Here's what the grooves on your dustpan and brush are really for

We all have one of these handy items stashed away in our kitchen cabinets ready for spillages - or the inevitable broken wine glass when we have friends over. However, it looks like many of us haven't been using our humble dustpan and brushes to their full potential. 

As it turns out, the ridges on the edge of your dustpan - as shown below - are there for a specific purpose to do with cleaning a floor. It's just like when we discovered the plastic bits on our clothes drying racks are there to hang socks...

Having a supply of the best cleaning products makes keeping on top of mess and dust easy, making our homes happier and healthier environments. But it looks like many of us aren't getting the absolute best use out of our go-to items. 

And the dustpan and brush is a prime example. No idea what we're talking about? 

We're willing to bet that your dustpan has comb-like grooves around the edge, like the ones on this dustpan and brush on Amazon. You might not have noticed them before, or perhaps you just dismissed them as a random design feature. 

After all, this cleaning staple isn't something we spend hours debating over which one to buy, reading reviews and weighing up pros and cons.

But these ridges are designed to pick up excess dust and hair that collects on the bristles of the brush while you're sweeping up any mess. Anyone who has used an old broom to sweep up a tiled floor will know how quickly lumps of dust accumulate and stop the bristles from doing their job.

Comb your brush through the grooves to remove the dust, hair and crumbs, rather than spreading swept-up dust and germs around your home.

The ridges mean you don't have to pull clumps of dust and hair from the brush directly with your hand, and they can go straight in the trash. When it comes to how to clean a kitchen, we're taking all the tips and tricks we can get to make things easier.

Well, that's another household item we'll never look at in the same way again.