What’s dirtier and dustier than the tool used to collect all the dirt and dust? Brooms are the first offense against filth in your home and sometimes it shows. When your broom gets too gross, you need to clean it up so it can get back to work. Here are some quick and easy ways to get a clean broom.

 

How to Clean a Broom

 

How to Clean

Light cleaning: Sometimes a broom only needs a good dusting. Take it outside and smack it against a tree. This will remove the dust and particles that were settled in the bristles. Of course, don’t smack the broom too hard. You don’t want to break it or bend it out of shape.

Deeper cleaning: First do your light cleaning of smacking out as much loose dirt as possible. Then place your broom in a bucket filled with warm soapy water to soak for 30 minutes. (Natural or synthetic, it doesn’t matter. You can clean both this way.) While the bristles soak, wipe down the handle with a disinfectant. After half an hour, remove the broom and rinse under warm water. Dry with a cloth or place bristle-end up in the shower to dry.

Pro tip: To cut down on broom nastiness and prevent the spread of germs, have separate brooms for different areas of the house (e.g. one “clean” broom for normal sweeping and one for around the litter box or in the messy kitchen).

 

Best Broom Storage

To keep your bristles in good condition, store the broom upside down (bristle side up) in its storage area. This allows the bristles to rest in a neutral position and stay looking how they did when you first bought your broom.

 

How to Sweep

You might be thinking, “you’ve got to be kidding me.” We know you know how to sweep! We just have a few tricks that might make your sweeping more effective.

  • Brooms aren’t one-type-fits-all. Indoor brooms need finer bristles to pick up even very small dirt particles. Outdoor brooms need stronger, stiffer bristles as they’ll probably encounter wilder debris.
  • Annoyed by that thin line of dirt your dust pan refuses to pick up? Go for a dustpan with a rubber edge to minimize left-behind dirt.
  • Perfect your technique. One hand should be at the top of the handle and the other toward the middle. Push your hands in opposite directions to get the most power out of every stroke.
  • When sweeping a room, move from the outside in and collect the dirt in the center of the space. This makes sure you don’t miss any spots and makes the dirt easy to pick up.

 

A Clean Broom Means a Clean Home

Getting a clean broom and cleaning with a broom are quick and easy tasks. For the brooms themselves, we recommend a light cleaning weekly and a deeper cleaning monthly. Consider adding this chore to your cleaning calendar.