This Giant Lint Roller Cleans So Much Better Than a Swiffer

My idea of cleaning supplies has always been pretty straightforward:vacuum cleaner, broom, dustpan, and a Swiffer mop, if I’m feeling industrious. So when my roommate brought home theEvercare Pet Extreme Stick Mega Surface Roller, I was skeptical. For one thing, we don’t have any pets. Additionally, the Mega Surface Roller looked like a ginormous lint roller on a very long stick. It was ridiculous! I wrote it off as a cleaning accessory on par with those kitschydishwashing glovesadorned with manicures and rings. The Mega Surface Roller, I thought, was just a tool for spicing upone’s cleaning routine — a desire I’ve never had.

But my wise roommate knew something that I didn’t: Using a lint roller is the only way to deeply clean upholstered surfaces like rugs or sofas, short of calling in professionals. With one use, I was converted. The jumbo lint roller on a long stick quickly became the essential cleaning tool I never knew I needed. Here’s how it works: Extend the handle to a comfortable length, and then roll the sticky adhesive part across the rug, so that it picks up hair, dirt, and whatever else is lurking within. Once the adhesive sheet is covered, tear it off and begin again. Roll and repeat, until you’ve finished its surface area.

As the full name suggests, the Pet Extreme Stick Mega Surface Roller is advertised as a solution for those whose carpets and even clothes are covered inpet hair. Still, I suspect that my apartment of three medium- to long-haired female roommates generates an amount of shed hair comparable to that of a small pack of golden retrievers. Unlike a Swiffer that just pushes dust and hair around, the Mega Surface Roller is the only tool I’ve ever used — better than a powerful vacuum even — that’s up to the task of that much hair removal. Even if you don’t have long hair, the Mega Surface Roller is still invaluable for how it banishes that stubborn layer of small particles and grit that somehow always remains after vacuuming.

Admittedly, the part where you tear off the sticky sheet covered in hair, lint, and dirt is a little gross. But it could be worse. As my roommate pointed out, cleaning a carpet with the Mega Surface Roller is “like pulling up crap from thedrain, but without the wetness, so it’s satisfying, without being viscerally disgusting.” I’d say that’s about right.