A Low Carbon Life | Post 5 2018 | A Straw Broom Story
At our local market, just before Christmas last year, I saw a charming new stall filled with brightly coloured straw baskets and brooms. It’s rare that I make random purchases but, for $25, I couldn’t resist a broom. The stall holder told me he was from Madagascar and the items he was selling were also from Madagascar. 
I went home, put the broom in the ‘I don’t know what to do with these things cupboard’ and googled Madagascar. I really wasn’t sure where it is geographically, let alone anything about the place. Now I know a bit more about Madagascar, not least of which is the drought it has been battling and the malnutrition of its people but, also, the amazing flora and fauna that has arisen from its island status.
Back to the broom. Today I took it out of its abandonment in the cupboard and decided to sweep my office carpet with it; I really couldn’t be bothered hauling the big, complex vacuum out of the particular cupboard it lives in, and then dealing with another of its sucking and filter tantrums. So, how did the straw broom perform? First, I have to say that it moulted but this is apparently what unused straw brooms do at first. 
Second, it was great at cleaning the gap between the carpet and the skirting board and third, it finished the carpet nicely. Quite a bit of dust was thrown up in the process and this is despite me regularly sweeping my office with a vacuum that is well powered. Where did all that new dust come from and where did it go? I suspect the answer to both parts of the question is ‘the carpet’.
Today’s experience led me to wonder what life was like before vacuums and could I survive without a vacuum. I can now see why people in the past might have had rugs rather than fitted carpets. Brooms are fine for sweeping, but aren’t good at getting the dust out. For this reason, a rug would be better than a fitted carpet because you can take it outside, hang it over a line and beat the dust out of it. Maybe we should just continue the current trend of polished floors, with a rug here and there, and get out a broom now and then. For anyone renovating this could be worth considering.
‘I Care’ so ‘I do’. Until next time, Jane