Make your own Swiffer Wet-Jet resusable cover

So, after using the Wet-Jet covers in this post for about two weeks, I decided I could make something a little better on my own.  I recently got new towels for my kitchen but couldn't bear to just throw the old ones out.  They are nice, absorbent bar-mop-type towels, and I thought they might be good candidates for Wet-Jet covers.  I am thrilled with how these covers turned out, and thought I would share my process with you.

First off, my Wet-Jet is fairly old, and I'm not certain they're made exactly like this anymore.  It has a "bump" on one side of the head that originally had a scrubber on it.  It makes making the cover a little more difficult than if it were flat (as I suspect the more recent models are) but really, it wasn't hard to work around.  So, check your Swiffer Wet-Jet first, because if it's different than the one I have, your directions will vary from these slightly.

See the little "bump" on the right side of the head?

My old dish towels measured 18.25" by 16."  I wanted to utilize as many of the finished edges as possible, so my only cut was to make a rectangle 18.25" by 6.75"  (You will be able to make two covers with each towel!)

I LOVE my Gingher brand scissors.  They were a little pricey (I got them half price for 18 dollars) but they cut through everything as if it were butter!  Well worth the money!

Next, so that you don't have fraying when you wash them, turn the cut edge under (about 0.5") and iron, and then under again and iron. I chose to use the "terry" side of the towel to be the bottom (the part that will scrub the floor.)

Using the rick-rack stitch on my machine, I sewed along the turned-under edge to secure it down.

Then I folded up one side 3.25" to make a "pocket" to go over the "bump" side of the Wet-Jet head.

Now, if your Wet-Jet head is like mine (with the bump) you'll want to just tack the corners of the pocket down so that it can easily slide over the bump.  (If yours doesn't have a bump, you could just sew along the edges of the pocket.)  My machine has a cool star stitch that worked really well for making a nice strong stitch here.

For the other side, fold under 2" than under again (just so you don't have to cut and make another hem.)  This will make the pocket for the flat side of the Wet-Jet head.

Using a zig-zag stitch, sew down both sides of the pocket, making sure to catch all 3 layers of fabric.

Pardon my messy zig-zag.  My machine wasn't very happy with me for sewing through 3 layers of finished edges.

And voila, you're done!  You now have a cheap, easy, reusable solution to those expensive disposable Wet-Jet covers.

P.S.  If you're like me and hate to pay for the bottles of Wet-Jet solution sold by Swiffer, use a vise-grip to take the cap off of one of your existing bottles and clip off the little flanges around the inside of the lid with a fingernail clippers.  You will now be able to easily remove the cap in the future.  Fill it with your favorite floor cleaning solution.  I use 1 quart of hot water and 1.5 teaspoons of borax on my linoleum for a great clean shine.