The Swiffer family of products has been heavily advertised on television, with commercials featuring individuals with disabilities demonstrating the ease of use and versatility of each item. While I hate to jump on the bandwagon, I must admit that I am a Swiffer convert. Speaking as an individual with a disability who utterly detests cleaning, my Swiffer mop and duster have simplified these dreaded chores.
While I certainly don’t contend to keep a spotless home, after all cleaning has never been my passion, I do strive to keep the environment relatively sanitary. I continue to be amazed at the amount of dirt one little boy can track into the house after an afternoon playing outside. Sometimes just trying to maintain a status quo of cleanliness is enough to keep me busy for hours!
One of the reasons I hate cleaning lies with lugging around the heavy and awkward equipment. From schlepping out the vacuum to wrangling the mop and ringer apparatus, some days it felt like I was spending more time preparing to clean than actually working on the chore itself. Because of my prosthesis, I am cautious when carrying and moving equipment. My balance is already impacted, and trying to walk with an unbalanced load simply makes moving more laborious. While I never used my amputation as an excuse to avoid cleaning, I have certainly learned that it makes it more difficult and time consuming.
After watching the Swiffer commercials for what felt like the thousandth time, I finally broke down and bought one. (Yes, I am apparently one of those individuals who is highly susceptible to persuasion.) I was skeptical that it would reap the results promised, but I was willing to give it a try. With the baby bump becoming bigger by the day, and my mobility becoming increasingly impacted, I figured it was the perfect occasion to put the Swiffer promise to the test.
To my surprise, the Swiffer floor mop was remarkably lightweight. I could easily hold the mop with one hand, allowing me to quickly switch grip and hand position as I moved throughout the house. The swivel head actually swiveled, enabling me to reach spaces that have long been ignored by my cleaning efforts! I was shocked at how much dirt accumulated on the cleaning pads, which I took as visible proof that my floors were becoming clean. In addition to the lack of weight and the ease of maneuverability, my favorite feature rested on what I no longer needed. I didn’t have to contend with buckets of soapy water, dripping ringers and sloshing dirty water in a quest for clean floors!
Because this mop is so easy to use and maneuver, I highly recommend it to everybody. By using the Swiffer, I have eliminated at least 30 minutes from my cleaning routine. It is nice to be able to use a product which is so simple in design yet effective. I love that I no longer have to struggle schlepping buckets of water or unruly mops to clean. My house is still not spotless, but keeping it acceptably clean is easier with the Swiffer!
