Sweeping brooms consist of long bristles gathered together and inserted into a handle. The bristles of a broom may be made of grass, corn or coconut fibres. Depending on the type, brooms may be used for removing dust or dirt in large areas.
Types of brooms: As with brushes, brooms may be classified into 3 main categories:
• Soft-bristled brooms: Soft bristled brooms such as corn-fibre brooms, grass brooms and whisk brooms are used on smooth floors. A good soft broom has comparatively fewer split ends and any splits that do form are short.
• Hard/Coarse-bristled brooms: Brooms such as yard brooms and coconut fibre brooms are used on course surfaces, especially outdoors.
• Wall brooms: These are also called ceiling brooms or Turk’s heads. They have a soft head and long handle, usually made of cane. These brooms are used to remove cobwebs as well as dust from cornices, ceilings and high ledges.
Electric brooms, arguably a fourth type, have been discussed under mechanical equipment. All kinds of brooms raise and dissipate dust, so that, with the advent of the more hygienic process of vacuum cleaning, brooms are used less often for cleaning purposes in hotels.
Care and cleaning of brooms:
Brooms should be shaken free of dust and fluff. Never store them standing on their bristles, or the bristles will bend out of shape, resulting in inefficient cleaning. Store brooms either lying horizontally or hanging bristles downward. Never use soft brooms on wet surfaces. Stiff brooms such as coconut-fibre brooms can be used on wet surfaces but must be cleaned afterward thoroughly in saline water and dried in the sun before cleaning.
MANWAL