Could sweeping actually be an enjoyable chore?
UPDATE for 2023: Even though this post was originally published in 2016, and even though since then my colleagues have recommended other top performing brooms as well in this post, I still like the OXO better. One of the reasons not listed below is because it’s much lighter than the other recommended brooms. In addition to the OXO, I’ve found that the Dyson Stick Vacuum first mentioned in this post is also great for weekday messes. I like using the stick vacuum during the week and the OXO on Shabbos.
Other than loading the dishwasher after preparing dinner and straightening up here and there, I admit that I’m not much of a cleaner-upper. My idea of cleaning usually only extends as far as some paper towels and all-purpose spray will take me.
When I was first married, the first home I lived in had white kitchen floors. I remember being up all Thursday night preparing my first Friday night dinner. When I was done, the floors were grey and I cleaned them using spray and paper towels. Using a mop didn’t even occur to me.
Unlike mopping, though, sweeping can’t usually wait until the day the cleaning lady arrives. But I never found the need to sweep so often such a chore, until my baby began eating table food (I don’t remember how I managed this stage with my older children). Suddenly, multiple times per day, there was a rainstorm of food all around the dinette area (because of course, how else do babies signal they’re full or they want something else without throwing it overboard?)
The old broom and dustpan were not working.
I researched. There was a better solution. And, of course, no surprise, it came from OXO, the inventors of all the best kitchen gadgets.
So, here’s why I love my OXO Broom and why it has made my life so much easier.
Adjustable Heights. I’m sweeping something close by, and I keep it short. I need to reach a little further (such as under a table), and it extends effortlessly. Also, since my kids can adjust it to a height that’s comfortable for them, they actually want to help with the sweeping. That, for me, is the biggest game-changer.
The Stand-Up Dustpan. I know that there are lots of dustpans with handles that stand upright. Still, eliminating the need to bend down is huge. Massively huge. The whole chore is also so much different when there’s a long handle and no need to get near the dirt.
Sweep ONCE. Do you know, how with most dustpans, after you sweep, there’s still all that dirt that didn’t make it into the dustpan and you have to sweep it in again and again? Not with this. One sweep and that’s it. All in.
Finally, those dustpan teeth. All the dirt gets into the dustpan rather than staying in the broom.
And so, it might be a simple broom, but I appreciate it again and again after every single mealtime, every single day.
Estee says
I’ve been using a hard core Libman, that I have so far only found at Sam’s Club. But, while between help this summer I found I needed more than a broom because I was sweeping all day, or at least it felt like it. Inspired by a friend who bought a cordless dyson, I read lots of Amazon reviews and bought a Hoover Linx Cordless. It has rechargeable battery, so I can keep the charger out of sight and store the vac in my pantry. Its light and can vacuum floor and carpet. It’s a game changer!