Palm Fiber (Ijuk) Broom

A palm fiber (Ijuk) Broom (source)

Everyone must know what a broom is. What are the materials to make a broom then? I am not sure how nowadays kids would answer it. Maybe they’ll answer broom is made from plastic and wood as its cane.

If it was when I was a little kid, we would usually answered broom was made from palm fiber (ijuk) or coconut’s hairs and rattan or wood as its cane.

At first I didn’t really pay attention to this thing. A broom for me was just a tool to clean up the house. Nothing special about it. I was just realized palm fiber broom specialty lately when I grew up and ever had chance to live in a big city.

When I went to supermarket, I saw the brooms sold there, most of them were made from plastic and wood as their cane. At the beginning I really liked the broom with plastic hair because we can wash it and the hair also not easily broken, so it could last longer.

However after I re-considered, it came out that the palm fiber broom apparently has more benefit rather than plastic broom – at least based on me and my mom’s opinions. My mom felt that the floor is cleaner when she swept using palm fiber broom because the dusts and the dirt could roof at the palm fiber hairs. Other than that, according to my mom, the palm fiber texture which is more flexible makes her prefer using the palm fiber broom.

As for me, I have other reasons that I just thought lately. I used to dislike palm fiber broom because it was easily broken compared to plastic broom and if it was soaked, the palm fiber would be lumpy and not that comfortable to be used. But then I realized there were many advantages using palm fiber broom.

The palm fiber broom is more environmentally friendly. With its materials which are from palm fiber and rattan or wood, if it is unused anymore, the waste could just decomposed and processed directly by nature. Other than that, because the productions of palm fiber brooms are usually done by many small and medium businesses, by buying the palm fiber broom we could support the broom craft-men’s businesses. So, now I prefer using palm fiber broom. =)

(FK)