A dustpan, the small version of which is also known as a "hearth brush and shovel” (from its use of cleaning the fireplace hearth), is a cleaning
utensil. The dustpan is commonly used in combination with a
broom
A broom (also known in some forms as a broomstick) is a cleaning tool consisting of usually stiff fibers (often made of materials such as plastic, hair, or corn husks) attached to, and roughly parallel to, a cylindrical handle, the broomstick. I ...
or long
brush. The small dustpan may appear to be a type of flat
scoop
Scoop, Scoops or The scoop may refer to:
Objects
* Scoop (tool), a shovel-like tool, particularly one deep and curved, used in digging
* Scoop (machine part), a component of machinery to carry things
* Scoop stretcher, a device used for casualt ...
. Though often hand-held for home use, industrial and commercial enterprises use a
hinged variety on the end of a stick to allow the user to stand instead of stoop while using it. The first patented dustpan was by T.E. McNeill.
Handheld dustpans may be used with either a full-size broom or with a smaller broom or a
brush. This second combination may be sold as one unit. A variant on the dustpan is the
silent butler, a handheld, lidded dustpan.
Gallery
File:Broom and dustpan.jpg, Hard broom and plastic dustpan.
Cleaning tools
Mechanical hand tools
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