Why do you use a broom instead of vacuuming?

39 comments

1. Most people I know vacuum. I have no idea what it is about your algorithm that preferentially shows you sweeping, but that’s an odd one.

   I sweep because I hate the noise of a vacuum.

2. People posting videos are primarily doing it to show off a video, not to show how they’d do things without cameras rolling.

   Turns out its hard to take video when a loud ass vacuume is on.

   We have a robot vacuum and then we use some spray and a dry mop. it goes places the robot can’t.

3. My vacuum isn’t worth a shit on hard floors.

4. I’m a vacuum kind of girl, myself

5. I use a broom to sweep cat litter on the stairs, and that’s about it. For regular cleaning, I vacuum, and so does everyone I know. Where are you seeing these cleaning videos? Are they some kind of cottagecore ~aesthetic thing on TikTok?

6. No, we vacuum. Not sure what videos you’re watching.

7. Americans absolutely use vacuums, some might sweep the heavier debris before doing so though. Internet videos are not a good source of information.

8. They’re different tools for different uses. I use a broom on hard floors, especially when there’re larger objects to clean. I have a 1 year old child who makes a mess every meal. After we’re done I sweep the floor under the high chair because the food is too large for a vacuum. Plus, both my 1 year old and my 3 year old hate the sound of a vacuum, so sweeping is easier than dealing with two crying children.

9. I only use a broom in the garage. I vacuum all the floors inside my home.

10. I vacuum if I am doing all the hardwood.

    If I am doing the stairs or just under the table where the three year old dumped approximately 50% of the food he was shoveling in his mouth… every dang meal… I use a broom.

    It is quicker and easier to do a quick spot cleaning or the stairs with a broom rather than haul out the vacuum, plug it in, wrangle it around under the table around all the chairs or lug it up and down the stairs.

11. I saw a video of a man boxing a kangaroo, is that a common recreational activity in Australia?

    Of course we use vacuums. I have a deep passion for vacuuming.

12. i have a shark and I dont know where the hard surface head went. So I use a swiffer now

13. My home only has carpet in one room; the rest of the rooms are hardwood with area rugs. I vaccuum my floors several times a week (have pets – lots of fur). When I’m doing a deep clean, however, I always sweep first, and then vacuum. I have allergies. I have a pretty amazing vac, the Dyson Animal, that has a floor setting and a carpete setting, but it can’t reach everywhere, and even when I vac, if I sweep after, I always end up with a pile of dirt that the vac didn’t pick up. Vacuums are good, but they aren’t amazing on uncarpeted floors.

14. Sweeping is easy, quiet, doesn’t waste electricity, and completely effective on hardwood floors. Why bother with a vacuum if I don’t have carpet?

15. I sweep the wood floors and vacuum the carpet. Thought it was normal lol.

    It’s just easier than setting up the vacuum and the cord is so annoying. Also, I really don’t like how loud vacuums are. I’d rather not vacuum ever unless it’s necessary like the carpet in my room. I sweep the dust (and cat hair) out the deck door. Then I sweep it off the deck into the bushes below. So long farewell.

16. There’s people with auditory sensitivity in my household so we tend to broom or use a carpet sweeper more than vacuum in general.

17. Sweeping is quiet and faster. I don’t need to dig my vacuum out of the closet, set it up, move tables out of the way, etc. I generally use a broom for everyday cleanup and a vacuum for once-a-week deeper cleaning.

18. I mop my tile floors and I give it a good sweep before doing so, especially the kitchen area. Mopping actually cleans it, vacuuming doesn’t.

19. Personally I would not watch a YouTube video with vacuum noises in it, maybe that’s why the people filming their cleanups are sweeping instead.

20. I vacuum my floors. Sometimes just sweep up a little something. Use the swiffer on them about once a week. I even have a wet vac that I use every few months on them. Really just depends on what kind of cleaning the floor needs.

21. I certainly vacuum but it’s overkill sometimes.

    If I’m cleaning my floors I’ll vacuum but sweep if it’s a little mess under the table or in the kitchen

22. I use a broom then vacuum. I don’t want to vacuum up anything that could tangle in the machine so I sweep a bit then vacuum.

23. I keep my broom in the laundry room beside the kitchen and the vacuum in a closet in the spare bedroom, so the broom is more handy for some small cleanups. Plus I get an odd satisfaction from sweeping up loose dirt.

24. We will vac 90% of the time. Every once in a while we will sweep because little things can get in corners, by walls, etc., that the vac doesn’t seem to pick up. At that point, we sweep it away from the walls and vacuum it up.

25. TIL. The United States of America is the only place in the world that has brooms…

26. They’re not mutually exclusive

27. I sweep the hard wood floors and tile floor. I vacuum the carpets.

28. It’s more convenient to grab the broom and get it done quickly rather than unwinding the cord for the vacuum. Most kitchens just aren’t big enough for the speed of vacuuming to be worth the additional hassle.

29. >wouldn’t consider sweeping as it’s not as efficient as vacuuming.

    Yeah, I disagree. A quick sweep of the kitchen out the back door takes a lot less time than vacuum.

30. Vacuums are obnoxiously loud, brooms are almost silent.

31. Vacuum cleaners have rotating brushes that you sometimes can’t turn off. They can scratch a hardwood floor. And vacuum cleaners can be overkill – all you got’s a few crumbs on the kitchen floor? Just sweep them up now and save the vacuum for the day you do the whole house.

32. Sweeping is easier. Vacuums are heavier and may need to be carried up/down stairs, plugged in, and put away. Brooms are lightweight and get into the corners and edges better. Brooms don’t terrorize the cat either

33. The process of getting out and putting away my vacuum wouldn’t save me much time versus sweeping my kitchen or bathroom. Plus, a broom can easily getting into the nooks and crannies of both of those spaces.

    Additionally, I like having separate cleaning tools for my bathroom to prevent poop particles being spread. If I used a vacuum in my bathroom, I’d be spreading poop all over my house, and I’m not about to buy a second vacuum just for that.

    I also mop after sweeping, so I don’t worry if there are a few bits of hair or dirt missed, as the mop will pick them up.

34. Large pieces that I know will clog the vacuum.

35. Australians always have the most baffling impressions of us.

36. I don’t use a broom instead of vacuuming. Both have their purposes.

    The broom is faster, easier, and quieter than the vacuum. Accordingly, the broom gets used daily to keep up with crumbs, dust, and pet hair. The vacuum gets used for a deeper clean on weekends when neither of us is trying to do our paid work.

37. I guess it depends on what’s on the floor.

    We vacuum our floors regularly but we also have a two year old who makes a mess at every meal. I’ll cut up her chicken nuggets into smaller pieces that she promptly dumps on the floor. The pieces are two big for my vacuum so I’ll grab a broom and dust pan.

38. If I’m intending to do a thorough cleaning, I vacuum. If I only need to spot clean, I sweep. The latter is much quicker than getting the vacuum, playing out the cord, plugging it in, vacuuming, then doing the reverse. I can sweep and dump for a small spot in less than half the time of dealing with the vacuum.

39. Because television isn’t real life. Pretty much everyone uses a vacuum, unless they can’t afford one.