Filipina-American model Kelsey Merritt misses the kinds of brooms used in Philippine households as she stays in the United States.
The model tweeted that she finds the brooms in the US “ugly” and even shared a picture of it to her followers.
Nakakamiss yung mga walis sa Pilipinas. Ang papangit ng mga walis sa US. 🙄
— Kelsey Merritt (@kelsmerritt) July 16, 2019
Sa mga nagtatanong- ito yung walis ko dito 😂 pic.twitter.com/3xSoqJYLzP
— Kelsey Merritt (@kelsmerritt) July 16, 2019
What Merritt shared is a modern version of the traditional soft broom, the angle broom. It has plastic bristles and can easily reach corners due to its angled head.
The model also implied in her follow-up tweet that she prefers Philippine brooms specifically made in Baguio, volunteering that she should become its “sponsor” for fun.
Baguio walis pls sponsor me charot
— Kelsey Merritt (@kelsmerritt) July 16, 2019
Her tweets expectedly amused Filipinos who claimed that she should consider her experience an opportunity to promote the Philippines’ own types of brooms or the “walis.”
Oh we should take this chance to export our walis!!!!
— Ella (@Ellasticity) July 16, 2019
Mag export ka ng walis madam. For sure marami bibili.. Hehe
— 🍍Kyzy🍍 (@GinilingGirl) July 16, 2019
Others suggested that she should go to an Asian supermarket, where brooms such as the “walis” can be supposedly found.
Go to an asian supermarket they have them there
— TIto Jawn Clod Van Damn (Run it back!) (@jawnboy) July 16, 2019
Understanding your brooms
There are generally two types of brooms used for cleaning tasks—the soft broom and the hard broom.
The soft broom has bristles traditionally made out of natural fibers or plant materials such as corn husks, reeds or tiger grass. This is also called the “walis tambo” in the Philippines.
It is used in indoor cleaning since its bristles are soft enough to be flexible for moving dust yet stiff enough to achieve a firm sweeping action.
Nowadays, different varieties of it are sold in the market. There are angle brooms (such as the one Kelsey Merritt tweeted), push brooms and hand brooms.
Push brooms have wide plastic bristles used for cleaning large areas such as driveways, porches and sidewalks.
Hand brooms, on the other hand, have small plastic bristles with accompanying dustpans. These are usually used in cleaning small areas like tables and drawers.
The hard broom has stiffer bristles made out of thin midribs of palm leaves or coconut sticks. It is also referred to as the “walis ting-ting” in the Philippines.
This is used in outdoor cleaning since its much-stiffer bristles can sweep large debris off floors, especially in areas where a vacuum is not advisable to be used.
These types of brooms are available in other countries, not just in the Philippines.
However, the traditional soft brooms are more popular in Asian countries since the plants used for its bristles are more abundant in these locales.
