How to Sweep Your Floors the Correct Way

Sweeping floors seems like a fairly simple task at first glance. How difficult can it be to pick up a broom and sweep some dirt into a dustpan? If you’ve never swept a room before and aren’t sure how to sweep, then you might find it to be a bit more challenging than you thought.

There is a specific technique you should follow when sweeping to prevent dirt, dust, and other debris from traveling from one corner to another or becoming lifted into the air. Although we want to imagine it’d be as easy as taking the broom and moving it across the floor, there’s a certain way to hold the broom and so on.

If you want clean floors, but you aren’t sure how to clean your floors properly, then you’ll want to continue reading below. Here’s a guide on everything you need to know about sweeping floors effectively!

Start At the Top

One of the first sweeping tips to keep in mind is to dust and wipe counters down first. If you’re conducting a house cleaning, then it’s best to start from the top and work your way down. If you sweep first and then dust the fans or wipe down counters, dust will fall onto the ground, making more work for you.

Before you grab that broom, make sure you complete all the other cleaning tasks to come before it. Save sweeping for one of the last things you do right before vacuuming and mopping. If any dust or dirt were to fall onto the floors while cleaning, then you’ll sweep it up at the end. 

Use an Indoor Broom

Another great tip to keep in mind is using an indoor broom. Yes, that’s right. There are indoor brooms and outdoor brooms. 

Indoor brooms have fine bristles while outdoor brooms have stiff bristles. The find bristles work well on tile and hard floors indoors. A broom with stiff bristles may cause damage to indoor floors, which you’ll want to avoid. 

The stiff bristles are better for cement or concrete surfaces and sweeping large debris items. Once you find a few indoor brooms, give yourself some time to make a selection. There’s a variety of indoor brooms to choose from. 

It may even take you a try or two until you find the one that works best for you. Some indoor brooms will have bristles that angle to one side to create a simpler way to reach corners while others have straight bristles. The choice is yours, as long as it works for you.

Sweep Towards You From Corners

When you begin sweeping a room, you want to start from the back of the room and work your way out. Be sure to sweep towards you, not away from you. You should also sweep from the corners and work your way out. 

Sweeping using these techniques prevents you from cornering yourself in. You want to sweep in your direction while walking backward. When you’re done sweeping, you’ll be standing at the end of the room with a good dirt pile.

Create small dirt piles as you go if there’s a lot of dust and dirt. You can then go back to the piles and sweep them into the pan. If you try to create one large dirt pile, then some loose debris might escape into the air or back onto the floor. 

Break Large Rooms Down Into Sections

If you’re dealing with a large room, then it may even be best to break it down into sections. Bring your dustpan with you (most dustpans easily click in place on the broom handle). Sweep one section and then move your dust pile into the pan. 

Dump the pan out and continue on to the next section. This will make it a bit easier and will prevent dust and dirt from escaping as mentioned above. 

Sweep on a Daily Basis or As Needed

You can never go wrong with sweeping on a daily basis. Although, do keep in mind that some homes need more sweeping than others depending on pets, children, and other circumstances. Keeping up with a routine sweeping schedule is one of the best ways to ensure the floors in your home are clean at all times. 

Maintain a regular sweeping schedule can be difficult as life gets busy. Fortunately, house cleaning services can help get your cleaning tasks done for you while you focus on other things. 

Avoid Getting the Broom Wet

As you sweep, remember to keep the broom dry. You should avoid getting it wet unless cleaning it. After washing the broom, lay it out upside down to dry thoroughly. 

Wet bristles can cause damage and will shorten your broom’s lifespan. If you do happen to get the bristles wet while sweeping, then be sure to let them dry upside down to prevent damage to them. 

Now You Know How to Sweep

Just because you know how to sweep doesn’t mean you should be the one doing it. There are certain sweeping techniques that you can master over time, but why devote time and energy to doing so when you can leave it in the hands of the professionals? 

Scrub N’Bubbles is family-owned and operated and located in Boise, Idaho. We are dedicated to treating each client as a family member and offer a personal touch on all our cleaning services. 

Request a cleaning quote today and let us do the dirty work for you!