These unexpected Swiffer hacks can be HUGE lifesavers!
We all know how to clean our hardwood floors and bathrooms and how to clean a kitchen using the famous Swiffer. But it turns out that you can go beyond your floors to maximize its cleaning potential.
Unexpected Swiffer hacks also include cleaning the top of your fridge, prepping walls for paint, and even wiping down your dusty plants! They can practically clean anything that attracts dust particles, so they’re great to have around the home.
And depending on your choice of wet or dry cloths, they can even remove grime and grease. These little geniuses are designed to trap allergens and dust.
The dry cloths use electrostatic fibers that attract and hold onto dirt, dust, and hair, while the wet cloths contain certain cleaning agents that break down and dissolve, leaving surfaces shiny and clean.
So bottom line? Your Swiffer isn’t just for your floor anymore. But let’s not waste any more time. Here are 8 unexpected Swiffer hacks you MUST know about!
Tidy up stainless steel appliances
We already know that there are lots of expert-approved ways to clean your stainless steel appliances. But surprisingly, the trusty Swiffer is one of them! It’s perfect for big-surface stainless steel areas, like refrigerators or ovens.
Simply take a damp microfiber cloth and gently buff where you see fingerprints. Connect a clean, dry cloth to your Swiffer and spray a tiny amount of stainless steel cleaner. Move the Swiffer around, beginning at the top and moving down in rows.
Just don’t apply too much stainless steel cleaner with this unexpected Swiffer hack because this can make the steel look greasy and form streaks.
Clean dust from hard-to-reach areas
Let’s of dust and other allergens tend to gather in hard-to-reach zones, including the top of the fridge, light fixtures, bookshelves, and many others, all of which are perfect places to use a dry-cloth Swiffer.
So here’s another unexpected Swiffer hack: You can pivot the Swiffer’s swivel head to get into nooks and crannies much more effortlessly. To clean your fridge’s top, use a stepladder.
Hold the Swiffer parallel to the refrigerator, bend the Swiffer head down to face it, and move it from the back of the fridge to the front. Repeat and replace the cloth as needed.
Even though this isn’t always something guests notice, the top of the refrigerator is a large surface that still requires a deep clean. So ensure you have multiple Swiffer duster cloths on hand because they’ll likely get dirty quickly.
Clean your lampshades
Here’s one of those unexpected Swiffer uses: cleaning your lampshades. Due to the fact that lamp shades are one of those things you may not want to clean with water, you’ll want to pick a dry cloth for this task.
They’re specially designed to use static cling to pick up small pieces of dirt and dust, which can, sadly, find their way onto our lamp shades, especially those in high-traffic areas like a living room. Don’t clean any lighting fixtures unless the fixture is unplugged or the power is off.
Once you’ve done that, wipe down your lampshade with a Swiffer dry cloth. Just remember to consider the material of your lampshade for this unexpected Swiffer hack.
You can use a wet cloth if you have a glass lampshade to leave a pleasant shine. Fabric lamp shades require dry Swiffer cloths to avoid deterioration.
Remove cobwebs
Because a Swiffer is so lightweight, you can easily raise it to your ceiling’s corners. So you can use the dry Swiffer cloth to clear any cobwebs on the wall. You can also use the Swiffer for wiry cobwebs on hard-to-reach blinds.
Then, use the wet cloth to clean up grease, scuff marks, and dirt. And even though you want to avoid using a cleaning product that’s too harsh because it can damage the paint on your walls, typically, the Swiffer wet cloth is a safe bet.
Always check that anything you use for this unexpected Swiffer hack is okay for painted surfaces, though. For the more stubborn grime in your corners, you can use a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser.
Just as long as your walls aren’t painted with a glossy finish. This is one of the surfaces on which Magic Erasers should NEVER be used.
Wipe down your ceiling fans
Here’s a genius spring cleaning tip for you: Fixtures in your home can facilitate allergies if they’re not appropriately cleaned, and ceiling fans are among them.
They’re fantastic for when you need to keep your spaces cool in the summer, but many household allergens can build up on the blades, and once you flip the on-switch, they get dispersed throughout your room. Dry-cloth Swiffers are perfect for cleaning ceiling fan tops.
So here’s what to do: For the sides of the blades that are facing the ceiling, place your Swiffer duster in the middle of the fan and work your way outward to the end of the blades. Use the wet cloth to clean each blade that faces the floor.
But be aware: One huge mistake to avoid is using too much pressure. This unexpected Swiffer hack, even though it’s lightweight, can bend or damage the blades, making them unable to spin and disperse air effectively.
Make toilets shine
Learning how to clean and sanitize a toilet properly doesn’t take much. We’re all well-versed in this unfortunate task. Disinfectants and a few cleaning products will do the trick nicely.
And one of the unexpected Swiffer hacks we love the most is to get to those hard-to-reach areas, like behind the toilet. Cleaning behind sinks, bathtubs, and toilets is a nightmare if you have weird plumbing.
But you can use a Swiffer with a wet cloth to make the flooring behind your toilet and your toilet’s sides squeaky clean.
Wipe the sides with the bendable head to get each corner and curve. The wet cloths on Swiffers absorb and trap the dirt, so it doesn’t smear everywhere while you’re using it.
Remove grime from shutters
While there are obviously much easier ways to clean windows, this unexpected Swiffer hack offers a quick and easy alternative to clean your outdoor window shutters.
Cleaning experts prefer using the Swiffer with dry disposable cloths because the wet ones can leave behind a residue that will clash with painted shutters. All you have to do is gently place the end of your Swiffer between each shutter slat and move it from side to side.
Do this for each slat until completed. Ensure you have the shutters open for this unexpected Swiffer hack so that the Swiffer doesn’t get caught or break the shutter.
And while we get that it may be tempting to just brush the Swiffer over the entire shutter quickly, you should take the time to clean each slat for best results.
Trap pet hair
We all love our furry companions. But let’s be honest: they can be pretty messy! Accidents can always be expected, so we’ve learned about the best stain removers, how to clean dog pee from our rugs, how to get rid of a dog smell indoors, and how to groom a pup at home.
But all that pet hair is unavoidable. So we recommend using Swiffer’s Heavy Duty Dry cloths, which tend to be more mighty because they have fluffy fibers that are excellent for trapping migrating hairs.
If you have a house full of shedding pets, try Swiffer’s Heavy Duty Pet cloths for this unexpected Swiffer hack. It’s a dry cloth that’s even more suitable for trapping pet hair and also removes odor.
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