Generally, there are two ways of removing dust and dirt from surfaces: sweeping and vacuuming.
Sweeping is a very common method, especially among people who have hard-surface floors without any carpeting.
As for people with carpeted flooring, vacuums are a necessity because they capture all types of particles, including the ones that are trapped in the carpets or rugs.

Brooms and vacuums are intended to serve the same purpose. But which of the two is actually a better tool?

Is it worth getting a vacuum cleaner when you only have hard-surface flooring?

Although sweeping is a quick way to clean the floors, you may want to consider vacuuming as a chore if you want to keep your home as neat as possible.

The Differences Between A Broom & A Vacuum

For centuries, brooms have been used to sweep up dust and dirt from houses, offices, and other types of buildings. 

A broom remains a popular household essential that comes in many different shapes and sizes to cater to various household needs. 

Depending on the type of flooring that you have or the area that you are sweeping, you can get a broom with firm, plastic bristles or one with soft, corn fiber bristles. 

Brooms are known for being practical tools that sweep away dust and dirt without the need for electricity. By simply dragging the head of the broom on the ground, all you need is a little physical activity to get the job done and a dustpan to throw away the mess. 

A vacuum cleaner, on the other hand, is a modern tool that is powered by technology and electricity. It uses suction to remove small particles and debris from floors, furniture and other types of surfaces. 

Vacuums come in a wide variety of models and sizes. In this generation, robotic vacuum cleaners are fairly common and highly-preferred in most homes. With just a push of a button, a robotic vacuum moves around your house and does all the vacuuming of the floors for you. 

Asides from robotic vacuums, there are plenty more options to choose from when it comes to vacuums. 

There are bigger vacuums that are designed to hold gallons of dust and dirt. You can easily lug these vacuums around your house when cleaning. There are portable and handheld vacuums that enable you to easily clean small and tight spaces. You can even have a central vacuum system installed throughout your house, so you won’t have to carry a machine from one room to another.

Due to their suction power and robust features, vacuums are fast and efficient when it comes to cleaning. They can suck up 100% of dust and debris, including microscopic particles that are invisible to the naked eye. 

Additionally, a wide range of accessories for cleaning various areas of the house are included with vacuum cleaners.

Why Vacuuming Is More Effective Than Sweeping

Many of us like to use conventional brooms, mops and other cleaning sticks to clean and maintain our floors. 

However, sweeping and mopping are insufficient to remove airborne pollutants that could affect your health and your floors.

Sweeping causes dust, dust bunnies, and pet dander to be kicked up into the air, where they fall on the floor, onto carpets and furniture, or even into our lungs.  

Mopping is the best method for cleaning stains and spilled liquid. However, it’s not enough to eliminate the particles and irritants on your floors and carpets, particularly the ones that have accumulated in the spaces between your floorboards.

If you want to be able to thoroughly clean your house, consider investing in a vacuum cleaner. 

Here are some great reasons why you should vacuum your home regularly:

• Unlike a broom that recirculates particles into the air, a vacuum cleaner eliminates 100% of dust, allergens, and microscopic particles from your home, keeping it clean and improving air quality.
• It is designed to make cleaning convenient and faster for you. Because of its powerful suction, it swiftly and effectively removes particles that you have to sweep up repeatedly if you were using a broom. 
• It deeply cleans carpets and area rugs, which is something that brooms can’t do.
• Recommended for asthma and allergy sufferers, it removes pet dander and other irritants that trigger or worsen the conditions.
• A vacuum bag prevents the gathered dust from making its way back into your home and is very easy to throw away.

Vacuuming your floors and carpets once a week is strongly advised. However, you might need to vacuum more frequently if you bring in a lot of sand or dirt, live in a dusty area, or have pets.

Should You Say Goodbye to Brooms?

It’s safe to say that vacuums can replace brooms. However, brooms can also come in handy for some quick sweeping whenever you don’t have time to vacuum your house.

Additionally, brooms have a few benefits that vacuum cleaners lack:

• Unlike vacuums, they don’t have motors so they’ll always be quiet and ideal to use at night. 
• Electricity won’t be a problem for brooms, so you can use them without plugging a cord or switching on a power unit. 
• They are compact and they do not need any accessories, so they don’t take much closet space.
• They allow you to clean or dust tight spaces. 
• Soft bristled brooms can help keep a sensitive hardwood floor clean and smooth.
• They are safer to use for clearing sharp objects like glass and construction debris.
• They are budget friendly and cheap to get. 

If you’re still a big fan of sweeping, you can also use a vac pan to easily dispose of the dirt and dust that you have collected.

A vac pan can be installed in your home if you have a central vacuum system. It serves as a port to the power unit, which sucks up all the particles that are swept into the vac pan.

Simply sweep the dirt into the vac pan and use the toe-kick switch to activate the power unit. Watch all the dirt from the vac pan disappear.

Don’t Skip Mopping

A broom and a vacuum are effective at removing dust and dirt from floors. However, neither of the two can be used for cleaning stains and grime that are ingrained on surfaces.

Mopping is an important task that you should not skip if you want to keep your hard-surface flooring looking shiny and attractive. 

High-traffic areas, such as the kitchen, bathroom, hallways and doorway need the most mopping. It is recommended that you mop these areas at least once a week to get rid of stains and bacteria. 

Mopping should also be done at least once a month or every two months in rarely used areas like the guest room. Simply remember to vacuum these spaces once a week.