To Swiffer Or Not To Swiffer

"To Swiffer or Not to Swiffer..."
I had spent a few months raving about how I needed to get a Swiffer Sweeper, seeing as how I obsess over the cleanliness of my home. As you can imagine, I was ecstatic when I opened up a gift from my father this past Christmas, and found not only a Swiffer Sweeper, but refills galore. I couldn't wait to get home and try it out, and let me tell you, it did not disappoint.

My husband and I spent quite a few months shopping around for our first home. We had a few specifications in mind as to what we wanted in the décor of the home- mine being hardwood floors. We finally found our dream house, and low and behold, we had pergo floors throughout the upstairs which included our foyer, the stairs that led downstairs, the stairs that led upstairs, our living room, dining room, kitchen, and the hallway that led to the bedrooms and bathroom. I was in heaven, as the floors were truly gorgeous, but as we began working on the house, and finally moved in a couple of months later, I quickly realized I was going to have one heck of a time keeping all of those areas clean on a consistant basis. It didn't help that we adopted 2 kittens shortly after moving in - 2 kittens who seem to shake and shed all over the place, just to aggravate me after I've just finished cleaning.

I started out cleaning our house using old methods I had watched my parents use. This included sponge mopping, sweeping, vacuuming, and even coaxing my husband into getting on his hands and knees to use a sponge to wash the floors (His method included having to go out and buy knee pads so he could get his point across at how difficult it was for him). I used various products such as Murphy Oil Soap, vinegar and water, and mild dish soap to get the cleaning done, but while it got the job done, I found that not everything was getting picked up, all of the marks and spots weren't coming off, I had to dry the floors after washing them or it would take hours to dry, and when the job was complete, it seemed like the whole thing needed to be redone less than a week later.

I saw the Swiffer Sweeper commercials all the time, and raved about how amazing that must be. However, after spending so much money on my other methods of cleaning, and after swearing for years that I would never be swayed by advertisements and purchase a product because of commercials, I decided not to purchase the Swiffer. To my surprise, my father had actually heard all of my raving regarding the product, and low and behold, when I opened up a Christmas gift from his this past year, not only did I find a Swiffer Sweeper, but also refills galore. I was ecstatic, and actually put it together right then and there (Simple assembly, 2 snaps and its all set to go). I couldn't wait to get home and try it.

Since I got my Swiffer, I've used it numerous times every week. I love the wet pads you can get to wash the floor. They even have a little scrubbing strip on them that's amazing for scrubbing up little spots on the floor. They have a very mild fresh scent, they don't get the floor too wet, and it seems more than safe to use with pets in the house. It dries very quickly, so before you know it the job is done. The dry pads are good for everything. I keep a new one on the Swiffer at all times, and in between major cleanings, I Swiffer not only the regular rooms, but I also Swiffer the bathroom as we have white ceramic tile on the floor and every piece of cat hair, human hair, and fuzz shows up on it.
The Swiffer Sweeper is an excellent product. I can't tell you how many times I've used it for various jobs around the house. The first thing I do when I hear unexpected company is coming over is I grab the Swiffer out of the closet and run it over the floors for a quick cleanup. It takes a matter of minutes, and our house looks spotless. I've used other Swiffer products like the Swiffer Duster, but nothing tops my Swiffer Sweeper. I have boxes of wet and dry refills in my closet at all times, and I wouldn't be caught without them!