Brooms have been used since the beginning to clean homes, garages, workshops and businesses of every kind. Walk into any home and you’ll most likely meet a broom, or more, of some kind. Some homes even stock more than one type of broom for different cleaning needs.
There are various types of brooms designed for specific purposes, but most come with long handles (except for whisk brooms) tied to bristles of different kinds. Bristles are formed from a variety of materials and should be a top consideration when choosing your broom.
It’s tempting to assume that brooms are the simplest type of household equipment, and you may want to just walk into a retail store and pick a model that catches your eye. But don’t be fooled. These simple devices have unique features that, when not taken into account, can make your entire cleaning exercise tedious and frustrating. If you happen to take home something that won’t serve its purpose, you’ll not only lose money but also spend unnecessary time straining to sweep a room.
With technological advancements, scientists have invented many cleaning solutions to make chores (and life) easier. For instance, commercial
vacuum cleaners can suck up debris and dust within a few minutes, and leave our living surfaces sparkling clean. But even with a powerful
carpet sweeper, you’ll still need a decent broom to reach tight areas, like behind the sofas and underneath beds. For this reason, the function of brooms can never be underestimated. There are some areas, like sidewalks and hard floors, that can only be cleaned the old-fashioned way—using a reliable broom. You can utilize angled brooms to reach tight corners and clear all visible dirt before using a
steam cleaner to sanitize the floors.
Now, since brooms are still important in our everyday cleaning, choosing the right model is everyone’s desire. The first step is to determine your cleaning needs. Ask yourself about the kinds of surfaces you’ll be cleaning, and think about the type of dirt you normally sweep up (is it mostly dirt and mud from shoes, or is it more like pet hair and human hair?). Some important considerations to think about with brooms are the bristles, sturdy handles, and durable designs, just to mention a few.
With the massive number of options out there, our discussion of price and features will help inform of you all things “broom” before you dive into our top picks!
Price
Brooms are among the lowest-costing cleaning products. The price will vary from as low as $5 for simple hand-held designs to about $70 for advanced, electric models. People tend to focus on two parameters when choosing a broom: use, and the material it’s made of. Brooms with stiffer materials for outdoor use tend to be more durable and relatively expensive, while brooms with soft bristles for cleaning indoor surfaces like carpets tend to be smaller in size and relatively cheap.
You can still find very cheap brooms on the market, but not on our list. Handheld brooms are already pretty affordable, so unless you’re thinking about buying one entirely made of plastic, it’s better to just spend $5 or $15 for a reliable broom. You’ll thank yourself the next time you rip open a bag of candy and send chocolate-coated goodies all over the floor.
Features
Choosing the right broom for your cleaning needs can be daunting, especially if you don’t have the right information. Once you’ve determined your specific needs and budget, you should look out for these features to find a perfect fit. But most likely, you may need to pick two brooms: one for outdoor use and another for indoor cleaning.
- Bristle type – If the bristles are efficient and durable, then the broom will offer high performance and practicality. There are various bristle types, including natural corn fibers, polystyrene, polypropylene and synthetic corn. Natural corn fibers are perfect for cleaning dust and dirt with a fine touch. They offer reliability, durability, and water resistance. Polystyrene brooms are highly flexible, reliable, and water resistant. They can easily be restored even after bending. Polypropylene bristles are perfect for cleaning leaves and dust, and can be used to scrub surfaces, too. They are also resistant to water, bacterial growth, fungi and acids. Finally, synthetic corn bristles can withstand cold and hot temperatures, making them perfect for cleaning bathrooms, welcome mats, and other surfaces that require the use of hot water.
- Bristle shapes – Just like the bristle material is important, the shape also plays an important role in the performance of a broom. Flagged or feathered bristles are ideal for collecting debris and dust since they rarely scatter dust. Unflagged bristles, however, are perfect for larger particles, and they’re desired because of their longevity and efficiency for outdoor use, and for cleaning pebbles. Mixed bristles combine both flagged and unflagged bristles to offer better efficiency, both indoors and out. Angle cut bristles are relatively short in shape and can easily reach tight corners to clear dust particles, which makes sweeping quick and easy.
- Height – Most brooms come with an attached broomstick. Consider heights that suit your body size and the kind of cleaning you’ll be doing. You may need a longer broomstick to clean under the bed and to reach far areas. Models with adjustable sticks provide more flexibility during cleaning.
- Broom dustpan – The dustpan is another important element to consider. Many brooms come with a dustpan, which helps collect the debris and dust as you clean.
- Swivel head – This is a unique feature that comes with some brooms that have flexible handles. It gets underneath tight spaces and between close objects to provide perfect cleaning for appliances, cabinets and furniture.
Construction and Design
There are many different designs on the market, so finding a broom model that suits your needs shouldn’t be a problem. Depending on your budget and the surface you’re planning to clean, here are the common types of brooms in terms of construction and design:
- Electric Broom – Electric brooms resemble small, upright vacuum cleaners, and some models can convert into handheld vacuums as well. These brooms are easy to use and are usually battery-operated.
- Corn Broom – A corn broom is perhaps the most traditional broom you’ll find on the market. These brooms are made of 100% corn or fiber. They have fairly stiff bristles and are effective for cleaning walkways, garage floors, barn aisles, sidewalks and workshop floors. They easily handle rough and wet surfaces without a problem. However, they gradually shed and lose some stiffness with regular use.
- Angled Broom – Angled brooms are effective in spaces that heavy-duty brooms can damage, like on marble, wood and tile floors. They have soft bristles and are therefore less likely to scratch soft surfaces. The angled design allows them to reach tight corners, under cabinets and in other tight areas.
- Push Broom – Push brooms are common in workshops, commercial properties, grocery stores, garages, schools, department stores and other places with heavy foot traffic. They have large sweeping surfaces and are designed for cleaning large areas. These brooms easily handle heavy-duty cleaning, including wet or dry debris, wood carvings, leaves and much more. Bristles for push brooms can either be soft or stiff, depending on its purpose, but you can also find models with rubber bristles meant for light indoor use. Additionally, push brooms are designed to involve push motions as opposed to the traditional pulling motions. They’re super easy to use, and even kids can clean workshop floors using these brooms!
Performance and Ease of Use
The performance of a broom will be influenced by the choice you make during purchasing. Ask yourself what kind of sweeping jobs you’ll be doing regularly. Do you need something for your kitchen floor, workshop, garage or driveway? If you’re going to use the broom to sweep fine dust indoors, you need to consider brooms with soft bristles. On the other hand, if you’re going to clean off rough pebbles, you need a broom with stiff bristles.
So, what kind of surfaces are you planning to sweep? Some brooms work well on hardwood floors, tile and linoleum, while others do better on concrete floors and other rough surfaces. The surface you sweep will determine, in large part, the type of broom you end up buying.
Check out any hard-to-reach sections of your home. Some broom models are just not designed to navigate narrow corners and underneath furniture, so angled brooms perform better in cleaning these difficult areas.
Another parameter to look at is the length of the broomstick. Depending on the application, consider lengths that easily reach the areas you’re planning to clean. However, brooms with adjustable broomsticks offer more versatility and functionality.
Finally, electric brooms can make your work much easier if you don’t want to, or simply can’t, put a lot of elbow grease behind your labor. They perform as well as battery-operated vacuums, and they’re super easy to use: simply press the button!
A good quality broom makes a clean sweep of any room. Depending on the size of your rooms, you can get angled brooms that are designed to navigate tiny spaces, corners, and hard-to-reach areas to ensure a thorough clean. But for the outdoors, you may want to get a push broom, especially if you have a large driveway or patio in your backyard. With this great list at hand, why wait? Go ahead and pick a perfect broom that suits your cleaning needs and budget.
Features
Michael Margolin, the President/CEO of Super Sweep, founded his company after years of disappointment with wooden-handle brooms that kept breaking or stripping from the heads. He came up with “the Super Sweeper,” an all-aluminum-handle broom weighing less than 3 lbs, but still strong enough to last for years of service.
From the accurately welded handle to the heavy textured bristles, the Super Sweep Broom is a professional-quality broom that’s virtually indestructible. Its pole is made of lightweight aluminum and is welded together with the plate, meaning it will never rust! The synthetic, flagged bristles make it an ideal broom for smooth, waxed or polished surfaces, like ceramic, vinyl, vanished wood or smooth concrete. It easily takes care of dust, fine dirt and grit.
The Super Sweeper is durable and will take care of all your heavy-duty sweeping jobs for many years to come. Assembling this product is easy and will only take you 5 minutes! You’ll also love that it’s available in 6 colors and 4 sizes, so you can really customize your next sweeping-related job.
Doing house chores may not be an attractive endeavor in today’s fast-paced world as people get busier with more fruitful tasks. But who wants to stay around a dirty and disorganized place, anyway? It’s equally important to maintain a clean and neat living environment if you want to maintain a healthy lifestyle. An effective and efficient broom will help you carry out your chores with minimal hassle. Hopefully, you found the best broom from our list to suit your cleaning needs. These brands still offer alternative choices, though, that you’re free to sample!
