I’ll admit, putting a plastic bag over a broom felt a little ridiculous the first time I tried it. I pulled an ordinary bag over the bristles, tied the handles around the broomstick, and looked at the bits of hair and dust scattered across the floor. It certainly didn’t look like a clever cleaning tool. There was only one way to find out why this odd trick keeps appearing online...
Anyone who has swept a bathroom floor knows the problem. You make a neat pile, then a few strands of hair float away, wrap themselves around the broom bristles, or somehow end up back where you started. That is why an unusual trick many salons have adopted is doing the rounds online: pull a clean plastic bag over the broom head before you sweep.
It looks odd, but let's look at the sensible idea behind it...
Why the plastic bag can help
As plastic makes contact with and moves across another surface, it can build up static charge. This is the same basic type of static effect you see when a rubbed balloon makes hair stand up. A charged object can even attract lightweight material that starts out electrically neutral. That can help attract very light debris such as hair, pet fur, lint, and fine dust.
The effect may not be equally strong every time. The materials involved and surrounding conditions matter. But the bag can give your broom some extra help with the light stuff that is frustrating to sweep.
This makes it particularly useful for bathroom
hair, pet fur, and the dusty fluff that collects underneath sofas, beds, and cabinets. The plastic bag also stops those strands from winding themselves through the broom bristles.
How to try it
Start with a clean, dry plastic bag large enough to cover the entire broom head. Pull it over the bristles, then tie or secure the handles around the broom handle so the bag cannot slide off.
Sweep slowly across a dry, hard floor. Tile, vinyl, and laminate are easy places to try it. On wood or another easily scratched surface, first make sure there is no grit trapped beneath the plastic.
When you're finished, remove the bag carefully. If the hair and dust have collected against it, turn the bag inside out around the debris. A bag that is still clean and undamaged can also be saved for another sweep rather than immediately thrown away.
What this trick won't pick up
Don't expect your broom to suddenly behave like a vacuum cleaner. Static attraction is most useful for dry, lightweight debris. Crumbs, sand and grit still have to be physically pushed along, while greasy or wet dirt needs proper cleaning with soap or detergent.
The trick can also become less effective when there is plenty of moisture around, since humidity makes static charge harder to maintain.
If you'd rather avoid a plastic bag altogether, try fastening a dry microfiber cloth around a flat broom or mop head. Microfiber is already widely used for dry dusting because its fibers attract and hold dust rather than simply pushing it around.
For a quick sweep after brushing the dog, doing your hair, or cleaning the bathroom, though, the bag trick has one big advantage: it takes only seconds to set up and will spare you the effort of picking hair out of the broom afterward.