What do you think when you here the name Swiffer?
It may well be the same thing I think; a really awesome tool for cleaning but one that comes with the need to buy cleaning pads on a regular basis. In the context of sustainability, Swiffers are far from this concept, the pads are designed to be used once and then thrown away, i.e ‘Designed for the Dump’.
Gross, M. A. (2012).
I picked this bad boy up around the time we just started the sustainability class, which I admit I found to be somewhat humorous in an odd sort of way. Then I started learning about all the different ways we are trashing this planet… It was then that I was at somewhat of a loss, because here is an amazing invention that makes cleaning easy, but at the same time it can cause quite a bit of trash.
Well, one night while looking at the Swiffer sweeping pads to see if they were bio-degradable, I started thinking that they may be washable. A quick Google search later turned up results that said otherwise and I started wonder why not? That’s when the idea hit me, washcloths! Another Google search turned up some positive results, and so I set out to give this a whirl!
Gross, M. A. (2012).
Sure enough, the washcloth easily fit onto the Swiffer cleaning head and it was held in place by those convenient tabs used for the pads!
Gross, M. A. (2012).
Admittedly, I was a little worried that the tabs would not be strong enough to hold a washcloth, heavy from being soaked in water, in place; I continued on with the plan anyway, because maybe it would be enough. A moment later I got the cloth soaked with some water and soap, squeezed off the excess, and was ready to go.
Gross, M. A. (2012).
The result? It worked like a charm, the washcloth didn’t budge, even with some vigorous scrubbing of the floor!
Gross, M. A. (2012).
There you have it, a clean and shiny floor, and in my opinion a lot more cleaner, because it didn’t require anything to be thrown away into the garbage! After, I just tossed the cloth into the washer with all the rest of my clothes, which I would of cleaned in the washer anyway.
There are some rather surprising ways to turn things that would otherwise be thrown away into something useful and reusable, so take a long look at things you throw away, and see if there is a way to prevent it from being tossed or a way to reuse it!
Sustainability for the Common Good 