Broom

Sweeping has been a very essential part of housekeeping. Every home has some sort
ofbroom or other sweeping products that are used to clean up our houses, backyards,
farms, and just almost any place there is. Its interesting to know that the different kinds
of brooms and sweeping pads that we are using today have evolved from something that
has been here for a really long time.

Broom History
When you were born, your parents used brooms to clean up your home. Your
grandparents and great grandparents probably used brooms, too. Of course they did.
Even during the 12th Century and before that, brooms were known to be used for
sweeping spaces inside and outside homes, especially in the kitchen, which were found
outdoors yet. These brooms were home-made using a bunch of stiff and rigid branches,
twigs, reeds, corn husks, and even grass tied to a long stick or handle. Brooms were
also called besoms, which were typically made from birch twigs tied to poles made of
ash, hazel, and chestnut. These early types of brooms, however, almost easily fall apart.
It was in 1797, when a farmer from Hadley, Massachusetts, named Levi Dickinson,
thought of making a broom for his wife made of sorghum grass (later known as
broomcorn). He tied them to a stick and weaved the top to make it more durable. Indeed,
the broom he made showed to clean up very well and even though they still fell apart
after some uses, they were sturdier than the other brooms during that time. This made
his broom popular in their community and other neighboring towns that he started selling
them. Soon, people began growing broomcorn and made brooms for their use, as well
as for business. Around 1810, still a part of the Industrial Revolution, hundreds of
brooms were produced using machines, such as the foot-treadle broom machine. During
this time, aside from the long brooms that were made, shorter handle brooms also
became available, particularly to clean up fireplaces and kitchens.
During the 1820s, the traditional round brooms were radically changed to flat, to the
ones that we are using now. It was a Christian sect called the Shakers, who thought of
flattening the broomcorn using a vice and stitching it tightly. The broomcorn is wired on
the handle, instead of just binding it around the handle. This flat broom is more efficient,
easier to manipulate, and covers more area when sweeping.

In the next decade, the broom industry was booming following Shakers design and
using the broom machine, spreading towards South America, Canada, and Europe.
Broom factories and shops have opened and operated in the next few years in the US
and all over the world up until now.
Today, new technology has allowed for the development of different types of brooms and
sweepers using other bristle materials apart from corn.

Broom Types

Besom Broom This type of broom, which looks like the ones being used in the
ancient times, is still used by some people to clean their backyards. It is a roundel
bundle of twigs that are bound in wooden sticks.

Flat Broom - A flat broom is the classic broom with wooden handle that is
commonly used nowadays. It has an evenly-trimmed end and is sometimes cut at an
angle to easily sweep corners.

Push Broom - A push broom has its bristles attached to a wooden block before
it is fixed to a wooden or metal handle. It is rectangular in shape and is great for
sweeping outdoors as it covers large spaces. Its bristles are usually synthetic that are
washable and sometimes treated with chemicals that are meant to withstand greases,
solvents, and other stains, especially on commercial floors.

Whisk Broom A whisk broom looks like a flat broom but only its smaller. It is
designed to be hand-held to easily clean up small spaces, such as tables and tents, as
well as the hidden areas behind appliances, cabinets, and more. A whisk broom can also
be made of synthetic fiber, sometimes with a plastic handle and even a small plastic
dustpan.

Wet/Dry Broom - This type of broom consists of bristles that are spread out
apart from each other to easily sweep of large dirt and to scrub floors both indoor and
outdoor. The bristles vary from natural to synthetic fibers.

Bristle Materials

Natural corn fiber - Natural corn fiber bristles are thick, stiff, durable, and great
at holding small particles of dirt. Brooms made of corn are usually triangular in shape
and are great for indoor, as well as outdoor use. There are also industrial corn brooms,

which are designed for heavy duty sweeping on commercial floors with thicker and stiffer
fibers.

Polypropylene - A polypropylene is a thermoplastic polymer resin that is known

to be lightweight, sturdy, and resistant to water and solvents, oil, and more.
Polypropylene bristles do not easily break even in the presence of bacteria and they are
also odor-resistant. Its sturdy nature make it great for medium to heavy floor sweeps and
scrub brushes, especially on damp areas, which are sometimes difficult to sweep.

Rubber Rubber brooms have become popular sweeping brooms nowadays

with its sturdy nature and ability to sweep off hair and fur more efficiently. Using a rubber
broom is great for pet owners who find it difficult to sweep off hair and fur from carpets,
rugs, and fabric. It is also easy to control and use. Many rubber brooms come with a
squeegee that makes it a more versatile household equipment to clean up liquid on the
floor. Example of a very popular and useful rubber broom in Australia is Sweepa broom.

Nylon - This popular type of broom bristle that does not bend easily when
sweeping at certain directions. It is also known for being durable and resistant to acids,
oil, and other solvents. It can be used for both wet and dry floors and for both light
dusting to aggressive cleaning.

Tampico - Tampico, derived from Mexican agave plant is also a popular broom
bristle material. These bristles are soft and fine. Tampico can be quite expensive, but it
takes some time to break with its resistance to heat and many chemicals.
Other broom bristle materials include synthetic corn bristles, polystyrene bristles,
palmyra, and horse hair.

The types of brooms and the bristle materials may develop in the years to come, but
surely these brooms will always be around. Sweeping will always be a task every
household would perform.

A soft broom commonly used inHainan Province, China.

Typical Filipino soft brooms (walis-tambo), Banaue, Ifugao, Philippines.

Panni

The panni grass grows in loose soil in the monsoon season and is cut
during the month of Kartik (October-November).The professional
Harijan sweeper community uses this grass to make brooms, which are
used to sweep roads, public spaces and residential colonies. For this
work they are paid either by the government, contractors, or individual
families.
Generally, Harijan men make the broom by arranging the panni leaves
in such a way so as to form a firm handle which is bound with string.
A killi, a wooden nail made out of bamboo or bambul wood, is inserted
into the centre of the handle so as to tighten it. Then the uneven and
fragile strands of grass at the end of the broom are trimmed. Just below
the handle a ganda, a controlling string, is encircled. It can be shifted up
and down to facilitate the specific requirements of cleaning in relation to
the distance and texture of the surface being swept.
A single broom can be made from a bundle of panni, which is generally
purchased for Rs. 20. This broom lasts for around fifteen days. The old
broom is either thrown away or burnt after the killi (wooden nail) is
removed from it. This killi can be used for making other brooms.

Baans (Bamboo)
Bamboo is used exclusively by the professional Harijan broom-making
community. Basically, the bamboo is spliced into thin splints with a knife.
These splints are clustered and bound together with an iron wire. A
wooden spike (killi) is wedged into the handle to tighten it. At times a tall
wooden stick is attached to the handle so that there is no need to bend
while sweeping. The bamboo broom is primarily used by municipal
sweepers to clean roads and public spaces all over Rajasthan. The
sweepers are paid Rs. 150 per month by the municipality for the making
of such brooms.
Ironically, though the bamboo broom is lowest in the hierarchy of brooms
in terms of its association with dirt and sewage, it is the most expensive
of all brooms costing around Rs. 60 in the market. Sturdy and longlasting, this broom is nonetheless being replaced in urban homes by the
plastic broom, which is particularly resilient in dealing with the wet
surfaces of the bathroom.

Daab

The grass daab grows around water-bodies and fields. It is used for
many rituals relating to birth, marriage and death. Following a cremation
ceremony, the daab grass is immersed in water which is then sprinkled
over the bodies of men and women when they re-enter the house. This
water serves to purify the mourners and signal the end of an
inauspicious period of time (sutak). Likewise, the daab is immersed in
water and preserved until the grahan (eclipse) ends. Daab is also used
in rituals following the death of a person when the eldest son is made to
wear a ring made out of the daab grass, which is tied around his left
index finger. In shraddha or death-anniversary ceremonies, daab is
used for offering water to one's ancestors (tarpan). The daab grass has
Ayurvedic medicinal value. It is also used for making brushes and
whitewashing the interiors of houses. Ropes for the surface of sleeping
cots (macha) are also woven out of daab. The root of the daab (khaskhas) is used for making perfumes.

Kheemp
Kheemp is a shrub which is normally found on sand-dunes, barren land
or the boundary walls of farms. The brooms made out of kheemp are
used by villagers in the cattle-sheds and for sweeping the house. Other
uses ofkheemp include the thatching of the roofs of huts.
Unripe kheemp twigs are also woven together as ropes, which are used
for tying different objects.Kheemp ropes are also used for drawing water
from the wells. Villagers make rings of kheemp twigs on which earthen
pots of water and grain are rested. The tender fruits (kheempoli) of
the kheemp shrub can also be eaten as vegetables. Villagers believe that
different kinds of skin diseases can be cured by applying the liquid of
unripe kheemp onto the infected area of the skin.

Sinya
Sinya is a particular kind of shrub which normally grows on sand dunes
or in wastelands. The broom is primarily used to clean cattle-sheds in
rural areas. Sinya has multiple uses, ranging from the thatching of roofs
to the making of ropes.
Sinya is also used to separate the grain of bajra (pearl-millet) from its
husks. First, the sinya is spread over the soil and bajra is placed on top
and beaten with a wooden stick. Or else, tractors or bullocks move over
the sinya-covered ground crushing the bajra placed over it. In the
process, the grain gets embedded in the sinya and is then collected.

Khejur (Date-Palm)
A variety of brooms can be made using the leaves of the date-palm tree.
Here are a few examples:
Karvat Khejur Jhadu
This broom, which is made out of the whole leaves of khejur (date-palm),
is around 5-6 feet in length. It is shaped in the form of a karonth or iron
saw from which the word karvat is derived. The spine of the broom is
woven together with three whole khejur leaves. The broom is used for
sweeping the floors of outer spaces and courtyards but not for roads. It is
made by the professional broom-makers of the Verma nomadic tribe who
are based in Gujarat. In the year 2004, they paid Rs.16,000 to the
Munger village panchayat to shred the date-palm trees in the area. After
making brooms for a month at their temporary settlement in Munger
village, the brooms were transported on trucks to Vadodara and Dahod in
Gujarat.
Topan/Gajra Jhadu
The head of this khejur (date-palm) broom forming the handle is
calledtopan, which is derived from topi (hat). Gajra refers to the circular
binding of the broom with blades of the khejur leaf. There can be one,
two, or threegajras depending on the specific design of the broom. This
broom is mostly used in towns for the sweeping of cement or stone
surfaces. Even as the broom gets shorter through repeated use, its
remaining stump is further used for cleaning the joints between two
surfaces and for clearing drains.
Guncho-khejur-jhadu
This broom is made by the Bhil community. It is a ready-made broom in
so far as it uses the remnant of dried fruit from the date-palm tree, which
is collected whole. Villagers use this broom in the cow-shed and to
remove cobwebs.

Bald
A two to four feet tall shrub that grows in black soil, bald is used to
make brooms primarily for cleaning cattle-sheds and sweeping
courtyards. The seeds of the bald are mixed with urd-ke-dal (lentil) and
mixed with ghee to make ladoo. This is generally eaten during the
winter months and is considered to be beneficial for joint-pains and for
strengthening the muscles. Likewise, the seeds of bald can be
separated from its husks and boiled with milk to make kheer.

Jhoonjhli

The jhoonjhli grass grows in the forest and on mountains in southern

Rajasthan. It is collected by the Garasiya and Bhil communities and sold
to the villagers at the rate of one rupee for a bundle, or else it is bartered
at the rate of two brooms for one kilogram of wheat. This broom is used
inside and outside the house but only on floor surfaces that are made of
mud and plastered with cow dung.

Narial (Coconut) Jhadu

The narial (coconut) broom is made out of the stems of dried coconut
leaves, which are generally imported to Rajasthan from the southern
states of India. This broom, of which there are many variations
throughout India, is widely used on wet surfaces in the bathroom and
other outdoor spaces. Valued for its flexibility and endurance, the narial
jhadu is made by professional broom-making communities and sold
primarily in the cities.

Phul-Jhadu

The most familiar broom used throughout urban India is the phul-jhadu,
which is manufactured in large quantities in Rajasthan itself. However, the
reed from which the broom is made --Thysanolaena maxima -- grows
exclusively in the seven North-Eastern states of Meghalaya, Assam,
Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland, Tripura, and Mizoram. Only in
Meghalaya are the reeds grown in privately owned plantations. For the
rest of the North-East region, the land on which the reed grows is owned
by the Forest Department of different state governments.
Between December-February every year, the reed of the phul-jhadu is
hand-plucked by local villagers or labourers, who are employed by broom
traders called mahaldars. These traders pay a fee to the local Forest
Department which gives them permission to pick reeds within specific
areas (mahals). The reeds are then collected, packaged, and transported
by truck or train to different parts of India.
Not unlike the context of the broom in Rajasthan, the phul-jhadu (or jaru,
as it is known in Assam) is subject to a number of beliefs and customs. It
is considered inauspicious to cross over it. During festivals like Bohag
Bihu, a new broom is generally purchased for the household. Brooms are
also used in ceremonies involving magic.
However, this King of Brooms in most parts of India would seem to be a
relatively recent innovation in Assam where there is more folklore and
traditional knowledge relating to the barhoni, a broom made of bamboo

sticks.