanup, especially in a small area. (P.S. I astounded my MIL by mentioning that I turned the Swiffer cloth over to use both sides. It had never occured to her and she was throwing away half-used Swiffers – ack! The expense!)