Lidi(Sticks) Broom

Lidi Broom (source)

Other than ‘ijuk’ broom, there is another type of broom I know: lidi (sticks) broom. Lidi broom is made from coconut leaves’ bones those are tied together. Usually lidi broom in the villages is without handle, but if it is added with handle, then you can imagine the witch’s broom. Hehe…


'Witch Broom'=p (source)

The lidi broom usually used to sweep the yard or grass field. But on the expansion, the lidi broom is also used in other places.

In the area where I live, when people plaster the floor with cement, they usually will pat and flattening it with lidi broom to make the texture become a little rough.
Another thing, in some food sellers in tents on the street that cook with flaming fire and they should cleaned up the pan very often to cook the next order, they use the lidi broom to clean up the pan. Of course that lidi broom is NOT the one they use to sweep the floor…

There are also lidi brooms with more flat shape and look cleaner. This one, usually people use it to clean up the bed and pat pillows and bolsters.
I don’t know how about in other areas. Maybe there are still a lot of variety of shapes and usages of lidi broom. Next time if I find out some more, I’ll write another sharing. Ciao!

(FK)

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)