View source for Broom

{{Short description|Cleaning tool for floor}}
{{redirect-several|dab=no|Broom (disambiguation)|Broomstick (disambiguation)|Push broom scanner|Whisk broom scanner}}
[[File:BroomsforSale.jpg|thumb|[[Sorghum]]-made brooms with long handles as well as short [[Handle (grip)|handles]]]]

A '''broom''' (bruːm), also known as a '''broomstick''', is a [[cleaning tool]], consisting of usually stiff fibers (often made of materials such as plastic, glued hair, or corn husks) attached to, and roughly parallel to, a cylindrical handle, the broomstick. It is thus a variety of [[brush]] with a long handle. It is commonly used in combination with a [[dustpan]].

A distinction is made between a "hard broom" and a "soft broom" and a spectrum in between. Soft brooms are used in some cultures chiefly for sweeping walls of cobwebs and [[spiders]], like a "[[feather duster]]", while hard brooms are for rougher tasks like sweeping dirt off sidewalks or concrete floors, or even smoothing and texturing wet [[concrete]]. The majority of brooms are somewhere in between, suitable for sweeping the floors of homes and businesses, soft enough to be flexible and to move even light dust, but stiff enough to achieve a firm sweeping action.{{citation needed|date=August 2020}}

The broom is also a symbolic object associated with [[witchcraft]] and [[ceremonial magic]].
[[File:Houki-constructionworker-japan-2012.ogv|thumb|thumbtime=3|Video of a Japanese construction worker cleaning up his construction site with a Japanese broom]]

== Etymology ==
The word ''broom'' derives from types of shrubs referred to as [[broom (shrub)|brooms]]. ''Common broom'' typically refers to whatever shrub is most commonly used to make the bristles for a broomstick in a given region.{{Sfn|Nedelcheva|Dogan|Guarrera|2007|p=2}} The name of the shrubs began to be used for the household implement in [[Late Middle English]] and gradually replaced the earlier ''[[besom]]'' during the [[Early Modern English]] period. The song ''[[Broom Buzzems|Buy Broom Buzzems]]'' (by [[William Purvis (Blind Willie)|William Purvis]] 1752–1832) still refers to the "broom besom" as one type of [[besom]] (i.e. "a besom made from broom").

Flat brooms, made of [[Sorghum bicolor|broom corn]],<ref>{{cite web | title=How to make a broom | url=http://www.motherearthnews.com/Do-It-Yourself/How-To-Make-A-Broom.aspx | publisher=Ogden Publications, Inc. | access-date=2010-03-15 | archive-date=2013-03-14 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130314180901/http://www.motherearthnews.com/Do-It-Yourself/How-To-Make-A-Broom.aspx | url-status=live }}</ref> were invented by [[Shakers]] in the 19th century with the invention of the [[Shaker broom vice|broom vice]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Broom |url=http://www.enotes.com/how-products-encyclopedia/broom |access-date=2008-11-05 |archive-date=2009-02-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090202063621/http://www.enotes.com/how-products-encyclopedia/broom |url-status=live }}</ref>
A smaller whisk broom or brush is sometimes called a duster.

== Function ==
Brooms are used to clean dust and ash.{{Sfn|Nedelcheva|Dogan|Guarrera|2007|p=2}} They may be used to clean homes, appliances such as ovens and fireplaces, or outdoor areas such as streets and yards.{{Sfn|Nedelcheva|Dogan|Guarrera|2007|p=1}}

== History ==
{{See also|Shaker broom vise}}
[[File:Broom Han Dynasty British Museum MAS.776.jpg|thumb|Broom excavated from [[Dunhuang]], [[China]], dated 200 BCE-200 CE. Kept in the [[British Museum]].]]

The earliest brooms and brushes are from prehistory, when things such as bird wings and [[bur]]s were fastened to handles of bone, ivory, or wood. The indigenous peoples of the [[Southwestern United States]] created brooms from [[yucca]] plants for cleaning [[pueblo]]s.{{Sfn|Snodgrass|2004|p=120}} The indigenous people of Saint Lucia created brooms from coconut fronds for cleaning around hearths.{{Sfn|Snodgrass|2004|pp=120–121}} Brooms are mentioned in the 1540 manuscript ''[[Codex Mendoza]]'' of the [[Aztecs]], which instructs girls to sweep.{{Sfn|Snodgrass|2004|p=120}}

The birch besom was made by fastening twigs to a handle with a strip of [[ash wood]], harvested from a log after washing it in a running stream. The besom became a symbol of breweries in England, where brewers used it as a whisk while fermenting alcoholic beverages, and the brooms were typically displayed by [[pub]]s. When not in use, a brewer's besom was stored and dried on wall pegs or hanging by a leather cord. The broom was not washed so that yeast would remain in the bristles for future uses.{{Sfn|Snodgrass|2004|p=122}} Hearth besoms were created in Ireland to keep ash on a hearth.{{Sfn|Snodgrass|2004|p=121}} Until the 18th century, brooms were crafted by hand.{{Sfn|Nedelcheva|Dogan|Guarrera|2007|p=2}}

In 1797, the quality of brooms changed when Levi Dickenson, a farmer in [[Hadley, Massachusetts]], made a broom for his wife, using the tassels of [[sorghum]], a grain he was growing for the seeds. His wife spread good words around town, creating demand for Dickenson's sorghum brooms. The sorghum brooms held up well, but ultimately, like all brooms, fell apart. Dickenson subsequently invented a machine that would make better brooms, and faster than he could. In 1810, the foot treadle broom machine was invented. This machine played an integral part in the [[Industrial Revolution]].<ref>{{Cite web|title = History of Early American Brooms and Broom Making - BroomShop.com|url = http://broomshop.com/history/|website = broomshop.com|access-date = 2015-09-29|archive-date = 2015-09-18|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150918074503/http://broomshop.com/history/|url-status = live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Earle |first=Alice Morse |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=B2RWAAAAMAAJ&dq=%22Levi+Dickenson%22+broom&pg=PA256 |title=Home Life in Colonial Days |date=1898 |publisher=Macmillan |isbn=978-1-4556-0592-7 |pages=256 |language=en}}</ref>
[[File:Besenbinder.JPG|thumb|upright|Making brooms, 2012]]
The [[Shakers]] began growing broom corn to create brooms in the present-day United States, which they crafted on [[treadle]] wheels and stored hanging on the wall under a cotton hood. The Shaker Theodore Bates invented the flat broom in 1798.{{Sfn|Snodgrass|2004|p=889}} [[Benjamin Franklin]] grew [[French broom]], a practice which was then taken up by [[Thomas Jefferson]], who had broomsticks made from the plant. Americans commonly kept brooms with their fireplaces by the early 19th century.{{Sfn|Snodgrass|2004|p=123}} At this time, brooms were often made by children, the disabled, the elderly, and slaves.{{Sfn|Snodgrass|2004|pp=123, 587}} By the middle of the century, brooms were created in factories with [[machine press]]es, trimmers, and [[winding machine]]s and then sold [[door-to-door]]. People in the [[American frontier]] crafted brooms with a wet [[Rawhide (material)|rawhide]] fastening, which dried and hardened around the bristles.{{Sfn|Snodgrass|2004|p=123}}

Henry Hadley invented a hybridized machine-harvested broom corn at the [[University of Illinois]] in 1983 for more efficient creation of brooms.{{Sfn|Snodgrass|2004|p=125}} Modern factory-made brooms are made with straw bristles, which are flattened and stitched together before a handle is inserted.{{Sfn|Snodgrass|2004|p=124}} In industrialized countries, brooms are sometimes replaced or superseded by powered cleaning instruments such as [[leaf blower]]s and [[vacuum cleaner]]s.{{Sfn|Snodgrass|2004|p=125}} Brooms remain commonly used for cleaning purposes in the 21st century.{{Sfn|Nedelcheva|Dogan|Guarrera|2007|p=2}}

One source mentions that the United States had 303 broom factories by 1839 and that the number peaked at 1,039 in 1919. Most of these were in the [[Eastern United States]]; during the [[Great Depression]] in the 1930s, the number of factories declined to 320 in 1939.<ref name="EOHC-Broom">{{cite web|last=Fugate|first=Tally D.|title=Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History & Culture|work=Broom Factories|access-date=August 13, 2012|url=http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/B/BR024.html|archive-date=November 19, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121119131923/http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/B/BR024.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> The state of [[Oklahoma]] became a major center for broom production because broom corn grew especially well there, with The Oklahoma Broom Corn Company opening a factory in [[El Reno, Oklahoma|El Reno]] in 1906. Faced with competition from imported brooms and synthetic bristles, most of the factories closed by the 1960s.<ref name="EOHC-Broom" />

== Design and types ==
A broom is made up of two parts: the handle, which is a long cylindrical stick, and the stiff fibers lined parallel at its base.{{Sfn|Nedelcheva|Dogan|Guarrera|2007|p=2}}

The United States [[International Cooperation Administration]] made a distinction between brooms based on bristle quality. Parlor brooms are made of smooth green fibers and typically have brushes 14 to 18 inches long. Carpet brooms are a cheaper variant of the parlor broom that uses bristles rejected for use in parlor brooms for being off-color or lower quality. Standard brooms use bristles that were deemed too low-quality for either parlor brooms or carpet brooms, often dyed green to emulate other brooms.{{Sfn|International Cooperation Administration|1957|p=2}} Hearth brooms, or toy brooms, are made of miscellaneous fibers that cannot be used in other brooms. They are not typically sold as consumer products.{{Sfn|International Cooperation Administration|1957|p=3}}

Warehouse brooms use heavier fibers such as [[rattan]] or [[palmyra palm]] and are bound with metal. Different grades of warehouse broom are used to denote the surface it is designed for, such as smelters, decks, or railroads. Their brushes measure about 16 to 18 inches long.{{Sfn|International Cooperation Administration|1957|p=3}}

Cob brooms are used to clean webs from high areas and were historically made with round brushes.{{Sfn|Snodgrass|2004|pp=122–123}} Whisk brooms use bristles that are shorter and finer than other brooms.{{Sfn|International Cooperation Administration|1957|p=3}} Rubber brooms were created in the early 20th century to prevent the debris raised when sweeping with straw brooms.{{Sfn|Snodgrass|2004|pp=857–858}}

== Materials and production ==
=== Brush ===
The brush of a broom is most commonly made with the fibers of broom corn. Other common plant materials used in brooms include palmyra, rice straw, rice root, [[piassava]], grass, [[sedge]], and twigs. They may use a mix of materials, with lower quality fibers filling out the brush.{{Sfn|International Cooperation Administration|1957|p=3}} Broom making involves botanical knowledge, particularly about broom plants.{{Sfn|Nedelcheva|Dogan|Guarrera|2007|p=4}}

For manufactured brooms, the fibers are sorted by quality and fitted into the appropriate type of broom.{{Sfn|International Cooperation Administration|1957|p=4}} They are then put through an evener to align the fibers, a saw to remove stems, and a scraper to break open the straw and remove the seeds. The fibers are dyed or bleached to achieve a uniform color, or they are wetted if they are already high quality so they can be more easily wound.{{Sfn|International Cooperation Administration|1957|pp=4–5}} The outer fibers of the brush are typically treated with a dye, called broom crystals, to preserve the color after use.{{Sfn|International Cooperation Administration|1957|p=4}} 

As an alternative to plant fibers, brooms can be fitted with synthetic brushes made of materials like nylon or plastic.{{Sfn|International Cooperation Administration|1957|p=3}}

=== Handle and fastening ===
Wooden broom handles are commonly made from [[hardwood]] or [[fir]]. Commercial wood broom handles are painted or [[Wood finishing|finished]].{{Sfn|International Cooperation Administration|1957|pp=3–4}} [[Lacquer]]s can increase the lifespan of the broom's handle in addition to serving an aesthetic purpose.{{Sfn|International Cooperation Administration|1957|p=4}} Wooden broom handles are often about 42 inches long and seven-eighths to one and one-eighth inches in diameter.{{Sfn|International Cooperation Administration|1957|p=3}}

Metal tension wires, sometimes crafted specifically for use in brooms, are put through a winding machine to fasten the bristles to the handle.{{Sfn|International Cooperation Administration|1957|p=4}} The wire is wound through a hole in the handle before fastening the brush, typically over the last six inches of the handle. Additional bristles are added to the sides for a flat brush shape and to provide a surface for sweeping. The stem ends of the fibers are then cut and tapered and the wire is nailed into the handle. The wire is then finished by one of several methods, such as with a metal cap, with a velvet coat, or by being tapered.{{Sfn|International Cooperation Administration|1957|p=5}} After the broom is wired, the fibers can again be scraped or seeded.{{Sfn|International Cooperation Administration|1957|p=6}}

Twine, often made of cotton or linen, is used to stitch the brush.{{Sfn|International Cooperation Administration|1957|p=4}} At least five stitches will typically be used. The outside of the brush may be wrapped with a material like leather, replacing a twine band used to hold the brush together during manufacturing.{{Sfn|International Cooperation Administration|1957|p=6}}

Commercially sold brooms may apply a glued label to the fastening with the brand name or broom model, which can be used as a cover for the clamp marks left by a wiring machine.{{Sfn|International Cooperation Administration|1957|p=4}}

== Magic ==
[[File:Goya - Caprichos (68).jpg|thumb|left|[[Francisco Goya]]'s ''[[Los Caprichos]]'': ''¡Linda maestra!'' ("The Follies: Beautiful Teacher!")&nbsp;– witches heading to a [[Witches' Sabbath|Sabbath]] on a broomstick]]

In the context of [[witchcraft]], ''broomstick'' is likely to refer to the broom as a whole, known as a ''[[besom]]''. The first known reference to [[witch]]es flying on broomsticks dates to the 11th-century Islamic traditionalist theologian [[Ibn Qudamah]]in his book al-Mughnī ( The Persuader ). The first reference to [[witch]]es flying on broomsticks in Europe dates to 1453, confessed by the male witch [[Guillaume Edelin]].<ref>''[[Man, Myth & Magic (encyclopedia)|Man, Myth and Magic]]: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Supernatural''. 1970, edited by Richard Cavendish.</ref> The concept of a [[flying ointment]] used by witches appears at about the same time, recorded in 1456.

In [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]]'s 1939 film, ''[[The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)|The Wizard of Oz]]'', the [[Wicked Witch of the West]] used a broomstick to fly over [[Land of Oz|Oz]]. She also used it to skywrite "[[Surrender Dorothy]]" above the [[Emerald City]]. [[Wizard of Oz (character)|The Wizard]] commands [[Dorothy Gale|Dorothy]] and her three traveling companions to bring the Wicked Witch's broomstick to him in order to grant their wishes. Dorothy carries it to the Wizard with the [[Scarecrow (Oz)|Scarecrow]], [[Tin Woodman|Tin Man]], and [[Cowardly Lion|Lion]] after the Wicked Witch's death.

In [[Disney]]'s 1940 film ''[[Fantasia (1940 film)|Fantasia]]'', [[Mickey Mouse]], playing [[The Sorcerer's Apprentice]], brings a broom to life to do his chore of filling a well full of water. The broom overdoes its job and when chopped into pieces, each splinter becomes a new broom that flood the room until [[Yen Sid]] stops them. This story comes from a poem by [[Goethe]] called ''Der Zauberlehrling'' ("The Sorcerer's Apprentice"). The Disney brooms have had recurring cameos in Disney media, mostly portrayed as janitors, albeit not out of control or causing chaos such as in the original appearance.

This flight was also in ''[[Bedknobs and Broomsticks]]'' as well as ''[[Hocus Pocus (1993 film)|Hocus Pocus]]''.

In [[Eswatini|Eswatini (Swaziland)]], witches' broomsticks are short bundles of sticks tied together without a handle.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Spooner|first1=Samantha|title=From hippie bans to broomstick flying limits, here are Africa's most absurd laws|url=http://mgafrica.com/article/2014-10-14-from-sex-toy-bans-to-broomstick-flying-limits-presenting-africas-absurd-laws|work=[[Mail & Guardian|Mail & Guardian Africa]]|date=15 October 2014|access-date=29 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141029223232/http://mgafrica.com/article/2014-10-14-from-sex-toy-bans-to-broomstick-flying-limits-presenting-africas-absurd-laws|archive-date=29 October 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Flying brooms play an important role in the fantasy world of [[Harry Potter]], used for transportation as well as for playing the popular airborne game of [[Quidditch]]. Flying brooms, along with [[Flying carpets]], are the main means of transportation in the world of [[Poul Anderson]]'s 
[[Operation Chaos (novel)|Operation Chaos]].

The [[Flying Broom]] ({{langx|tr|Uçan Süpürge}}) is a [[feminism|feminist]] organization in [[Turkey]], deliberately evoking the associations of a Flying Broom with witches.

== Culture ==
Brooms are used in some rituals.{{Sfn|Nedelcheva|Dogan|Guarrera|2007|p=1}}

[[Jumping the broom]] is a tradition sometimes practiced in [[African American]] weddings in which the couple leaps over a broom to symbolically represent the leap into domestic life. The tradition was practiced by [[enslaved Americans]] and other groups of low social class in the United States through the 19th century. It was revitalized by [[Alex Haley]] after it was prominently featured in his novel ''[[Roots: The Saga of an American Family]]'' in 1976 and became part of a broader reclamation of Black heritage at the time.{{Sfn|Parry|2016|pp=81–83}} Other marginalized groups, such as the [[Celts]] and the [[Romani people|Romani]], have historically been described as practicing similar traditions in Britain.{{Sfn|Parry|2016|p=86}} The precise origin of jumping the broom is uncertain.{{Sfn|Parry|2016|p=84}}

The [[Métis people]] of Canada have a broom dancing tradition. There are broom dancing exhibitions where people show off their broom dancing skills. The lively broom dance involves fast footwork and jumping.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.metismuseum.ca/resource.php/02316 |work=The Virtual Museum of Metis History and Culture |title=Broom Dance, Metisfest 2001 |access-date=January 10, 2024}}</ref>

During [[World War II]], American submarine crews would tie a broom to their boat's [[conning tower]] when returning to port to indicate that they had "swept" the seas clean of enemy shipping.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://victortradingco.com/broom-lore/|title=Broom Lore|website=Victoria Trading Company|access-date=2021-08-28|archive-date=2021-08-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210828223911/https://victortradingco.com/broom-lore/|url-status=live}}</ref> The tradition has been devalued in recent years by submarine crews who fly a broom simply when returning from their boat's shake-down cruise. This tradition may stem from the action of the Dutch admiral [[Maarten Tromp]] who tied a broom to his main mast after defeating the British admiral [[Robert Blake (admiral)|Robert Blake]] at the [[Battle of Dungeness]] in 1652. This has often been interpreted as a message that he would "sweep the British from the seas". This story remains unsubstantiated,<ref>The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 1988, edited by Peter Kemp</ref> but may have its origin in the tradition of hoisting a broom as a sign that a ship was for sale,<ref>"Local Events." Evening Telegram (St. John's, N.L.), 1891-10-14:4.</ref> which seems more likely as Tromp had captured two of Blake's ships in the battle.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/battles_dungeness.html|title=Battle of Dungeness, 30 November 1652|access-date=20 April 2012|archive-date=17 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120317160554/http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/battles_dungeness.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In [[Bhojpuri language|Bhojpuri]], it is called ''Baṛhanī'' (prosperer), as it is believed that it's prospers the family and house.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Grierson |first=G.A. |title=Bihar Peasant Life |year=1885 |publisher=The Bengal Secretariat Press|location=London |pages=11}}</ref>

=== Literature ===
* In 1701 [[Jonathan Swift]] wrote a "[[Meditation Upon a Broomstick]]", a parody of [[Robert Boyle]]'s ''Occasional Reflections upon Several Subjects'':
{{quote|But a Broom-Stick, perhaps you will say, is an Emblem of a Tree standing on its Head; and pray what is Man, but a Topsy-turvey Creature, his Animal Faculties perpetually mounted on his Rational; His Head where his Heels should be, groveling on the Earth, and yet with all his Faults, he sets up to be an universal Reformer and Corrector of Abuses, a Remover of Grievances, rakes into every Sluts Corner of Nature, bringing hidden Corruptions to the Light, and raises a mighty Dust where there was none before, sharing deeply all the while, in the very same Pollutions he pretends to sweep away: His last Days are spent in Slavery to Women, and generally the least deserving; till worn to the Stumps, like his Brother Bezom, he is either kickt out of Doors, or made use of to kindle Flames, for others to warm themselves by.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://publicdomainreview.org/collections/a-meditation-upon-a-broomstick-1711/ |title=A Meditation upon a Broomstick (1711) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161009113751/https://publicdomainreview.org/collections/a-meditation-upon-a-broomstick-1711/ |archive-date=2016-10-09 |work=[[Public Domain Review]]}}</ref>}}
*In [[J.K. Rowling]]'s ''[[Harry Potter]]'' novels and [[Harry Potter (film series)|film adaptations]], broomsticks are a common form of transport for wizards and witches. These are also used for the magical sport of [[Quidditch]], in which players use their broomsticks to fly around a field and shoot goals.

===Politics===
[[File:General Buhari holding a broom at a campign rally.jpg|thumb|Nigerian opposition politicians holding brooms at a campaign rally]]
For much of the 20th century, political cartoons and propaganda would often depict new or oncoming leaders sweeping away old, corrupt or unpopular figures.

The broom is used as a symbol of the following political parties:
* [[Aam Aadmi Party]], India
* [[All Progressives Congress]], Nigeria

=== Religion ===
* In [[Jainism]], monks and nuns have a little broom with them, in order to gently brush aside ants and small animals, to avoid crushing them. This is part of observing the principle of ''[[Ahimsa in Jainism|Ahinsā]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/Jainism/index.aspx|title=Jainism|access-date=2011-03-30|archive-date=2011-03-31|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110331095121/http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/Jainism/index.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref>
* The [[Shakers]] are often credited with the invention of the flat broom.

=== Sports ===
* [[Curling broom]]
* In [[baseball]] and [[basketball]], when the [[home team]] is close to accomplishing a sweep (having won the first two games of a three-game series or first three games of a four-game series), some fans will bring brooms to the ballpark and brandish them as a way of taunting the visiting team (examples: Arkansas vs. LSU, 2011; Red Sox vs. Yankees, May 13–15, 2011 and June 7–9, 2011).
* In [[broomball]], broomsticks have their heads removed and are used to push a ball into a goal, on an ice surface. The game is similar to hockey, except players do not wear skates.

== Image gallery ==
<gallery widths="200" heights="160">
File:"Arya" sapu biasa.jpg|Common soft broom in Indonesia
File:Holding Shield and Holding Broom tomb doors, 2 of 2, China, unearthed from Lanjia Yard, Pixian County, Sichuan, Eastern Han dynasty, 25-220 AD, stone - Sichuan Provincial Museum - Chengdu, China - DSC04747.jpg|Carved [[relief]]s on stone tomb doors showing a  man dressed in ''[[Hanfu]]'' and holding a broom, Chinese [[Eastern Han dynasty]] (25–220 AD), from Lanjia Yard, [[Pi County]], [[Sichuan province]], [[Sichuan Provincial Museum]] of [[Chengdu]], [[China]]
File:Broom in China 01.jpg|A soft broom commonly used in [[Hainan Province]], China
File:Banaue Philippines Handmade-brooms-01.jpg|Typical Filipino soft brooms (walís-tambô), [[Banaue, Ifugao|Banaue]], [[Ifugao province|Ifugao]], [[Philippines]]
File:Indian home made brooms for cleaning outdoor, 2011-2.jpg|A hard-broom (walís-tingtíng) stall in the Philippines. Philippine hard brooms are often made from the hard primary veins of the leaves of the coconut palm frond.
File:Broom from a home in Haiti.jpg|A typical broom at a home in Haiti
File:Broom (PSF).jpg|A broom with bristles traditionally made using [[Sorghum bicolor|broom corn]]
File:A broom made of twigs from Rwanda.jpg|A broom at a Rwandan home, made out of twigs
File:Simple turkey tail brooms.png|alt=Turkey tail brooms|Two 'turkey tail' style brooms made from broom corn
File:Shinchunagon Taira no Tomomori Sweeping the Deck LACMA M.84.31.97.jpg|Japanese warrior sweeping the deck with a broom before killing himself
File:Miotła 001q.JPG|Floor broom
File:Sure We Can Earthday clean 2021 2.jpg|[[Clean-up (environment)|Street clean]] volunteer uses a broom, [[Earth Day]] 2021
Choolu.JPG|Broom made of the stem of coconut leaf
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[Bath broom]]
* [[Besom]]
* [[Mop]]
* [[Squeegee]]

== Notes ==
{{reflist}}

== References ==
* {{Cite journal |last1=Nedelcheva |first1=Anely M |last2=Dogan |first2=Yunus |last3=Guarrera |first3=Paolo Maria |date=2007 |title=Plants traditionally used to make brooms in several European countries |journal=Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine |volume=3 |issue=1 |doi=10.1186/1746-4269-3-20 |doi-access=free |issn=1746-4269 |pmc=1884134 |pmid=17475017}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Parry |first=Tyler D. |date=2016 |title=The Holy Land of Matrimony: The Complex Legacy of the Broomstick Wedding in American History |journal=American Studies |volume=55 |issue=1 |pages=81–106 |issn=0026-3079 |jstor=44982553}}
* {{Cite book |last=Snodgrass |first=Mary Ellen |title=Encyclopedia of Kitchen History |year=2004 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-135-45572-9}}
* {{Cite report |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=it5RAQAAMAAJ |title=Brooms: Operational Data |date=1957 |author=[[International Cooperation Administration]], Office of Industrial Resources|ref={{harvid|International Cooperation Administration|1957}}}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category-inline|Brooms}}

{{Cleaning tools|state=expanded}}
{{Witchcraft}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Brooms| ]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]
[[Category:Cleaning tools]]
[[Category:Domestic implements]]
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