Replacement Handle for Swiffer Wet Jet

thingiverse

We use the Swiffer Wet Jet in our house. A lot. Like, two crazy dogs and two messy kids “a lot”. They’re great, convenient tools, but the design of the handle leaves a lot to be desired. For example, you should be able to use it for more than a few weeks without snapping the handle in half. Call me crazy, but I think that should be a main focus of their product design. Unfortunately, every Swiffer I’ve used has the same flaw… thin plastic where the shaft meets the handle. Rather than go out and donate another $20 to Swiffer, and needlessly add yet another broken handled mop to the dump, I decided to just print my own, sturdier handle. The handle I’ve put together is very strong, and allows you to apply significant pressure to the cleaning pad. There are really only three parts to print: Handle 1 Handle 2 Trigger The pieces are held together with glue. I used Gorilla Glue Gel. You’ll need three bolts (and nuts) to attach it to the Swiffer shaft. I used 3x #6 pan head machine screws of varying lengths. Assembly depends on the current state of your Swiffer. If you’re considering doing this, you either don’t care about the handle, or you are looking at a broken handle anyway, so: NOTE: You’ll want to be careful not to break the wire, or the existing switch. This design uses that switch and wire! It’s possible to replace, or rewire this, but that seems like more work than I was willing to do. Be careful! Step 1: Remove the old handle. There is one screw on the bottom of the handle, and another hidden under the button. The one under the button isn’t easy to get to. You either need to pry off the button somehow, or otherwise break it apart. I used a flat head screwdriver to encourage the pieces apart. Step 2: Print the three parts you’ll need. Again, the parts you’ll need are Handle 1, Handle 2, and the Trigger. Step 2b: Prep the parts? The tolerances on this are pretty tight. I wanted to make sure the handle fit as snugly as possible. Depending on how your printer is calibrated, you might not be able to get both halves to fit tightly together. You may have to sand the inner opening for the shaft a bit to get things to fit cleanly. Try to do this before you glue anything. Step 3: Place one half of the handle assembly on the shaft, taking notice of where the holes line up for the bolts. The Swiffer shaft has larger holes on one side than the other, and the handle should match. Step 4: Route the wiring for the switch. It should be hanging through he opening. We’re going to glue the parts together BEFORE shoving the switch in place. Step 5: I strongly recommend test fitting at this point. Make sure the two halves of the handle are completely touching each other with no gaps. Ensure that the switch wire is not being pinched between the two halves of the assembly. Sand/drill/adjust as necessary, making sure to repeat steps 3 and 4 each time. Once everything is fitting nicely together: Step 6: Glue the two halves together. No going back now! This part is pretty straightforward… With one half of the handle already in place on the Swiffer shaft, line up and glue the two halves together. A good guide is to make sure that the bolt holes line up, and that the back is flush. If you were careful and persistent with the prep in step 5, then this should be pretty easy. ** be sure to only glue the outside edges of the two halves! If you get glue on the shaft, it’s going to be stuck completely and you can’t rotate or remove the handle if necessary. Step 7: Insert the trigger into the trigger opening with the flat side facing the switch, and use a bolt to secure it in place. I think I used a 1” bolt. Step 8: Clean your floors! Possible improvements: The trigger tends to rest nicely against the switch, but there’s no spring or anything holding it in place. I may design a version of the trigger with some spring to it to keep it pressed against the switch. The bolts could be recessed… I don’t know… It’s really solid right now, and I don’t know if it’s worth it. There could be a hanging loop on the back. We don’t hang our kitchen cleaning tools, but I do see where that could be beneficial to some. Print Settings Printer: Monoprice Dual Extrusion Rafts: No Supports: Yes Resolution: I used .20. Infill: 30% Notes: The tolerances on this are really... really tight. Your mileage might vary. I'm also not sure if the shaft they use is uniform from one swiffer to the next. Just prepare yourself emotionally for the possibility of some light sanding.