Vacuuming Vs. Sweeping has been a topic of debate among users from many years till now.
Many experts say the general rule is to sweep, while others believe vacuuming is better. Although vacuum and broom both are good cleaning tools to remove several messes from the floor and other surfaces, each has its pros and cons.
A broom is an inexpensive, quick, and great cleaning solution for sweeping up dust, dirt, and all other little messes around the house. On the other hand, a vacuum cleaner can do a much better job of picking up pet hair, dirt, and debris from carpet and hard surfaces without much effort.
Vacuum Vs. Broom
Here are a few points that will demonstrate the obvious difference between these two cleaning tools.
1. Design and Working Mechanism
Brooms are conventional tools that’s main purpose is to sweep the floor to remove the dust, dirt, and debris from it. They usually come with a plastic or metal handle attached to the bristles made of either stiff grasses or plastic or straws. There are different types of broom having bristles ranging from soft, hard, and stiff, etc., that you can choose accordingly for different cleaning needs.
For sweeping with a broom, drag it around the floor to gather dust and debris in one place and then collect it into a dustpan for easy disposal. You can sweep either using a short quick motion or long sweeping motion-choose the style as per your preference.
Some brooms come with the dustpan attached to them, generally known as broom and dustpan combo, that makes sweeping and dust collection both an easy job. You can also get the best electric brooms for less manual effort.
On the other hand, a vacuum cleaner requires less manual effort. The machine works on a suction mechanism to separate the dirt and trash by absorbing them using a pulling and pushing action.
The dust gets collected into the disposable dust bags or reusable dust cups that makes disposing of the dust too easy.
There are different types of vacuum cleaners, each with a distinct design and features. So, you can choose the one accordingly depending on your cleaning preferences and needs.
2. Cleaning Efficiency
When it comes to cleaning efficiency, the brooms are not as powerful as the vacuum cleaners. Sweeping with a broom can sometimes lead to some dust settling back after sweeping. Also, if you want to clean a bigger area, using a broom is such a tiring and exhausting job.
A vacuum, on the other hand, makes your job a lot simpler by sucking up all the dirt and debris from various surfaces in no time at all. In a nutshell, a vacuum offers deep cleaning of your home without leaving behind dust.
As a downside, there are some things you can’t vacuum, which is where the broom comes in handy to clean up those messes.
3. Cleaning Versatility
The vacuum cleaner is again a winner at this point. The broomstick can only be used to clean floors, while vacuum cleaners offer more versatility in cleaning. They come with various specialized attachments that enable you to clean rugs and carpets, upholsteries, curtains, blinds, etc., with the same device. You can also clean dusty corners, sofas, or ceilings using a vacuum cleaner.
They also have the bare floor setting for vacuuming hardwood floors, including tile, vinyl, ceramic, etc. Even some smart vacuums have the option to turn off the brush roll to clean hardwood floors especially.
The other point for comparison here is the job of cleaning wet surfaces. The brooms can sweep dry dirt and dust only, but you can’t use them to eliminate spills and stains. On the other hand, the specialized wet and dry vacuum cleaners can tackle the job of cleaning both dry and wet spills and stains from various surfaces.
4. Ease of Use
For smaller homes, cleaning dry dirt from floors is very easy with a broom. However, it is more difficult to clean larger areas as the broom requires constant sweeping, making it painful for your arms and back.
Contrary to this, vacuum cleaners run on electricity or battery, so you don’t require much muscle effort. You just need to glide it on different surfaces (using the appropriate attachment) to get a flawlessly clean home in a matter of minutes. As with a broom, it isn’t necessary to bend down to use, so you don’t get backaches.
You can even find smart robotic vacuums that do not require any muscle effort or manual intervention to operate. Just program it, and they will do the cleaning job for you.
5. Accessing Capability
Although brooms can access hard-to-reach places, they cannot clean cracks or tight corners. Therefore, in terms of accessing capability, the vacuum cleaner is the winner as it is good at sucking out dirt from cracks and crevices.
6. Indoor Air Quality
When sweeping with a broom, dust and dirt particles spread into the air, causing allergies or other health issues. Vacuum cleaners, on the other hand, come with smart filtration systems or advanced HEPA filters to catch the tiniest dirt particles and avoid letting them escape out into the air. This way, they can maintain indoor air quality.
7. Price
Brooms are no doubt very cost-effective over vacuum cleaners; even a large-sized broom would cost less than the tiniest vacuum. The price of the brooms will vary from Rs 100 to Rs 1000, depending on the type you choose.
On the other hand, vacuum cleaners are expensive. Their prices also vary depending on their types, and the most expensive ones are the robotic vacuum cleaners.
No matter whatever the price you pay for a vacuum cleaner, the benefits, and utility they provide are worth every penny.
8. Additional Cost
No additional cost is required if you are using a broom; you just need to replace your broom every two months for the best cleaning results.
When it comes to vacuum cleaners, they require extra investment in either buying additional dust bags if you are using a bagged vacuum or on purchasing specialized attachments if you want to expand your cleaning capabilities.
Furthermore, the vacuum is powered by electricity or batteries. So you will need to buy new batteries when they run out or if you are using a vacuum with an electrical motor, you will have to pay more on electricity bills.
Bottom Line- The above points clearly declare that vacuum cleaners are far way better than brooms. Though brooms are a cost-effective alternative and ideal for small houses, vacuum cleaners make the cleaning job much more easier and convenient.
So now, let’s wrap up our discussion on “Is vacuuming better than sweeping” with a quick comparison between these two cleaning tools.
| Brooming | Vacuuming |
|---|---|
| Sweeping with a broom is a labor-intensive task. | Vacuuming is less labor-intensive, depending on the model you use. |
| It takes more time to sweep. | It offers much faster cleaning. |
| Broom sweeps floor only. | Vacuum can clean multiple flooring surfaces along with cars, sofa, couches, mattress, upholsteries, etc. |
| No need to search for the attachments; it can do the sweeping job quickly. | It comes with a wide array of attachments for multiple cleaning needs. |
| Sweeping causes dust to be kicked into the air. This poses few health risks. | Less likely to kick the dust up into the air, which is beneficial for allergy sufferers. |
| Inexpensive and requires no maintenance at all. | Expensive and requires frequent vacuum maintenance. |
| Don’t rely on electricity. | Works on electricity. |
| Less likely to leave scratches or scuff marks on floors. | If not used properly, vacuum can cause scratches on floors. |
Read Next: How to Choose The Best Vacuum Cleaner | Buying Guide