Fun and Beautiful Home Cleaning Tools

Cleaning the house can be exhausting and unpleasant. It never seems to end, but if you use beautiful and functional tools for those tasks, you can turn your efforts from drudgery to something almost fun. Many companies are making products that make cleaning easier and remind us that we’re doing it to make our home special and comfortable.

Here are some products that will delight your eye as you plow through household chores.

What if you could find a handheld vacuum cleaner that was pretty enough to leave out where it can be handy, instead of shutting it away in a closet? The sculptural Dirt Devil Kone ($42.99 retail) and Kurve ($52.99 retail) vacuums were designed by Karim Rashid, and come in great colors –champagne, charcoal, blue steel, light pink, plum, and white illuminated (with a light in the charging cradle) for the Kone, and choco-latte, champagne, harbour sky, and spice for the Kurve. They have no bags to empty, using a detachable dirt cup instead.

It’s hard to get more mundane than cleaning a toilet, but these gorgeous toilet brushes might make it a bit more pleasant. The Nantucket toilet brush (about $39.00 retail) is made of hardwood and rattan with a stainless steel liner and top, hiding the brush. Also available are other matching bathroom accessories, including a toilet tissue holder.

For a truly luxurious brush, try the Hansgrohe Brushed Nickel Retroaktiv Toilet Brush (about $130.50 retail). The brush handle itself comes in five different metal finishes — Chrome, Oil Rub Bronze, Brushed Nickel, Polished Nickel and Brass. The holder is made of a cut crystal look glass, and mounts on the wall. It’s available from many retailers.

How about a bright, efficient iron? Hamilton Beach offers Neon irons in pink, blue, and green, retailing for $29.99. They’re shaped to make it easier to iron complicated clothing, and they’re smart enough to turn themselves off after thirty seconds lying down, so you don’t have to wonder if you left the iron on.

Stainz-R-Out Moppers Microfiber Dust Slippers are very silly and remarkably practical. You slip on the chenille slippers and slide across your floor, wiping up wet or dry mess. Then you throw them into the washer and dryer for next time. No bending and back strain and you can slide dance around to your favorite tunes while your kids laugh at you.

Washing a few dishes by hand? The Container Store’s Mini Scrub Brush with caddy ($3.99) and the Round Scrub Brush ($4.99) will make the task easier and more fun. Both have clear plastic handles and a choice of bristle colors of yellow, green or purple.

The Decorative Things Dustpan (retail $22.00) comes in eight designs that will make you smile, including zebra and cheetah prints.

Household chores are inevitable, but some of these products can make the process a lot more fun and visually appealing.