Swiffer Covers!

As I have sought to live more sustainably, though I have a long way to go to make more of a difference, I made some Swiffer mop covers. Instead of the expensive single-use wipes, I crocheted cotton covers that can be tossed in the washer when used. Then they're ready for another use!

I based my covers on a pattern from the website Left In Knots. Their pattern for a Crochet Sweeper Cover uses Bernat Blanket yarn with a loop stitch for extra scrubbing power, but I wanted to make them in cotton so they could be washed in hot water.

This required some reworking of the pattern because Bernat Blanket yarn is a super bulky weight while the yarn I wanted to use is worsted weight, a significantly thinner yarn requiring a vastly different hook size and producing a very different stitch count.

My Swiffer covers use Lily Sugar'n Cream cotton yarn in Sunshine and Hot Green, which I accidentally ordered instead of the green I wanted for a different project. I realized the green matched the color of the mop and decided to use it because I had no other plans for it. I like the way the colors turned out.

Photos by Katherine Elizabeth

To make the covers, I crocheted three pieces: two to cover the back and one as large as the bottom surface of the mop. The only stitch I used for these was half-double crochet through the back loop. When sewing the three pieces together, I single crocheted around the entire large piece while working the stitches through both pieces in the right areas.

The only thing I would change is to make the two back pieces slightly narrower to allow the cover to slip on the mop more easily.

To determine the number of stitches, I simply decided what hook I wanted to use and crocheted a gauge swatch to measure my stitches. Because cotton shrinks when washed the first couple of times, I made them an inch wider and an inch longer than needed. This seemed to be the perfect amount because they fit snugly on the mop after several washes.

Depending on your floor's needs, these reusable mopping pads are good for both wet and dry mopping. I have been using them for months, and I love them!