Repair or Re-Buy?
If you own one of these Swiffer WetJet’s, you will realize that they are not very frugal. It costs about $20 to buy a starter kit, $5 for additional cleaning solution, and another $7 for cleaning pads. These are not the most sturdy or long lasting machines, but they do work pretty good. Recently we decided to splurge and we bought the Swiffer Cleaning Solution. When my wife went to use the WetJet, it stopped working! So we had two options, we either buy a new one for another $20 or the Frugal Husband tries to repair it.
I did a Google search to see if others had this same problem (somehow it was clogged), but I could not find a good answer. So I took a needle and tried to open the nozzle, with no success. I let it sit in the kitchen for a couple days thinking how to make this thing work again. I tried pressing the button, hoping that somehow the solution would push the clog through. That made it worse, the solution was dripping everywhere! Then I figured it out. I took out the solution bottle and and took the WetJet to the sink. I turned on very hot water and placed the WetJet upside down (nozzle side up), pressing the button and having the hot water run through the nozzle, in the opposite direction. In about 30 seconds, a small hard piece flew right out! Viola, the WetJet has been repaired and we saved $20.
Here’s a bonus tip to save on the cleaning solution. You do not need to spend $5 every time for new solution, you can refill the same bottle. You will notice that you cannot unscrew the cap that easily. It’s because there are little grooves underneath the cap that prevent you from opening it. To open it, heat up some water on the stove. When the water is boiling, place the bottle top in the water for about 10-15 seconds. Then the cap will come right off. Then grab some nail clippers and clip the grooves. Then refill with whatever (cheaper) solution you like!
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