Electrostatic Stick Cleaners

by Mercia Tapping, President, AllergyBuyersClub.com

In the last few months, two competing products have appeared, 'Grab It' by Johnson and Johnson and 'The Swiffer' by Proctor and Gamble. Both these products work on the same principal. They use a disposable electrostatically charged disposable cloth which is easily attached to the head of the handle. Then using the stick you move around the head to pick up dust bunnies, dirt and the like from your wood or tile floors. You can also use the cloths by themselves for dusting.

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We were rather skeptical when we began testing these products and became reluctant enthusiasts! We liked that they are unbelievably light-weight, compact and easy to assemble and use. Top marks for user friendliness. We were suitably chastened at the amount of dust and fine dirt particles they both pick up. In fact one of our testers, a "vacuum cleaner hater" found herself using the 'Grab It' every day. All our testers gave both these products rave reviews but could not discern any particular difference in effectiveness between them. Our panel of testers used these products for both "in between vacuuming cleanups" and in one case for a tester who did not have a really good bare floor attachment to his vacuum for a "post vacuum clean-up". All testers agreed that both the 'Swiffer' and 'Grab It' pick up an "unbelievable amount of stuff ". So the disadvantages? Remember, neither the 'Swiffer' or 'Grab It' are vacuum cleaners and large dirt granules simply get pushed around and not picked up. Also our testers found in a month of usage they tended to use quite a disposable few cloths and the extra cost of about $5 every two weeks or so is a small cost that adds up over time. We were less impressed with them for dusting purposes on furniture - we could see the film of dust left behind, started to sneeze, and all in all, prefer our damp cloth or vacuuming methods for a more complete job. This is not a substitute for vacuuming, but hey for $15, we all gave the 'Grab It' and 'Swiffer' a triple thumbs up.

Both these products are available in your local supermarket or hardware store for an initial cost of around $15 and less than $5 for refills.

First Published: January 2000
Updated: April 2007

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