Why Reusing Denim As A Mop Is An Excellent Cleaning Choice

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Are you looking for a new way to give your old jeans a new life? There are tons of clever ways to repurpose old jeans around the home and garden, but maybe you're not a fan of the denim decor trend or you just don't like to sew. Don't worry, you can turn old denim into a mop without any skills or tools. This brilliant cleaning hack is an eco-friendly way to cut down on waste while keeping your home looking clean and smelling fresh.

The idea for this hack is to cut a piece of denim to use with a Swiffer-type mop. These mops, also known as flat mops, feature a flat plastic section where you would typically attach a single-use cleaning pad. The pad is sometimes pre-soaked in cleaning solution, unless the mop comes with a spray attachment to wet the floor. Instead of using these single-use pads, you can attach a piece of denim to use with a regular mopping solution as a floor-cleaning alternative. When you're done, you can rinse, wash, and repeat as many times as needed. It's both an eco- and budget-friendly way to keep your house squeaky clean. 

There are two reasons why denim is a great choice for this hack. First, it can attach easily to whatever mechanism your flap mop uses to secure cleaning pads. This can be some Velcro, or in some cases, small holes with plastic flaps that allow you to squeeze the fabric in place. In addition, denim is a bit grittier than other fabrics, like cotton, so it can effectively remove stuck-on debris or sticky messes, leaving your floor looking polished and clean. It's still soft enough not to damage or scratch your floors, so that you can use it throughout the house on tile, hardwood, or vinyl floors. 

To start, you'll need to cut some sections of denim for your mop. This completely depends on the type of mop you're using, its size, and how it attaches cleaning pads in place. If it's a mop that only grips onto pads with Velcro on the bottom, you can cut pieces of fabric that measure exactly the same size as the mop and add adhesive Velcro, like Velcro Brand Heavy Duty Fasteners. This works with most current Swiffer PowerMop models, but if you're using a Swiffer Sweeper or an alternative, you'll need an extra length of fabric to attach the pad in place. For these, you'll want to cut a rectangle that's about the same length as the mop, but twice as high. The extra space will flap onto the top of the mop on both sides to secure it in place.

If you're working with denim pants, you can cut these sections from the legs. Simply measure the height of your rectangle on the leg of the pants horizontally, and cut across. You'll end up with a circle that you can then cut at the seam to create a flat rectangle, before snipping off any excess fabric. 

There are two ways to use these pads, depending on the type of mop that you have. If you're using a mop with a solution tank and spray handle, you can attach the dry denim pads onto it as-is. However, if the mop doesn't have its built-in spray, you'll need to pre-soak the denim pads. You can fashion a DIY floor mop refill with three parts water and one part white vinegar. Pour the solution into a tightly closed container and leave the denim pads to soak. Whenever you need to clean, grab one of your DIY denim pads, mop with it, toss it in the washing machine, repeating as needed.