The History of Dustpans

Brooms have been used to clean homes since ancient times. Dustpans also have a long history that is not well-documented. However, we do know that Lloyd Ray, a Black inventor born in 1860, made a significant contribution to the design of dustpans in the late 1800s. He designed a dustpan that included a brush with a long wooden handle so that users would not have to get down on the floor to clean. He paired this with a steel collection box that could hold reasonably large amounts of refuse, eliminating the need to empty the dustpan every few minutes. Ray received a patent for his dustpan design on August 3, 1897. Today, Ray’s design is still used in many industrial dustpans as well as those intended for the home. Notably, it has also helped inspire the creation of similar tools, including popular pet waste scoopers.