Although these compact triangles were initially made of brass or nickel, you can find them made of other materials and designs to match different styles.

Dust Corners” Deserve a Comeback - Kitchn These Antique “Dust Corners” Deserve a Comeback - Kitchn

Once you find a type of stair dust corner that suits you, installing them should be pretty simple—plastic ones often just wedge into the staircase, while the metal offerings can be installed with a quick swing of a hammer and nail.

Stair dust corners, introduced in the late 19th century to help make sweeping more manageable, are triangle-shaped pieces of metal (usually an alloy metal like brass or nickel) that sit in the back corners of stairs.

Stair Corners | Wayfair.co.uk Stair Corners | Wayfair.co.uk

Fun, modern options exist from online retailers like Etsy, so if you want to simplify sweeping your stairs, you’re in luck.There are plenty of mysterious old home features that aren’t useful anymore, but those stair triangles are one of the few that retain their utility. Please make sure that Javascript and cookies are enabled on your browser and that you are not blocking them from loading. You might be surprised to know that stair dust corners are still available if you want to add them to your own staircase.