Updated on Oct. 17, 2024
Whether you're cleaning inside or out, chasing pet hair or dust mites or facing spilled flour, these best brooms provide an effortless clean sweep.
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What’s simpler than a broom? Your great-great-grandmother was probably happy just to have a stick with some straw tied around it since that was fine back when floors were dirt or stone. But floors have come a long way, and so have brooms. The best broom these days has tight bristles that are feathered at the tips to grab small bits of hair and dust, and angled edges for getting into tight corners. Some even have extendable handles that can reverse direction.
Vacuum cleaners have their place, robot vacuums help you stay ahead of dirt and robot mops are simply revolutionary. However, sometimes a classic broom is the fastest and most efficient thing to grab when faced with a mess. Do you need a “corn” broom—the traditional broom with straw bristles—or a push broom for clearing off your deck? What about a small whisk broom that tucks into a dust pan? Or maybe you want an electric broom. Here are the best brooms that’ll sweep away the competition.
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O-Cedar’s PowerCorner has you covered for almost anything, and the rubber lip ensures nothing slips underneath. It comes with a step-on dustpan, which has a handle at the back you hold in place with your foot, and it snaps onto the 45-inch handle for easy storage. Speaking of broom storage, the handle has a large hole so you can hang it up in a convenient spot.
While it’s marketed for cleaning up pet hair, even people without pets will appreciate the unusual combination of two kinds of bristles: firmer ones on the outer edges for heavier debris and lighter ones in the center for dust and hair. It can even tackle kitty litter. The dustpan has deep teeth at the back to clean the V-shaped bristles, which are designed to make better contact with the floor.
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Sometimes the best broom is the smallest one. When you need to quickly sweep up broken glass or spilled sugar, an affordable whisk broom is handy and gets the job done. This handheld broom-dustpan combo fits together tightly so they’re always together, and the slim profile makes it easy to find a place to tuck them in. (We keep ours in between the trash can and recycling bin.) This design tackles the biggest annoyance in using a dustpan: a rubber lip that presses into the floor, so you can stop chasing that last little bit that always gets under the dustpan.
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Indoor brooms are made for ceramic tile and hardwood floors, but outside jobs need something that can tackle dirt, leaves and even light snow. A push broom can also save you a lot of effort when you need to clear a large space quickly. KeFanta’s push broom has a 24-inch-long head and 63-inch-long handle that you can adjust based on the user’s height. The six layers of stiff bristles make it so this best broom does quality work in both wet and dry conditions. The price tag looks nice, too!
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A corn broom is the cleaning industry’s term for a straw broom—the classic style you’ve probably seen. But it’s a classic for a reason: It’s usually sturdy enough to handle indoor and outdoor jobs, and a quality one will last for years. This Rubbermaid broom is made from 100% natural corn fibers, which are durable for long use.
The worst part about corn brooms is that even the best broom can start to shed straws. This one has three rows of stitching, plus a metal band to hold the head tightly together, to keep straw shedding to a minimum. With a 38-inch wooden handle, it’s a sturdy broom that will give you years of service.
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Sometimes you need a little more “oomph” than a broom, but you don’t have the time to haul out a full-size vacuum cleaner. Plus, there are some messes that simply aren’t made for a vacuum cleaner. That’s when an electric “stick” broom can come in handy. Much like a handheld vacuum, the Bissell Featherweight electric broom has a dirt cup, so you don’t have to replace a bag (although you will need to replace the paper filters eventually). You can pop off the handle and base and use it like a handheld, stick in the crevice tool for getting around sofa cushions or just remove the handle for getting closer to stairs. Consider sending your kid off to college with one of these for their dorm room.
From soft nylon bristles that won’t scratch hard woods or tile to heavy-duty push brooms for tackling decks, driveways and garages, there are broom styles for every cleaning occasion. Some nice features to look for include feathered bristles (sometimes called flagged bristles), which can grab and hold things like pet hair and dust bunnies; angled heads that are better for getting into tight corners; and adjustable handles that change in length based on your height or how much reach you need.
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Picking a good broom depends on what kind of floors you have and what kind of dirt you expect to pick up. Soft bristles that won’t scratch tile or wood are best for small debris and dust. Stiffer bristles pick up more dirt, especially outdoors, but might be too hard on floor surfaces. A combination of a broom and dustpan that’s designed to be stored together will save space and be more convenient.
Brooms come in contact with dirt—that’s the whole idea. You can extend the life of a broom by cleaning it from time to time. Once it starts to shed loose bristles, or the bristles have gotten flattened out or bent, it’s time to replace it.
