You Should Wet Your Dustpan Before Using It

Photo: Pixel-Shot (Shutterstock)

While most of us reach for a vacuum when we need to clean up a non-liquid spill on the floor, there are still times when it makes sense to grab a dustpan and brush. Whether your vacuum’s battery needs to be recharged, or it takes less effort to use a dustpan for smaller messes, it helps to have one handy.

Unfortunately, if you’re sweeping up something light, you may have difficulty keeping everything in the dustpan—especially if there’s a window open, a fan on, or another source of blowing air. But fortunately, there’s a way to prevent that from happening. Here’s what to know.

Wet a dustpan before using it

To make the dust, hair (human and/or pet), bits of paper, lint, and anything else you’ve swept up stay put, give your dustpan a quick rinse in the sink (or tub) before getting started.

You don’t need to actually fill the dustpan with water: It’s really a matter of running it under the faucet for a few seconds before you start sweeping. It’s incredibly simple, but it works.

If you can’t quite picture why this might make a difference, allow Taryn Williford from Apartment Therapy to explain:

You know when you come out of the shower and dry off, but your feet are still a little damp and you walk around and they are like magnets for all the gross stuff (hair, dust, dirt) on your floors? Wetting your dustpan before you sweep works the same way, but where you want it to happen.

We should point out that this technique does involve one small extra step at the end: After dumping the contents of the dustpan into a trashcan and tapping it a few times to dislodge as much of the debris as possible, you may need to give the dustpan another rinse to get rid of the final bits. You can also use a paper towel or rag to wipe it off. Either way, you’ll be putting it away clean and ready to use again.