Multi-purpose Sweepers

You may have seen ads on television for multi-purpose sweepers, a floor cleaning product that has been popular ever since it was introduced in the late 1990s. But does it really work? And if it does, how? Like every cleaning product, there are advantages and disadvantages to using multi-purpose sweepers. Read on to find out whether it can help you to clean the hard floors in your apartment, condominium, or house.

How Does it Work?

Multi-purpose sweepers are not quite a broom, but not quite a mop either. It includes a long rod attached to a rectangular, swiveling cleaning head.

A disposable cloth, which may be wet or dry, is attached to the head. Wet cloths can be used for scrubbing hardwood, linoleum, or tile floors clean, as they are fashioned with raised strips that help to remove dried-on spills or dirt. Dry towels are more typically used to attract loose dust, lint, dirt, and hair.

Who Makes it?

Many different brands have come up with their own version of a multi-purpose sweeper, to help get some of the growing market of multi-use cleaning products. The Swiffer Sweeper is part of a line of products made by Proctor & Gamble. The brand has expanded since the introduction of the Swiffer Sweeper in 1999 to include the Swiffer Duster, Swiffer Sweep and Trap, and Swiffer WetJet, among other products. The Container store also has a very note-worthy product that will have your floors clean in no time which is called the Quick Scrub Microfiber Spray Mop.

Price

A multi-purpose sweeper is an affordable home cleaning product that sells for under $20 USD. Most starter kits include two dry sweeping cloths and one wet mopping cloth that can be used to get started. After the cloths have been used, they should be disposed of. You can purchase refill kits for both wet and dry cloths, which are available in packages of 16 and 24. Multi-purpose sweepers and related products can be found widely in hardware stores, grocery stores, and department stores.

Advantages and Disadvantages

One of the main advantages to multi-purpose sweepers is its maneuverability. It is a lightweight product that can fit easily under furniture and around tough-to-reach edges in the way that a vacuum cannot. It is definitely a product to consider if dust is an issue in your home. However, when it comes to really doing some heavy-duty cleaning, you might want to stick with a mop, broom, or vacuum. While advertisements for the multi-purpose sweepers claim that it can replace both a mop and a broom, consumer reports indicate otherwise. A multi-purpose sweeper may attract fine particles, such as dust, dirt, and lint, but it doesn’t pick up larger debris in the way that a broom and dust pan or a vacuum cleaner can. Not to mention, the disposable cloths create a lot of unnecessary waste.

Quick Wrap Up

A multi-purpose sweeper is a product that was introduced in the late 1990s and remains popular today; however, it doesn’t rank highly on cleaning capacity. While great for doing a quick swipe of a dusty floor, it cannot pick up large particles in the way that a broom or vacuum cleaner might. While refills may seem inexpensive, they don’t compare to the one-time cost of a broom or other simple cleaning instrument.