In my quest to buy new household goods for our Florida condo, I have been researching a lot of products I never gave a thought about before. Hubby and I have decided we are going to take some time, go through the basement, the (stuffed) front closet, and more importantly, the giant kitchen-utensil drawer (that will be some post!) before we head down south. While I have been buying things I know we don’t have extras of such as dishes, vacuums and lighting, other things – like pots and pans we have extras of and can bring down south and don’t need to be newly purchased.
Some of the items I look at are mundane. I forget why I bought that everyday item – it was cheap or I needed it now – but research on the everyday items wasn’t something I always was faithful to, or had access to in the age before the internet.
I mentioned that we have all tile floors in our Florida condo. I plan on putting down area rugs – we are on the third floor and I don’t want us to sound like a heard of thundering elephants to the people below us – yeah there is sound barrier, but still, better well padded than an annoying neighbor. We bought a vacuum cleaner (a woot deal Hubby found) and now I am on the hunt for a great broom. I think we are more likely to sweep the tile floors between house cleaner service than we are to vacuum them. I also plan on buying a swiffer (Max barks at the swiffer whenever I use it – loads of family fun!).
In my investigations, I have found that natural horsehair brooms are the gold standard for brooms.
Horsehair from manes and tails is more durable than most natural fibers.
When looking for a horsehair broom, you need to research the length and amount of hair broom as well as the mixture of horse mane and tail hair in a broom. The mane hair is softer and in the long is run less sturdy than the tail hair. The more horsehair, the more dirt is picked up in one sweep. A split horsehair broom has split tips at the end and is good for sweeping up a lot of dust or fine sand. Soft horsehair bristles naturally attract and retain dust.
Note: I have no idea when/how the horsehair for brooms is collected.
I have not made the purchase yet. I am not sure I will. While horsehair brooms may be the best material out, I want to do a bit of investigating on how the material is gathered, and I am looking for input from all of you…
Do you own a horsehair broom? How do you like it?
Helpful links:
● Broom Knowledge
● Horsehair Brooms
● Redecker
● German Horsehair Brooms
● Italian Horsehair Broom
Shell says
I do not have have one and have not heard of them before. Interesting information Ann, thank you.
BTW what kind of vacuum did your hubby buy?
Stephanie K says
Thanks for asking, Shell. I was wondering the same thing. I need a new vacuum, but I don’t have any desire to put the time in to do the research! 🙂
Ann says
Shell and Stephanie we ended up buying this one: Dyson DC33 Multi-Floor Upright Bagless Vacuum Cleaner
Ann
donna says
Ok Ann, you got me….I’ve never put that much thought into my broom. But then again, I’m mostly a dust mop girl since I have all hardwoods except kitchen and bathroom tile, where? yes, yes I do use an (obviously old-run-of-the-mill) broom!! That is when I don’t just continue the swoop of the dust mop because I’m too lazy to change tools. But I must admit….I’m curious???? May have to check these horsehair brooms out!!
I so enjoy your posts, Ann! I love my daily dose of Annsentitledlife! It’s always good for a smile, a laugh and learning something new, too! Keep them coming!
Ann says
Thank you so much, Donna! You have no idea how much your words mean to me.
Ann
Barb says
I really enjoy your posts but I swear you are my DH’s BFF! He fell in love with all the renovation photo’s and insists you must have a degree in journalism.
Ann says
Awwww tell your Hubby thanks, Barb! I have an eclectic degree, but the only journalism classes I ever took were for public speaking – which I LOVED! (Yeah, I’m a weirdo)
Ann
Nicola says
Nicola says:
I have a 24” horsehair broom 53 years now and it sweeps as good now as it did all those years ago! No other broom can compare with the horsehair quality.