Sweeping Brushes (Nerdy)

I would expect that a brush works best when its bristles are perpendicular to the floor/patio being swept, so all the bristles make contact at the same time. That means putting the handle at an angle to the head, otherwise you have to use the brush with the handle vertical and the head very close to your feet.

I wonder why non-UK brushes don't have the handle at an angle to the head. Easier to make, or something more than that - do other countries use brushes in a different way to us? Maybe we could learn something from them. Or maybe they could learn something from us. I suspect the latter, but then maybe I'm biassed.

I suspect a different action- one of flicking the dust to one side.

With an angled brush, when stationary, whether you start from in front and sweep backwards, or start behind and sweep forwards, the angle means you can't bring the brush past your body as your arms aren't long enough. Basically you can only sweep half an arc. Maybe with a straight brush you can alter the angle as you sweep and so do a full arc front to back or vice versa with each stroke.

michael adams

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Why would anyone want to sweep from in front of the body to behind it, or vice versa? I tend to brush (normally away from me) in strokes of maybe two feet, that distance being governed by how far I can comfortably extend my arms straight, starting from the rest position close to my body with my elbows bent.

Have I been sweeping differently to some people for most of my 50 years? I'd have to be a contortionist to start sweeping with the brush head initially behind me and end the stroke with it in front of me!

I was a bit confused here. Ther are two types of head about, some with a hole in the middle and angled bristles and some with the hole to one side and straight bristles. It sounds to me like the continentals have not cottonned on to the reason for the angle. Of course the Irish ones have a bent handle no doubt. Brian