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I bought a new wet mop and a few mop pads when we moved into our house more than 14 years ago, so it’s probably time for this reusable mop pad DIY.
Whether you use a Swiffer or another kind of wet mop, with disposable or reusable pads, it’s super easy to make a reusable version. It’s an easy upcycle to make form an old towel or even an old T-shirt.
What You’ll Need
I pulled an old bath towel and a hand towel out of the rag drawer to make my reusable mop pad, and I realized that even for our larger sized mop I could easily make two out of a hand towel. But you can cut down a larger towel or use an old kitchen towel if that’s what you have handy.
You’ll also need a sewing machine and some thread, as well as fabric scissors. Fabric clips would also be helpful for holding down your folds.
How to Make a Reusable Mop Pad
This was a bit of a craft fail rescue because I used the original mop pad as a guide for cutting out my pieces and also eyeballed things/wanted to try to use all the fabric. Which caused me to end up with a pad that was about 3 inches/7.6 cm wider than it needed to be.
It’s really shameful but I share because we all do things like this. All. The. Time.
The good news is it was quick to fix, and the better news is you can use your actual mop as a guide or maybe even measure things when you make yours.
I cut the hand towel in half down the middle but I should have made my pieces narrower. The demonstration photos work just the same.
Decide if you want to use the seams of the towel or trim them all away. I was going for fast and easy and don’t really care how this looks, so I kept the original edges.
Cut your towel or other fabric to the size you need to cover the width of the mop body. The length should be longer than the mop body by a few inches so it will stay on the mop. Mine was about 4 inches/10 cm longer on each side than the length of the mop body.
Finish any raw edges (since terrycloth loves to fray) using a zigzag stitch (or you can do this with your serger if you’d rather).
Unless you have a heavy duty machine, you won’t be able to sew through all the thickness if you fold over the edges and sew the pockets on the ends. This was another reason I kept the original edges because then at least those three sides look finished.
Instead, just fold over the short ends so that the remaining length of the mop cover is the same as the mop body or the original mop pad (here using the original pad as a guide worked ok for me).
Pin or clip these in place and then sew the side seams so those folded over bits become pockets.
Try it on your mop and make sure it fits, and adjust if necessary.
Test Driving the DIY Mop Cover
I took my mop cover for a spin and while it doesn’t fit as perfectly as the ones that came with the mop, it definitely works just fine.
I’ll be happy to have a couple more mop covers I can use, though I make no promises that I’ll actually mop more often. LOL.
Do you use reusable mop covers or other items in the kitchen? Have a consumable you’d like a DIY for? Let me know and I’ll see what I can do!
