This Simple Trick Will Finally Help You Sweep Up That Last Bit of Dirt

published Jul 6, 2021
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holding dirty broom in kitchen

Sweeping the floor is forever one of the most thankless kitchen tasks — no matter how many passes you make, no matter how long you move that broom, it seems like dirt still gathers. And as soon as you finish, new dirt finds a way to land. Adding insult to injury, the final step of sweeping — moving the gathered refuse from floor to dustpan — is seemingly Sisyphean.

Despite being able to send people to the moon and inventing cars that drive themselves, no one has invented a broom that cleans up that last line of dirt left behind. But a TikTok video might just have a solution.

Katrina Soltero posted this video back in May to her 1.4 million followers, and it’s garnered over 380,000 views. In the video, you can see her grab a single piece of paper towel and wetting it along a single edge. She lays it down on the floor parallel to the line of dirt with the wet edge closest to the dirt, then she sweeps all the dirt gently onto the towel. Cleanup from there is simple: Just fold the towel over to capture the dirt, use the wet part facing out to dab up any remaining bits, and it’s all done. Ta-da!

Many commenters also noted that they’ve used this tip with newspaper instead of paper towel. One person even suggested that newspaper works even better than paper towel (someone please try this out and report back!).

Yes, this is definitely a more wasteful option than just pushing the dirt straight into the dustpan or using a vacuum. Consider using this tip for special occasions when you want your floor perfectly clean, or when you’re in a hurry and need your clean floors fast.