• This broom's natural fibers pick up dirt, dust and wastebroom image by L. Shat from Fotolia.com
  
  Whether it's a mansion or a studio apartment, a lived-in home requires regular maintenance to promote hygiene and prevent premature wear. Equipment used to maintain a clean home ranges from time-tested hand tools to modern, motorized devices. Home cleaning tools include dust and dirt collection tools, tools that wash and scrub surfaces and tools that spray surfaces with water and cleaning fluids. Familiarize yourself with home cleaning tools, gather a set and keep your space in top shape.
  
  

Broom

• The broom, a ubiquitous cleaning tool, appears across the globe in varying incarnations. All brooms share two important features: a long, straight handle and head of fanned-out bristles. Brooms may be brushed across floors and walls to remove and gather dust, sand, dirt and large pieces of waste. Broom handles range from 3 to 5 feet long, allowing a cleaner to press and brush the tool across walls and floor without bending over. Broom handles are made of wood, metal and plastics. Broom bristles may be made of natural or synthetic fibers. Variations of the standard broom include the push broom and the scrubber.
  
  

Vacuum Cleaner

• The vacuum cleaner employs an electric motor to suck and collect dust, dirt and waste from surfaces. Vacuum cleaners allow one or both of two waste collection methods: suction through a rolling, flat-bottomed machine or suction through a flexible tube. Specialized vacuums, called "wet/dry vacs," allow a cleaner to collect and remove moist materials, such as spills and puddles.
  
  

Grout Brush

• The grout brush features abrasive synthetic or metallic bristles with remove ground-in grime from tile grout joints. This specially designed tool fits snugly within the space between ceramic, porcelain and natural stone tiles. It rubs, abrades and cleans to revitalize and restore the joint's appearance. Grout brushes are small, single-handled tools and resemble a toothbrush.
  
  

Garden Hose

• The average garden hose proves indispensable for exterior cleaning tasks. A garden hose may be equipped with high-pressure and concentrated-flow nozzles which blast dirt, grime and grit from exterior walls. A garden hose may be used to loosen insect nests, dust and foreign material from stucco, block, fiber-cement, metal and wooden siding.
  
  

Spray Bottle

• The common spray bottle serves as a mixing and distribution container for any variety of cleaning product or chemicals. Spray bottles may be used to hold and spray window cleaner, grout sealer and bleach for cleaning and disinfecting. Spray bottles hold up to a quart of liquid cleaning fluid and spray their contents upon the pull of a trigger.