Brushes, Brooms & Mops

Although you might not relish the thought of getting a brush and mop out, to use the best one for the job you need to know your brush and mop heads. Let’s start with the humble washing up brush. The majority of these are made from plastic. The handle and back of the brush is moulded and then the nylon bristles are added by machine. An alternative is a wooden headed brush which are made from hardwood, usually beech, with the fibres stapled or glued into the pre-drilled brush heads.

Even today, when many of us have dishwashers it is useful to have a washing up brush for cleaning delicate items or getting into nooks and crannies. But, designer washing up brushes are now available in any colour that suits your kitchen and some are classy enough to stand proudly on display by your sink.

Brush bristles are made up of a variety of materials, some natural animal hair and some manufactured from plastic. Different fibres suit different uses so here is a guide to bristles.

Manufactured Fibres

• Polypropylene is very hardwearing, light and inexpensive but it does not recover well from crushing.
• PVC is very long lasting and is great for sweeping but you can’t use it in temperatures above 65 degrees Celsius.
• Nylon and Polyester are both excellent fibres for wear and sweeping qualities and you can use and wash them in high temperatures. But the are more expensive than polypropylene and PVC.

Natural Fibres – Animal hair

• Bristle is actually hair from a pig and all of it comes from China. Surprisingly it is very soft and it is excellent for sweeping and polishing.
• Horse Hair is also soft and good for soft sweeping. As it is available in longer lengths it’s also used for car washing brushes and window washing brushes.

Natural Fibres – Vegetable Fibres

• Coco fibre comes from the coconut palms of Sri Lanka. It is medium soft so great for indoor and outdoor brooms. Generally inexpensive, gives average wear and is resistant to water. But it is liable to crush so it is often mixed with other fibres to prevent crushing.
• Sherbo Bass is made from the palm leaves of Sierra Leone. This is very stiff so is ideal for your outdoor brooms and will keep its shape and give average wear.
• Bassine is produced from a palm leaf fibre from India. Again popular for outdoor sweeping and good for scrubbing brushes. It is inexpensive and gives average wear.

Mops come in three basic types of mop head: cotton, cloth and sponge. They all do much the same job so personal choice will determine your mop decision.

• Cotton Mops are the traditional style where the mop head is made from strands of plaited cotton, bunched together and clamped into a metal or plastic holder. The heads are attached to a long handle, usually wood. You will then need a purpose made mop-bucket to wring the head out and get rid of excess water.
• Cloth Mops were only introduced in the UK in 1985 but became an instant success. The heads are made from bunches of cloth strips which are very absorbent fabric. Again they have plastic handles and need a mop-bucket to wring out the head.
• Sponge Mops are made from highly absorbent sponge. The handle will have a lever to use to make the sponge fold to squeeze out excess water.

Special mop for wooden floors from Vileda