- Simply put, this is a vacuum brush. It's a kind of "rubber", a somewhat flexible plastic with a very smooth surface that washes off easily. Coupled with the adapter that came with another unit, it allows me to vacuum a 10-foot ledge all the way to the wall **without** lugging myself up the stairs, which is no easy feat with an arthritis hip . . - So yeah, even though it's almost an absurdly simple item, hey, any widget that keeps me off stairs is a widget I love LOL!