6 methods and tips on how to properly steam a birch broom for a bath

For Russian people, a bathhouse is an opportunity to relieve stress with health benefits. After a good bathhouse, we feel relaxation in the muscles, lightness and weightlessness throughout the body. It all starts with a broom; the main thing is to wisely choose and steam this unique attribute of the Russian steam room. During massage and whipping, the body is renewed, the skin becomes velvety, and the pores are cleansed. It’s worth knowing how to properly steam a bath broom in order to steam properly.

Where to place the broom-amulet?

For the amulet to work, you need to know both how to make a protective broom and the rules for its use. As a decorative element, it is undoubtedly hung inside the home. The best place for its location would be the kitchen - the heart of the house, where everyone at home gathers, delicious food is prepared there to maintain strength and create joy. Inside the house, a broom-amulet, created with your own hands, is hung with the handle up and the main part down. This symbolically serves as a way to remove everything negative from the house; the broom, as it were, sweeps away all the bad things. It is also important to keep the amulet itself tidy, because, according to legend, it is in the broom that the brownie settles, and in order for him to be happy, his home should always be cozy, clean, and beautiful.

Well, creativity always gives joy - through the process of ideation and mastery, and also through the result. You should create a broom-amulet with your own hands for two reasons: to decorate your home and give it a cute amulet that keeps you warm and cozy and helps you fulfill your wishes. Good luck!

One of the most common household Slavic amulets is the broom amulet. This seemingly simple household item was endowed with the ability to cleanse the energy environment, maintain prosperity in the house and protect against the attacks of evil in all its various manifestations.

In the days of vacuum cleaners and robotic cleaners, the good old broom is still popular among many housewives. A decorative analogue is found a little less frequently in modern homes, but also finds application. This article will help you understand the difference between a classic and a talismanic broom, and will tell you how to make a talisman and use it so that it fills your home with happiness and joy.

Folk signs associated with a broom

There are many folk signs associated with the broom. Among them are the following:

• when moving to a new apartment, you need to take a broom with you, as it attracts good luck;
• You cannot take revenge in the house if one of your loved ones is on the road;
• to protect your home from negative energy, you need to place the broom with the handle down;
• To attract money you need to buy a new broom during the waxing moon.

A broom is an indispensable tool that should be present in every home. It is used not only for cleaning, but also for performing magical rituals. People who want to get one must figure out in advance how to process it so that the broom lasts longer, what to do to steam it, and how to carry out spells with it.

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Broom amulet among different nations

A broom for the home was mentioned as a talisman by many ancient peoples. And in some cases, it could even perform the functions of an amulet, attracting certain energies needed by a person. It was with his help that China called for warm, sunny weather during the long rainy season. The Chinese believed that the rains would stop if they hung a homemade broom on the fence near their house.

In European countries, including England, it was believed that a broom could change its positive meaning if used incorrectly. The sign not to sweep or take out trash from the house after sunset appeared precisely on the basis of these beliefs.

However, this amulet was most widespread in Rus'. The Slavs respected the broom, which they used to clean their homes, and also made a special broom-amulet and hung it in certain places.

According to the ideas of our ancestors, the broom served as a resting place for the good spirit that lives in every home - the Brownie. The spirit lived behind the stove, but often rested on a broom, so the housewives monitored the cleanliness of this item and changed it every year, trying to please the protector of the house. After all, if the house is not tidy, the Brownie could get angry and start doing mischief.

Knitting a broom with your own hands

You can’t live without a good broom in an apartment or private house. The equipment is used for indoor cleaning, and although it is inexpensive, many people prefer to knit brooms with their own hands.

This is especially true for owners of country houses who have at least a small plot of land. They can easily sow black sorghum on the plot and tie a broom for sweeping.

Part of the inventory can be used for your own needs, the rest can be sold on the market and receive financial benefits.

Don't forget to share with your friends!

Creation principle

The rules apply not only to the broom of the amulet. In general, during any needlework. Even if you are not careful, you should adhere to the following:

• Sit down to work only in a good mood.
• Do not start work if you are unwell or angry at someone.
• The work must be completed in one go.
• Nothing should distract you. TV and extraneous conversations need to be put off.
• While working, keep good positive thoughts in your head.
• If you are making a talisman for someone, then think about him, imagine the image of the person.
• If the amulet is made for a specific purpose, then visualize it in all details.
• Talk to the amulet. Tell us about the problems. Goals, hopes. This will play the role of a conspiracy.

If you follow all the rules, you will get not just home decor, but a strong amulet that brings profit to your home and protects you from evil spirits. Additional details made with your own hands will give the broom amulet even more strength, and a good mood during needlework will endow the product with magic.

Selection rules

A wide range of cleaning tools allows you to choose the best option based on your requirements:

1. Material of manufacture. It can be a natural or synthetic base.
2. Length of the product. For convenience when sweeping the floor, the optimal length should be about 85 cm, since it is inconvenient to work with a short tool.
3. The width of the working bristles should be at least 25 cm, preferably 35-45 cm, to ensure coverage of a larger area in one pass.
4. Color. For artificial models made from synthetic materials, you can choose any one you like, but for those made from sorghum, it is advisable to give preference to those that have a slight reddish tint.
5. Workmanship. The broom should have thick enough bristles to capture debris as much as possible. It is important that the branches are securely fastened and do not fall out if the bristles are pulled.

You need different brooms for the street and at home. Even when purchasing a universal model, it is advisable to have two of them, so as not to bring street dirt into the house.

How to use a home broom correctly

A home broom, used in a special way, can serve as an alternative to a miniature amulet. This option will be useful for those who have not yet managed to buy a talisman, but already want to put their house in order - to get rid of both ordinary garbage and energy clutter. Of course, it will be better if you have two brooms - a regular one and a protective one.

Using an ordinary broom in accordance with the recommendations given, you can attract prosperity and even find love:

• When buying a broom, the first cleaning should be done with it and only then take up the mop.

• To increase the flow of money into the house and attract coziness, when cleaning, sweep from the threshold and corners to the middle of the room.

• There is a belief that an ordinary broom can make wishes come true. To do this, you need to think about what you want to get the first time you clean with a new broom.

• If you decide to find a betrothed, then know that you don’t have to spend your desire on just that. To attract love, step over the broom nine times and then sweep the floor with it.

It is also important to remember a few rules, violation of which can lead to unpleasant consequences:

1. The Slavs believed that if there were several brooms in the house, they would conflict. One of them may be “offended” that the hostess chose the other over him. In order not to cause trouble, there should be only one broom in the house, used for cleaning.
2. When moving to a new place, it is recommended to leave the old broom in the previous apartment or throw it away. A broom that has been sweeping up trash for a long time will not have the same power as a new one.
3. You cannot lend your home broom to other people - neighbors and friends. Because of this, he will stop sweeping all problems out of the door and may attract bad luck.

General recommendations on how to steam a broom:

• rinse the rods before you start soaking or steaming (you should not use water at a temperature exceeding 60 degrees);
• the water that remains after steaming can be used for preparing masks, for rinsing hair or body, since it contains accumulated beneficial substances left over from herbs;
• There is no need to steam a broom just taken out of the freezer. You need to first defrost it and warm it up in a steam room;
• It is better to use brooms from pine needles and juniper only fresh;
• if you take a nettle broom, you cannot use hot water when steaming, because it will become absolutely useless, as it will lose all its burning properties;
• when choosing brooms without particularly distinct medicinal qualities, you can add a little propolis tincture to the soaking water.

Broom maybe

So, there is a task - to make a broom-amulet with your own hands. A master class of such work will definitely begin with creating the basis of the talisman. It can be made from a huge number of materials, because in a talisman it is just a symbol; no one will take revenge on them. To make a broom as the basis of a talisman, you can use:

• sorghum sprigs - buy a real household broom and select neat, strong branches from it;
• straw - it is best to prepare straw yourself, but you can turn to craftsmen who weave pictures, baskets, and so on from straw;
• cattail - this natural material can be found in abundance on the swampy banks of ponds and ditches; it can be harvested at any time of the year, even when it’s wet;
• sponge - gut a new paint brush made from this ancient material;
• bamboo sticks - an exotic material can also be used as a basis for a talisman;
• yarn - ordinary threads, from which craftswomen knit socks and sweaters, can also be used as the basis for a broom.

How to treat a new broom before use

Treating a broom with boiling water

Few people know how to prepare brooms for sweeping for use. First you need to process the product to make it more durable and soft. Before doing this, you need to familiarize yourself with the basic features of processing.

The product is processed in hot boiled water. In this case, it must be soaked for several hours. Not everyone knows how to steam a new floor broom. To do this, fill a bucket with water and boil it. When the liquid begins to boil, add a little salt to it. The water should boil for about 15–20 minutes. Then the bucket is removed from the gas stove. You need to place a broom in it. It needs to be steamed for 2-3 hours and dried before use.

Knitting technology

Knitting a broom from sorghum is not particularly difficult, but you must follow a certain technology. The peculiarity of knitting sorghum wreaths with your own hands is that all slings should be without knots or any loops. The twine, after being wrapped around a bunch of stems, is tightly pulled at the opposite ends, and its excess parts are cut off near the very base of the broom.

To knit a sorghum broom, you need to make only seven slings, although you can do 1-2 more or one less. However, if there are fewer than seven bands, the broom may not be very strong. For the convenience of making a broom, the slings must be performed in a certain sequence.

First, a bunch of stems selected for one broom is divided into three equal parts and tied tightly separately from each other at a distance of approximately 25-30 cm from the tops of the panicles, making sure that the tops of the panicles in each of the three bunches are on the same level, and also that in all three bundles the bandage is made at the same distance from the tops, then the broom will be good.

Types of bath brooms

Accessories are divided into three types:

• Deciduous – oak, birch;
• Herbal - mint, nettle, wormwood;
• Conifers - pine, cedar, larch, spruce, fir, juniper.

Flexible birch shoots and sticky leaves are ideal for massage: they stick to the skin and effectively remove toxins. The foliage and bark of oak contain tannins that regulate the functioning of the sweat glands: after a couple of broom treatments, the dermis will lose its unkempt shine.

Fir and juniper are the least rigid of the conifers. The pure aroma of pine needles has a positive effect on the lungs and central nervous system. Treats allergies, rheumatism, fights inflammation and pathogenic bacteria. Experienced bathhouse attendants perform acupuncture with conifers.

Herbal brooms are knitted from plants famous in folk medicine. Wormwood and mint are used for rejuvenation and cell regeneration, and nettle is used for the deepest possible cleaning of pores.

Modeling mass

In order to sculpt small figures at home, there are many materials. They make both cold porcelain and clay mixture on their own. But there is the simplest material available - bioceramics. This is the name for a mixture of flour, fine table salt and water. Here is the classic recipe for such a mass:

• 200 grams of flour;
• 200 grams of salt;
• 125 grams of water.

You can improve the recipe a little by adding 100 grams of starch and another 50 grams of water. With this addition, the dough becomes more plastic, and small parts can be made from it. The mass is kneaded to a homogeneous consistency and stored in the refrigerator, wrapped in cling film. Details are molded from it as needed and left to dry in the open air. Finished items are painted with regular paints and covered with clear varnish. You can also involve children in this activity, help them sculpt figures of the appropriate size and shape, teach kids the names of certain objects, telling stories and fairy tales about them. Such a talisman will become a real guardian of the family, because spending time together will forever remain in warm memories.

Raw materials for brooms

The starting material for these miracle devices can be branches/stems of a wide variety of trees and plants! We will mention only a few and briefly talk about their unique properties.

So, what do our compatriots make bath brooms from?

• Traditional birch products. The choice of most steam room lovers! And this is not surprising, because such brooms have a very mild, but at the same time profound effect: they remove waste and toxins from the body, heal the kidneys and lungs, expand the small bronchi and get rid of phlegm. In addition, a bath broom made of birch twigs is convenient for massage - it is flexible, durable, and the leaves stick to the body like an adhesive plaster, well drawing out and absorbing all the dirt from the body and skin.

In the photo - fresh birch “massagers” on drying

In addition to all of the above, birch leaves and buds contain a valuable complex of vitamins, essential oils and tannins.

• Nettle brooms. They are usually harvested in mid-summer, before or during the flowering of this burning plant. It should be noted that steaming with them is a special pleasure! They tingle pleasantly, relaxing and massaging the whole body. No burns, blisters or similar troubles. The only health benefit is the prevention of radiculitis, gout, and rheumatism.

And this is a product made from nettles

For your information! The only disadvantage of such brooms is that they are only suitable for one trip to the bathhouse, but this disadvantage is fully compensated by the easy preparation and knitting of nettle products.

• Currant and cherry brooms are as durable as birch or oak brooms, but steaming with them is much more pleasant thanks to the amazing aroma that comes from them! In addition, these “aroma massagers” are good for skin health.

Note! The branches are harvested in early June: young shoots and root shoots are cut off. There is no need to go far for raw materials, especially if you live in a private house.

Fragrant broom made of cherry twigs

• Juniper brooms are the choice of the most desperate people. Such a device stings “oh-ho-ho”, in addition, it is also rough and prickly. If you use a juniper broom improperly, you can very easily injure your skin. However, all these inconvenient moments are fully compensated by the benefits of massage with such twigs. An excellent remedy for the treatment of radiculitis, neuralgia, gout, rheumatism, paralysis, various allergies, colds and even tuberculosis. Indispensable bactericidal and antiseptic properties.

Juniper "massager". By the way, the price of brooms today varies from 60 to 200 rubles! Why pay when you can easily do it yourself?

Interesting to know! It is not for nothing that not so long ago surgeons sterilized threads for suturing wounds in juniper oil.

You can stock up and use juniper branches all year round, since this shrub is evergreen. Remember that you need to cut off the “prickly raw materials” carefully, because juniper grows slowly and its thickets are poorly restored.

Knitting

Making sorghum brooms with your own hands is quite simple. You need high-quality raw materials and special tools.

Procurement of material

Weaving a broom from millet is not difficult. At the preparatory stage of work, the required number of stems is selected. Each product will use 25–30 thin branches or 20 thick ones. The raw materials are placed in a large container, then poured with boiling water. An important condition for softening sorghum is keeping the shoots in warm water for 2 hours. After this, the stems need to be dried a little.

Brooms are produced in a factory using a special machine, which allows you to produce from 150 to 200 products per shift. We don’t have such equipment at home, so we knit a broom from twine or tie the stems with rope and cut off the end part. It is important to familiarize yourself with the features of the workflow.

Manufacturing technology

Step-by-step process for making a broom:

1. The dried and seeded twigs of the crop are placed in small bundles with a diameter of about 10 cm. The panicles are trimmed and tightly tied with wire or twine near the base.
2. In tying (with rope, wire or other material - each person has the right to choose independently), the main thing is to tie a tight bunch, the stems of the crop should not crumble.
3. Divide the lower part of the broom into three parts and tie the bundle in these places (you should get three bundles).
4. On the side bunches, several upper stems are cut obliquely, which will help reduce the diameter of the handle to convenient parameters. The shoots are cut about 5 cm higher from the bottom trim.
5. Squeezing the handle of the broom, make sure that the shoots fit tightly one to the other, and tie them in several places, every 8–10 cm.

To give the product a neat appearance, the panicles in the lower part are trimmed with scissors, and the upper protruding rods are cut with a knife. If something is unclear about the technology for making a broom at home, you can watch the video.

Methods for steaming a birch broom

Many people make mistakes and do not know how to properly steam a birch broom for a bath, but it is the main symbol of the Russian bath.

But without first preparing the rods, you are unlikely to be able to derive benefit and enjoyment.

Before going to the steam room, it is recommended to put the broom in cold water for 2 hours to make it more fragrant.

Smooth increase in temperature

Probably one of the most common ways to properly steam a birch broom for a bath, since using it you can gently prepare the broom. After soaking, the broom will turn from dry twigs into much more elastic and springy, but the leaves will remain in place.

Prepare a container with hot and cold water. Before you start steaming, you need to rinse the broom under running warm water. After this, place the broom in a container with cold water for 10 minutes, and then in warm water for half an hour, add boiling water, close tightly, and set aside for another 10 minutes. Shake off excess water before use.

Delicate, with long soaking in cold water

This method of properly soaking a bath broom is only relevant when you have a lot of time to prepare. Dried rods should be immersed in cool water 15 hours before going to the sauna. Remove and wrap in several layers of damp cloth (unfold immediately before use). If you wish, you can leave it on the bottom shelf of the sauna, so it can fill the room with a healing aroma. When using cold water, all oils and trace elements are preserved, so you will receive not only pleasure, but a healing effect.

Soaking in warm water

Immerse dry broom branches in a container with plenty of warm water and leave for 30 minutes, turning every 5 minutes, to evenly steam the branches. After this, we place the broom with the handle down (this way the leaves from the inside are saturated with moisture, become strong, and will not crumble during work).

Soaking in a wet cloth

How to soak and prepare a broom for use without containers of water? If you are used to preparing especially carefully for going to the sauna, but don’t want to bother with choosing the water temperature, then this method will suit you. You need to start preparing the broom a day in advance. Wrap a broom made of dry twigs in a damp cloth and leave it alone for the twigs and leaves to naturally absorb moisture (they will take up enough water to become elastic and flexible again). Before use, remove the fabric and pour boiling water over it.

Very fast

You need to soak the broom in boiling water for 10 minutes, remove it and shake off the excess water, then place it on the stones so that the leaves dry. This method, although the simplest and fastest, is far from optimal, since such temperature changes reduce the strength of the broom and the number of useful elements. This method of welding a broom for a birch bath is suitable only in cases where there is absolutely no time for preparation.

For experienced bath attendants

A fairly easy, but at the same time very effective method of brewing, which does not take very much time. The branches must be lowered alternately into warm and hot water. Shake it a couple of times and carefully wrap it in plastic. Directly in the bathhouse, unwrap it and pour boiling water over it, then place it on the stones for 30 seconds.

Twine rug: master class

Jute is a fairly durable material, so rugs are often woven from it with your own hands. Weaving can be done using a hook, frame or other method known to needlewomen. The easiest way to weave a rug with your own hands is to use a hook:

1. 6-8 air loops are placed on a thick hook and closed into a ring.
2. 1 chain lifting loop is performed and knitting is done in a circle using single crochet stitches with several increments. If the craftswoman is knitting a round rug, then the increases can be chaotic, but if, for example, it is a square rug, then the increases are made in strictly defined places to form the corners.

These rugs are often located near the front door or in the bathroom.

The application process itself

Steaming bath brooms is an art, but steaming properly is a science. Touch your body with weightless, soft movements. If the bathhouse is very hot, move the bundle more carefully so as not to get burned. Eliminate the burning sensation with a broom dipped in cool water.

First stage: stroking with two ligaments from the feet to the neck, back and forth. Then a compress: lift the heated broom up, grab hot air and lower the bundle onto the lower back. At this moment, the pores open; humidity and intense heating help them open.

Now contactless warming up: fanning with a hot breeze without touching the skin. Finally, rub the body with a broom, pressing lightly. After the procedure, stand up carefully and without sudden movements to avoid dizziness in a hot place.

Types and properties of twine

The twine is made single-strand or multi-strand. To obtain threads from bast fibers, jute, hemp, linen, paper are twisted, and a combination of them is also used. And for the production of synthetic twine, polypropylene, viscose and nylon threads are used. Synthetic rope has some advantages: it does not absorb moisture, is lightweight, has a long-lasting color and is safe for human health.

Jute twine is very popular among needlewomen. It is made from a plant of the same name. Jute fiber has low elasticity, so the fabric made from it is rough and tough. But nevertheless, it is used for the production of furniture fabric, insulation, burlap, and packaging material. And the most basic application is the manufacture of ropes, ropes and twine. Jute twine has a unique property: it completely decomposes when disposed of without polluting the environment. It is used to create designer jewelry, designer items, and unusual crafts. Jute goes well with.

Types and purpose

According to their characteristics and design, brooms are usually divided into two main groups:

• for premises;
• for the street.

Those intended for home use are also divided into 2 subgroups:

• for collecting dust, so-called “brooms”;
• for sweeping the floor.

Dust removal brooms

The dust blowers are small in size . Their working part is made of thin soft materials. They can be made from feathers, thread, or synthetic fibers that resemble fine hairs. The working attachment is attached to the handle.

For sweeping the house

Household sweeping brooms allow you to collect dust and debris from the floor. Such a tool is most often made from thin twigs and twigs. Preference is given to millet and sorghum.

A bunch of stems is tied in a special way so that a comfortable rounded handle is formed, and the lower part looks like a fan. This is necessary so that the working part covers a sufficiently large area when sweeping. Bast, ropes or polymers can also

For the street

The outdoor broom is designed for outdoor work. To create it, twigs and branches made of willow, wolfberry or birch, which are tougher than for a house, are chosen. At the same time, they should be elastic, allowing you to sweep away leaves and other small debris.

In addition to brooms made from natural raw materials, you can use ready-made polymer samples and those made from plastic bottles. The best option for the street is to have both a broom and a broom . This will ensure better treatment of the area.

Rules for preparing brooms

Brooms are harvested at the height of summer. According to the popular rule, branches begin to be cut on the 49th day after Easter - on Trinity. Ends on Elijah's day, August 2. At this time, the leaf holds tightly to the branches. All plants contain a maximum of useful substances. For brooms, choose trees and bushes near water bodies, away from highways and industrial enterprises. It is better to cut young plants with flexible branches for a bath.

Mating

Branches and stems are collected in a bunch. It should be around the palm of your hand. It will be more convenient to work in a bathhouse with a broom. They are tied only with natural ropes. The wire in the steam room gets very hot. Synthetic cords may melt. All excess is cut off or trimmed from the bunch. Bare twigs will whip painfully. In summer it’s nice to steam with a fresh birch broom. For the winter, brooms must be dried properly.

Drying

A dry broom should be flat. It is convenient for them to bring air and steam to the body, whipping it on the back and sides. Why were brooms used to be placed under the hay to dry? They absorbed the aroma of herbs and flattened like a fan. Brooms for drying should be stacked on top of each other in the dressing room or attic. Cover with a dark cloth. Press down with pressure. After drying, the brooms are tied tightly again.

Important! The brooms are dried and stored in a dark room. In the light, beneficial substances in the leaves are destroyed.

Soaring with brooms as an art

A good bath attendant is respected. Competitions and championships are held among professionals. The technique of soaring is not a secret. There are many training videos on the Internet. Bathhouse attendants invite you to master classes and just to take a steam bath with an expert in the Russian bathhouse. Here are some secrets:

• The broom does not have to be steamed in a bathhouse. It can be wetted and placed in a sealed bag. On the way to the bathhouse it will soften well.
• Aromatic steam comes from the herbal decoction. Before brewing, the herbal mixture is poured into a gauze bag. This way, particles of dried grass will not fall on the heater.
• An interesting device is a bamboo broom. This is a cubit-long bamboo stalk. One end is split into thin twigs. It’s not immediately clear how to steam with a bamboo broom. They don't care. It is used for massage. The split end is tapped on the feet, legs and spine. Sometimes thin bamboo sticks are used.
• How to steam with a juniper broom without damaging your skin? It is wrapped in cotton fabric. Fresh juniper is soaked in very hot water. The resulting infusion is beneficial for skin and hair.

Those who soar well are the authority in any company. Amateur craftsmen get their own clients. But to become a pro, you need to learn a lot:

• Take a massage course
• Understand anatomy
• Learn herbs and herbal medicine basics

Be able to provide first aid. But this skill is not required if you do not come to the bathhouse with strong drinks. Tea, fruit drinks and Russian kvass go better with heat, steam and a strong fragrant broom.

What are floor brooms made of?

Throughout its centuries-old history, the broom has remained virtually unchanged in appearance - only the materials from which it is made have changed. You can make this cleaning device out of almost anything. Basically, brooms are made from stems and branches of bushes and herbs, and twigs. Most often they are created from a special plant - sorghum, but we will talk about it a little lower.

To create brooms, the stems of a plant such as chiliga or wild acacia can be used. It has quite strong and flexible shoots. But such a broom is not suitable for cleaning the house because of its density and roughness.

One of the modern broom options

Brooms are also knitted from common wolfberry, a shrub popularly called “wolf berry.” By the way, this is the plant that produces the popular goji berries. But a soft broom can be made from St. John's wort, wormwood, and oregano. If you sweep the floor with such a product, the house will smell fragrant, and moths and other insects will not appear. Spiders could be expelled from a home by sweeping it with a broom made of reed stems. In villages they still use brooms made from nettles and linden branches.

The Slavs often used millet stems to create brooms. But now such products have practically sunk into oblivion - they have been replaced by softer brooms made from broom sorghum.

You can even make good money making brooms