How to Use a Swiffer Wet Jet

A simple guide for effective cleaning

Co-authored by Chris Willatt

Last Updated: December 18, 2022 References

Swiffer WetJets are designed to clean hard surface floors. Unlike a normal mop, where you have to deal with a bucket of water, the Swiffer WetJet contains its own bottle of cleaning solution that you can spray onto the floor in front of you. Before you start mopping, you’ll have to assemble your WetJet. Mop your floors with the WetJet as you use the button to spray cleaning solution. After you mop, you’ll have to change the pad and refill the cleaning solution bottle if it’s empty.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Assembling Your WetJet

1
Slide the poles together with the latches lined up. Swiffer WetJets come in 3 pieces. Line them all up, with the mop on the bottom, the pole with the handle on top, and the third piece in the middle. You should hear a click when they slide together.^{[1]
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- Once the poles are assembled, it’ll be pretty difficult to disassemble them.
2
Slide open the battery compartment and put in 4 AA batteries. The battery compartment isn’t immediately accessible. You have to open it up by pushing up on the battery tab on the front middle section of the base. Slide the tab upwards, so that the battery compartment slides out of the WetJet base. Then, insert 4 new AA batteries.^{[2]
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- If you just bought the WetJet, it should come with batteries that you can put in.
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3
Attach the pad print-side down. Don’t remove the plastic layer on the back of the cleaning pad. Many people make this mistake, but it actually messes up the cleaning pad. Just put the print side down onto the bottom of the cleaning pad, and it will stick by itself.^{[3]
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- The side with the stripe will be facing the floor if you’ve put the pad on correctly.
4
Insert the cleaning solution with the arrow facing the pole. Just line up the arrow on the WetJet cleaning solution bottle with the pole and slide the bottle down until it clicks into place. If it’s not clicking into place, you may have to press a button on the back of your WetJet while you push the bottle down.^{[4]
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- You don’t have to take the cap off the bottle.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Mopping with the WetJet

1
Use the WetJet on finished hardwood, ceramic, vinyl, or laminate floors. The WetJet will work well on most kinds of floors, but you shouldn’t use it on unsealed wood floors or carpeted floors. If you’re not sure whether your wood floors are sealed, drip a few drops of water in an inconspicuous part of your floor. If the floor absorbs the water, your floor isn’t sealed, but if the drop stays sitting on top of the floor, it is sealed.^{[5]
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- Instead of using the WetJet, clean carpeted floors by vacuuming them and unsealed wood floors by sweeping them.
2
Sweep or vacuum the floor before you mop. You can use a broom and dustpan, a vacuum, or a Swiffer sweeper.^{[6]
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Expert Source

Chris Willatt
House Cleaning Professional
Expert Interview. 1 July 2019.} Get all the excess dust and hair off your floor, so that your mopping can focus on the hard-to-remove spills and stains.^{[7]
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- Mops aren’t that good at picking up solid debris, and brooms aren’t great at liquid spills, which is why you need both.
3
Squeeze the button on top of the handle to spray liquid. The WetJet has a button above the handle that you can press to release liquid cleaning solution. When you press the button, it will make a little buzzing noise, and cleaning solution will spray out onto the floor.^{[8]
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Expert Source

Ahmed Mezil
Cleaning Specialist
Expert Interview. 13 April 2021.}
- If the spraying becomes uneven or stops, you may have to change the batteries.^{[10]
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4
Rub the WetJet over the damp area of the floor to remove grime. You don’t have to apply a lot of pressure as you mop. Just push the Swiffer back and forth over the damp area until it is clean.^{[11]
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Expert Source

Ahmed Mezil
Cleaning Specialist
Expert Interview. 13 April 2021.}
- You can always spray again for a particularly dirty spot.
5
Mop no more than once a week. There’s no need to mop your floors every day. In fact, if you mop too often, dirt may stick to your damp floors. Try and mop about once a week or every other week.^{[13]
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- You may want to mop your kitchen floors more often than the rest of your floors.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Changing the Pads and Refilling the Solution

1
Replace the WetJet pads after every use. Just unpeel the dirty pad and toss it away. Put a new pad onto the bottom of your Swiffer so that it’s all set to go next time you need to mop your floors.^{[14]
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- Remember that the print side goes down on the pad, so that the striped side faces the floor.
2
Make your own reusable cover from a shammy towel as an alternative. Get a shammy towel, and mark it with the length of the Swiffer pad. Then, mark the width of the Swiffer pad on the shammy and add 2 inches (5.1 cm) on each side. Cut out the shammy on the lines that your marked. Put the shammy over the bottom of the Swiffer pad and wrap the extra width on top so that you can tuck the fabric into the Swiffer.^{[15]
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- When you’re done mopping your floors, you can just wash the shammy in the washing machine and then reuse it.
3
Buy Swiffer’s refill bottles when your cleaning solution runs out. If you don’t want to bother mixing your own cleaning solution, you can just buy the WetJet cleaning solution that Swiffer sells. You can buy it online or at a store like Walmart, Walgreens, or Home Depot.^{[16]
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- The cleaning solution costs about $5-10.
4
Make a home-made solution as a budget-friendly alternative. Mix together 1 cup (240 mL) white vinegar, 1 cup (240 mL) water, and 3-5 drops of dish soap. Mix the ingredients together directly in a measuring cup is the easiest way to do it.^{[17]
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- You’ll save a lot of money in the long run if you always mix your own cleaning solution.
5
Soak the bottle cap in boiling water for 90 seconds and remove it with a towel. It can be hard to get the cap off your empty Swiffer bottle, but if you loosen it with hot water, it will pop right off. Bring a pot of water to boil on the stove, and hold the cap-side of the bottle in the water for about 90 seconds. Remove the bottle and put a towel over the cap to twist it off.^{[18]
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- You can also try removing the cap with pliers, if the towel isn’t working.
6
Refill the bottle with your solution and shake it to mix. Pour your cleaning solution into the open WetJet bottle. If you made the solution in a bowl with a spout or a measuring cup, this should be easy to do. Shake the solution well.^{[19]
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- If you’re having trouble pouring the solution into the bottle, use a funnel to prevent spills.