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Nothing’s Ever Gotten My Bathroom As Clean As This Power Drill Brush Has

Photo: Courtesy Retailer / Photo Illustration by NYMag.com

If you think I’m a neat freak because I use a power drill with a brush attachment to deep-clean my bathroom, you’re not wrong. But in my defense, I first bought the Drillbrush as a joke. It popped up as a recommended product while I was shopping for a steam mop on Amazon, and for only $13, it seemed like a troll-y but not too mean way to tell my boyfriend to clean the bathroom more.

The joke was on me, though, because I am now obsessed with the Drillbrush. (Meanwhile, the intended recipient of the Drillbrush, my boyfriend, has used it maybe once, if at all.) The set of brush attachments is useless on its own; you need a power drill. It’s comprised of one 4-inch flat brush that’s good for large areas like tubs and shower tiles, one 2-inch brush for detail work and small tub corners, and one rounded toilet brush-shaped brush. The first time I used these, attaching them to our lime-green power drill, I was terrified. Maybe I would scratch the tiles, or maybe the brushes would spin out of control.

But my concerns melted away as quickly as the soap scum. I started by spraying the tiles down with our regular shower cleaner, then I attached the flat, round brush to our power drill and fired away. The drill did all the hard work, scrubbing faster and harder than I ever could by hand, and the results were noticeable even after the first pass. All the built-up grime had basically disappeared, though I did a second round just to be sure. The nylon bristles were gentle enough that I couldn’t find a single scratch afterward. Giddy with success, I swapped in the smaller brush to clean around the drain, followed by the rounded one to go deep into the corners. That initial deep-cleaning was almost two months ago, and I’m still riding high, basking in my gleaming tub and squeegeeing the excess water off the tiles after every shower to keep it that way.

One quick word of advice: I recommend wearing a respirator mask while you operate the Drillbrush, especially if you’re using a bleach-based shower cleaner, because you’re going to be getting in there. But since the Drillbrush cleans so deeply and so well, you only need to bust it out every so often to ensure that your tub stays scum-free, especially if you’re diligent about regular cleaning. But honestly, it’s so easy to use that you might even get excited when it’s time to clean the bathroom. I know I do.

If you don’t have a power drill to go with your Drillbrush, here are some highly-reviewed power drills that you can buy on Amazon.

“I love this drill! It has plenty of power for what I need it to do. I have drilled plenty of pilot holes in dark places, where the light really helps out. I’ve used the magnetic tray to hold about 30 2-inch screws at a time while I work. The bit change is easily accomplished with one hand. I also like the torque settings … I have screwed hinges into cabinet doors, hinged small boxes, assembled mini-sawtooth hangers onto small, delicate scroll saw pictures, driven screws up to 3 inches, and had no problems. The low torque settings make the gears slip so that you could not strip the screw heads if you wanted to. Overall this is an AMAZING drill for the price, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone.”

(Writer’s Note: This is a version of the power drill that my boyfriend and I keep at home. Heads up that stock is running low.)

“Great lightweight cordless drill. It’s very well balanced, making it easy to drill straight. Also important to me is that it’s neat and easy to store in my small garage, and that the battery is quick to recharge. I’m an engineer’s daughter, I take on many household fix-it jobs, and I love power tools that actually fit in my hand. I would totally recommend this drill/driver.”

“This drill is a beast. Dewalt products have never let me down, and so far this drill is no exception. It’s a no-nonsense drill. There are very few bells and whistles, it’s just a powerful workhorse of a drill with great batteries. It’s extremely small and lightweight — probably half as heavy as what I’m used to holding with normal, NiCad battery-powered drills. But after getting used to the lighter weight of the battery, it feels balanced and stable, and is a good fit for my larger hands. It has at least the same amount of punch of a bigger heavier drill, lasting longer with no fade.”

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Nothing’s Ever Gotten My Shower As Clean As the Drillbrush