Diwali cleaning has a way of piling up old clothes in the cupboard, worn-out t-shirts, faded nightwear and soft cotton kurtas that no longer get worn but still feel too good to bin. Instead of buying disposable mop heads and wipes, you can turn them into sturdy floor-cleaning cloths that cost nothing and wash again and again. A homemade cloth is also a good way to cut down on waste at a time of year when the house tends to fill up with packaging. Here’s how to make one in five easy steps, with no sewing machine needed.
The best fabrics are soft, absorbent cotton, such as old t-shirts, cotton sarees, bedsheets, towels or kurtas. Cotton soaks up water well and leaves very little lint behind. Avoid anything with sequins, heavy embroidery, thick seams, zips or buttons, since these can scratch your floor, and be careful with synthetics, which tend to push the water around instead of absorbing it. Wash the clothes first and let them dry, so they’re clean and any dye has already run. Dampen the cloth with plain water or your usual floor-cleaning mix, wring it well, and wipe the floor in sections, rinsing it often so you aren’t spreading dirt around. After use, rinse it out right away, then wash it in hot water with detergent, separately from clothes you wear, and dry it fully in the sun to keep it from smelling musty. Replace the cloth when it wears thin. Keep a few on rotation, and don’t use the same one on the bathroom and kitchen floors. This article is intended for general informational and household purposes only. Always test a new cleaning cloth or cleaning solution on a small, hidden patch of your floor first, as results can vary with the floor type and finish. Avoid soaking wooden or laminate floors, and wash reusable cloths separately from clothing. Keep cleaning supplies away from children and pets.