The Ancient Art of Sweeping
Suzanne Pollak
Joseph Solman 1909 The Broom
Sweeping is the oldest form of housework. Dean Pollak remembers seeing West African girls sweep hard packed dirt floors in mud huts throughout her childhood.
Every house, from a one room mud hut to a mansion with many rooms, needs a broom and a dustpan. Keep in mind, if you are setting up a new house, that wood floors and Persian rugs are more forgiving surfaces than white rugs and light tiled floors. The dirt simply does not show up as much on the former surfaces. And remember that the Japanese are really on to something, 82% of dirt is left outside if shoes are removed before entering the house.
Regardless if you ever wear shoes in the house, you are going to have to sweep your floors. Sweeping is quick, easy and efficient, and often, less trouble than dragging out a heavy vacuum cleaner. Using a broom can even be relaxing. The rhythmic sound of a sweeping broom relaxes, inside or out. The violent noise from a backpack blower or vacuum does nothing but jar and addle listeners. The Deans prefer natural fiber brooms with an angled edge that are not too heavy to manage.
In 1908, Mrs. Curtis, in her book Household Discoveries, maintains that to sweep well with a broom is an art that calls for quite a little skill and intelligence. According to Mrs. Curtis there are wrong ways in sweeping as well as the right away.
For those of you new to brooming, here's the right way as per the Dean:
Sweep dirt into a pile.
Sweep that pile into a dustpan.
Deposit into the garbage.
Voila! Clean floors.
Great artists see the beauty in brooming.
Edouard Vuillard 1940 Woman Sweeping