When I moved into my current apartment, the old tenants had left a variety of random items, ranging from a freaky puppet to a broken window AC. They did, however, do me one of the biggest favors of my adult life by leaving a standing broom and dustpan set.
I had never thought much about brooms, other than the general resentment I feel toward all cleaning apparatuses. And as I was about to toss the standing broom with the other broken appliances, I saw a TikTok from one of my favorite mental health-friendly content creators, therapist and author KC Davis, singing the praises of her own broom and standing dustpan.
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In the video, Davis says she used to procrastinate about sweeping. Yet, she’s found that her standing broom — one that locks into a flat-bottomed dustbin with a long handlethat eliminatesthe need to constantly bend over when cleaning up a mess — has made her hate sweeping less and, therefore do it more.
“Sometimes the answer is not, ‘Just make yourself try harder,’ Davis said in a TikTok. “Sometimes it’s just ‘What accommodation do I need?’”
Sweeping with a standing dustpan is such a simple, old-school idea, and yet I had never thought of it as a hack to make cleaning a little easier on the body. After watching Davis’ video, I started to reach for the old, kinda grimy standing dustpan that was left in my apartment. To my surprise, it made sweeping up way less daunting and removed so many of the smaller tasks — bending, brushing, walking to the trash can — from the task.
With my standing broom I literally just sweep the mess into the dustpan box and it’s over. When I’m feeling really tired, I don’t even have to empty the box every time I use it. The little dust bunnies can just chill out in the dustpan until I want to empty it.
When compiling standing dustpan options, I smiled as I read Amazon reviewer Jody M. describe how getting a standing broom has made her life easier too.
“While this broom and dustpan isn’t a new idea, I had just never thought of it,” they wrote. “And am I glad I did. And while it still is a ‘chore’ it’s now a much easier one! And while my aching back and sore legs are gone, so to is my excuse to not go to the gym!!”
While my hand-me-down dustpan eventually went out with the trash, I soon replaced it with an adorable pink one (listed below) that I love even more. The cheery color tricks my brain into thinking sweeping is some sort of game, and it looks cute enough to leave around the house.
If you hate dusting and sweeping, have mobility issues or generally want to make cleaning a little bit easier, here are my suggestions for upgrading your life with a simple standing broom.
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1
Amazon
My beloved colorful standing broom
When I saw all the colorful options that this standing broom is made in, it was game over. I have the pink one in my house but am seriously eying this green one for the upstairs. Because it's such a nice color, it's not an eyesore when it's out — which it always is, because my home has no closets. I love the hard little comb on the dustbin that helps remove whatever dust and hair are tangled in the broom's bristles, meaning I never need to bend over and touch all that gross stuff.
Promising review: "So happy to find this item and perfect for me. The rubber on the pan allows for clean sweeping of debris in pan, long handles make for easy use since I had back surgery and have mobility issues. Glad I bought two sets for downstairs and upstairs and fine with current price point." — Diane S Guillory
If you're really short on space or wish to slide your new standing dustpan into a tight corner, this option folds toward its handle, making it ideal to store in narrow spaces. The broom handle is super adjustable, making it friendly to tall friends and smaller friends alike, and it is super lightweight so little ones can learn how to sweep without making more of a mess than what's already there.
Promising review: "I've been waiting for a good dustpan since the beginning of time. I don't know whether or not it was my naïve self that wanted a higher tech type of dustpan or what. Anyhow, this broom and dustpan are fantastic. The bristles on the broom are of good quality and dust and other nasty stuff like hair don't stick to it very much. The silicone bristles attached to the dustpan are also fantastic for getting off every bit of dust, dirt and other things from the broom so sweeping has become much less of a chore and a much more efficient process. In addition to that, the dustpan and broom are quite lightweight and easy to use. (for reference, I don't need to bend down heavily as the handles work great with my 5'7 frame)" — Wen Lau
Brand loyalists already love OXO for their amazing kitchen storage boxes and general high-quality home products. This standing broom is no different; the dustpan can lock into an easy emptying position and the feathered bristles are great for getting dust and dirt from hard-to-reach places. Like the one above, this one can also fold into itself, allowing you to store it in closets or in other tight places.
Promising review: "Praise be to God for Oxo! They make SMART and good products! This is not only a great device but a SMARTLY designed one as well. It makes dusting like, 1/10 the effort it used to be, thanks to the large design. No more reaching down low or wiping small areas at a time. This is maybe 12 inches of goodness, waiting to wipe the bedroom dresser clean." — Terry
For an all-in-one option, this durable standing broom works outside and inside with five rows of bristles and a stainless steel handle. The dustpan has a bendable rubber lip that makes it flush to the floor, making sure you get all the grit and grime and don't leave any crumbs behind.
Promising review: "I love this broom and dustpan. It was so easy to put together and it's so much easier sweeping without bending over. The dustpan gets every spec of dirt in it. And it's nice to look at too." — mom of two
Amazon for <a href=https://www.huffpost.com/"https://www.amazon.com/Tub-Towels-Heavy-Duty-Multi-Surface-Cleaning/dp/B00022W4ZU/?tag=griffinwynne-20&ascsubtag=651ad067e4b0d2f61f5fc73a%2C-1%2C-1%2Cd%2C0%2C0%2Chp-fil-am%3D0%2C0%3A0%2C0%2C0%2C0\%22 target=\"_blank\" role=\"link\" data-amazon-link=\"true\" rel=\"sponsored\" class=\" js-entry-link cet-external-link\" data-vars-item-name=\"$14.98\" data-vars-item-type=\"text\" data-vars-unit-name=\"651ad067e4b0d2f61f5fc73a\" data-vars-unit-type=\"buzz_body\" data-vars-target-content-id=\"https://www.amazon.com/Tub-Towels-Heavy-Duty-Multi-Surface-Cleaning/dp/B00022W4ZU/?tag=griffinwynne-20&ascsubtag=651ad067e4b0d2f61f5fc73a%2C-1%2C-1%2Cd%2C0%2C0%2Chp-fil-am%3D0%2C0%3A0%2C0%2C0%2C0\" data-vars-target-content-type=\"url\" data-vars-type=\"web_external_link\" data-vars-subunit-name=\"before_you_go_slideshow\" data-vars-subunit-type=\"component\" data-vars-position-in-subunit=\"0\">$14.98</a>.<br></p><p><strong>Promising review:</strong> \"These towels are awesome for so many things. They are large and very sturdy, so they work well for household cleaning. The real benefit for me, though, is having a wipe that works for things like the grill, the oven, the dashboard of my car, muddy shoes, chairs and umbrellas that go to soccer games and practices, and lawn furniture. <strong>I frequently wipe something down, rinse the towel, and wipe again. 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