Household Broom Set Makeover

Sometimes, on days when I feel a little more tired than others, I try and focus on the things that don’t need a great deal of brain power. You know the ones, those things around the house that you’d like to get done if only you hadn’t got the really pressing things to deal with. This set of brushes (picture above) was one of those little jobs that I like to categorise under the banner ‘ I’m feeling tired today so I’ll potter about with something nice’

I use these brushes, all of them, every day. We only have carpets in three of the rooms in the entire house and the rest are inhabited by wooden floors  and tiles throughout. It makes much more sense to sweep away the dust bunnies than to risk ruining the floors by dragging the hoover over them. Besides, sweeping is a much more physical activity and exercise breeds energy. So if I’m feeling a little bit ‘over’ the day before it has even begun then I grab the brush and begin to sweep. I hate gyms – although I do go to one of course!- but love to keep active so I think of this act as my treadmill.

So, on this particular day I gave the brooms a make-over. I hasten to add that the ribbons I ever so casually tied around the brushes themselves won’t be staying on. I’m a tad more practical than that but I wanted to dress them up a bit while they had their picture taken.

The paint I have used is in my top five of favourite paints to use in a house. Eau – de – Nil by Laura Ashley has been used on various bits and pieces to highlight an item or accent a corner. It’s very similar to the Pale Powder we used on the front door but a little bluer and more chalky in it’s appearence. You’ll be seeing a whole lot more of my eau – de – nil phase but for the time being it’s back to the brushes.

It has occurred to me that the tools I use around the house are of a most primitive nature. I have very little fancy machinery or gadgets and I really do enjoy getting down and dirty with one of my super tough cloths and scrubbing the windowsills clean. Its a satisfying and practical job that has to be done form time to time so I simply get on with it.  Of course I use a vacuum cleaner and my husband and I have invested in a rally good model that we researched and chose the best one for the type of house that we live in.
But when it came down to these brushes I figured that I used these tools so much during the course of each day that it was only fair on them, and I for that matter, that they look nicer, brighter and cleaner than they did before. And if they get grubby or mucky or I tire of the shade I have painted them I’ll give them a face lift. Who knows, perhaps by next Spring I’ll be into a soft yellow phase.

To finish off today I want to show you my favourite tool. My little pal, the fellow that I grab to help me out of a dusty corner on more occasions than I care to count……

This is my cleaning cloth basket. I keep all of my cloths and dusters in here. On hand, laundered and ready to be pulled out and into service at the flick of my impatient wrist.
The small hand held brush I picked up while in Italy. I was inspired by the shopkeepers who would diligently sweep the front steps of their shops early in the morning. They would all be using a larger version of the one you see here in the picture and when we go back I shall buy one in every size even if I have to stuff them up the sleeves of my sweater in order to get them home. If you don’t have one of these little helpers then pick one up if you ever see them on your travels. I have swept my window frames free from bugs and leaves, I have cleared my skirting boards of dust, I have pushed this brush into tiny corners and it has come out victorious and covered in all kinds of dirt. It’s a helpful little pal of mine and I wouldn’t want to be without it.

Have a lovely day. Yesterday I painted one wooden window frame, one front door frame, one living room door frame and two skirting boards. I also re-covered one bedside lamp in a pretty new fabric and trimmed my laundry basket with some old fashioned grosgrain ribbon. I also manged to get all of my tidying up done but have yet to get round to doing our study/office. It’s a hideous mess and I need to settle down and tackle it.

Today, hideous mess of an office, your backside is mine!