We Finally Found a Broom-and-Dust-Pan Combo That Actually Works!

A few months ago, I lamented here that I haven’t been able to find a winning broom-and-dust-pan combo. To recap: I sweep my floors (almost!) every night, a total necessity with two kids, one of whom is a messy 3-year-old who seems to scatter bits of rice and kale chips in her wake. (Hey, at least she likes kale chips.) And no matter what I tried, I could never seem to get every last crumb off my floor when I swept. My workaround was to sweep, then use a hand vacuum to pick up the remaining bits. Not the end of the world, but still kinda annoying!

When I asked for your solutions, I heard much of the same — other workarounds, including using sturdy junk mail instead of a dust pan, using a rubber-bristled broom, and a brand I hadn’t heard of yet, called Wisp (although even these fixes had their pros and cons).

Well, here’s an update. Since writing that story, I moved, and in the process threw away my old broom (it broke in transit; I didn’t just toss it out of spite) and went shopping for a new one. And I think I have found the winning broom-and-dust-pan combo! I discovered them browsing through the aisles at the hardware store, expecting more of the same. Here’s what I got.

• HDX Extra Wide Angle Broom with Dustpan, $9 at Home Depot

• HDX Bench Brush, $8 at Home Depot

While the included dust pan is meant to go with the broom, it also clips onto the little sweeper, so I store those two together under my sink and the broom in another spot.

Neither of these were big-ticket items, nor did I do any research. I just threw them into my cart while I was doing my new-home run at the hardware store, stocking up on lightbulbs, picture hangers, and other random items. So imagine my surprise to realize that they work! The broom I had before was just a run-of-the-mill broom, but the angled head on this one actually allows the bristles to get into corners and around the table legs.

The dust pan actually directs debris into the pan — not under the pan. The real key, though, is the little sweeper. The Home Depot site says it has “flagged poly fibers” to catch small particles, and a “flare shape” to get into tight spots. I don’t know what a flagged poly fiber is, I just know it works. (I don’t have to get out the hand vac at all anymore!)

It is definitely furrier-looking than my old mini sweeper, which had stiffer, straighter bristles. After some post-shopping research, I learned that a bench brush (as opposed to a dust brush) has roots in woodworking, for picking up bits like sawdust from, presumably, a workbench. Which makes me feel quite cool, like someone who is handcrafting some artisanal something instead of making mac and cheese for dinner. And if a sweeper works and makes me feel cool? It’s a definite winner.

Do you have a broom-and-dust-pan combo that you swear by?