Brooms versus vaccum cleaners?

[casioculture]

I'm finding these days that I no longer like vaccum cleaners. I'm finding some zen in brooms.

I think it's that with vacuum cleaners I have to get them out, deal with the cable, drag the thing around, worry about the cable being too short or long enough or getting stuck around things, mess with the paper bag (I have 3 already, I'm tempted to get a bagless but that'd be yet another vacuum cleaner), if it's a standing cleaner than get frustrated how inflexible and limited in usefulness it is, worry about using it at reasonable hours and for not too long so as not to disturb the neighbours, make sure everything is ready for vacuuming before I vacuum, retrieve that little thing i need it seems to have swallowed, remove that other thing that's clogging its tube, et cetera and et cetera.

What I like about brooms is that I do things at my own time, broom a little, then tidy up a little, broom a little, then pick this little thing up or that. While brooming, I can also listen to some audiobooks, unlike with a noisy vacuum. I can use a big broom, or a tiny one, i can broom standing, or even sitting down. I can broom some area of the room, do something else leaving the broom somewhere as it doesn't take up much space, and the broom itself could even be a little pretty in that simplicity aesthetic so it wouldn't be a sore if left resting on a wall for a little time (unlike a vacuum cleaner - which I must put back in place).

Remarkably I'm finding brooms quite effective. There's nothing easier than just picking up a broom, using it for a few minutes here or there, and putting it back. I feel I could happily broom a few times a day if i need to, no trouble with that, not that I do, but vacuum cleaning feel like such a chore.

I'm particularly fond of two items I bought, made by some Bentley brand, and the reasons are simple; they have great ergonomics, and they're cheap though good looking. One of them is a tiny dustpan and tiny brush/broom. The other is full length standing one. Now here's why I find they have great ergonomics, they're angled and the palm/wrist is facing inwards while sweeping in. I find this makes a great, great difference. I would not want to a a broom where the wrist/palm would be facing downwards in a grip, I hate those, they're a wrist killer.

The more I think about it the more I feel this post is silly, but hey, keeping a clean place is sublime.

[casioculture]

Okay, I found the memory card for the camera so I'll demonstrate.

Here's the tiny Bentley brush/broom I like

This is how it's used I assume and what I meant with the wrist facing inwards, I'm finding that using it doesn't strain the wrist, I even cleaned an entire room with it, starting with the intention of cleaning the details first and then using a standing full length broom, but found myself content with just sitting down while listening to some audiobook and using it for all. As you can see it looks good, and it's inexpensive (=A30.49).

This is a more conventional brush/broom, it is a wrist killer, but I'm finding that it's much easier if I just keep the wrist still and just move from the shoulder. I don't like this design, I much prefer the angled brush/broom like the above.

This is the Bently angle full length standing broom. As you can see, it is angled, it's good looking, it's very light, and it's inexpensive (=A31.49). It also seems to generate static when used and thus it attracts the hairs and some dust.

I really like brooms now. On my way to the kitchen I noticed some stuff accumulating on the floor. I then picked up the full length broom and broomed it off, and then found myself keeping on and within minutes I'd covered a significant area. I don't think I can stand vacuum cleaners anymore for regular cleaning, though I may use one once a blue moon if need be.

[Sawney Beane]

I like brooms, too, and those are excellent pictures. If the bristles are well suited to the job, a broom is quick, quiet, and effective. Safety can depend on frequent cleaning of a floor, and a broom is convenient for frequent use. .

[Gregory Morrow]

Sawney, is it possible for a warlock to *ride* a broom I wonder?

[maximovies]

I'm in a wheelchair and I'd sure like to find a small, kid size push broom. I can push one-handed but can't sweep a normal broom. I've looked at ebay, amazon and froogled for one but can't find one. Can anyone point me to a site? Thanks.

Lou

[Nan]

Here are a few:

(scroll down page)

is an entire kid-sized cleaning set)

Hope this helps. The search term I used in Google was kid sized push broom, if you want to search some more.

Nan

[maximovies]

Nan,

Thank you! Google is usually my first place. Don't know why I just didn't google for this first off. I especially like the whole set, but that's a bit out of my budget. I'll keep looking.

Danke, merci, gracias!

Lou

[Nan]

You're welcome :-)

is another pretty good search engine.

Nan

[casioculture]

I don't know if this would be possible, but what about getting a full length plastic one and cutting it to needed length with a junior hacksaw? If it's plastic, especially hollow plastic, it could be possible to cut and you can fit it to exact needed length. Hardware stores have junior hacksaws at low prices, i bought one for ~=A30.50 the other day, and a regular plastic broom should be cheap.

[maximovies]

I think it's not just the length of the handle, but the size of the broom head (I prefer smaller, like 12") because of how unweildy a larger one might be for me and the added weight of a larger one. My arms are fairly useless when it comes to anything with weight, so I'm hoping for small and light. But thanks for the tip. I appreciate that folks have their thinking caps on for me on this.

[meow2222]

here you can buy ultra light weight brooms. They work fine until you stand on them, then theyre a new shape.

NT

[Sawney Beane]

Here's one to try: