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A Clean Sweep

© Donna Dunn

I've been seeing television commercials lately proclaiming the benefits of a new-fangled floor duster.

Usually, I could care less about dustmops, but this particular product caught my attention.

Maybe you've seen it too: it works just like a regular, old-fashioned dustmop, except the new version comes with electromagnetic cloths that you attach to the end of the handle, and then throw away after you've finished your chores.

I'm confused.

Why, I wonder, would a manufacturer in this day and age intentionally market a product that will add to our landfills? Electromagnetic or not, those dirty little cloths will have to go somewhere, and unless you have a composter, the landfill is the most probable destination.

Statistically, more and more people world-wide are practicing the three R's - reduce, reuse, recycle. There's a growing public awareness and concern about our over-stuffed landfills. There are even more and more vacuum cleaners on the market that don't require replacement bags. So, in my typical knee-jerk fashion, the word disposable immediately triggers in me a certain amount of skepticism.

I do know people who have tried the new sweeper, and they say it works fine. And judging by the discussions I've read, some of the people who use the new sweeper are also active participants in a frugal newsgroup. Granted, they were discussing the benefits of washing the cloths so they could be reused, but still, these are people who are pretty dedicated to the concept of thrift. (The cloths still work fine even after being laundered once or twice, they say.)

So people are buying the new sweepers, and apparently are satisfied with them. But it's still just one of those things I can't relate to. It's just too easy for me to be critical:

• Innovation? Is static cling really new, and is it really a viable alternative energy source?
• Convenience? How convenient is it to have to go buy replacement cloths when you want to sweep your floor?
• Cost effectiveness? How many of these things will languish in broom closets when we keep forgetting to buy those replacement cloths, and just how much do those replacement cloths cost, anyways?

In a truly half-hearted attempt to be fair however, I've also reluctantly come up with some scenarios where the new floor wiper may actually be beneficial:

• People with dust allergies. These folks really do suffer, and if the new-fangled broom somehow gives them some relief, I'm all for it.

• People who don't already have a vacuum cleaner or broom or regular dust mop. Vacuum cleaners pick up dust really well, but if you don't have one, maybe the new broom is for you.

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