The indispensable broom

If you're like I was, you hear the word 'broom' and think that the appropriate action is 'sweep.' But my attitude toward brooms has changed significantly. Here in the Nica, the escoba is used for much more than just to barrer. Sure, I used a broom to get a stray kickball out from under the car or to get at a hard to reach spiderweb. But the broom has so many more uses! Next time you think of cluttering up your back-hall closet with cleaning supplies, just think of how much easier and space-efficient it would be to get a single two-dollar broom to handle the jobs below.

Raking. Sure, it might be more effective and efficient to use an actual rake for raking, but when you're trying to rake with your hands and you don't have a rake on hand, a broom is the next best thing. Now, if you're looking to rake up ALL the leaves in your yard, you're just being far too picky. Get what you can with the broom and move on (to burning your pile of dry yard waste)!

Squeegeeing. Since wind often blows rain onto a front porch or entranceway, there is often a good-size puddle left over that would otherwise take hours, and maybe even days to dry. Now, some might invest in a squeegee to solve this issue, but to what end? The broom gets the job done just the same. Sweep the water away out to the yard and smile triumphantly that you didn't double your home-cleaning supplies cost with the purchase of a squeegee.

Car Washing. Take advantage of a downpour to wash your car. With a bucket (previously purchased to haul water from the well when necessary) and your trusty broom, you can easily wash away any dirt that has built up around tire wells and make those windows shine like new. No it's not a $5 wash-n-wax, but it'll hold you over until the next rainfall. Note: Be prepared to get soaked in this process. Unless you're Leo, the van driver at Escuela Maureen, who sends the kids out in the downpour to do his dirty work.

Gutter Cleaning/General rooftop and siding care. Leaves and gunk clogging up the gutter? Need to get the goo off the hard to reach spots of the house? Grab that bucket and water and splash some on the parts of the house that you need cleaned, and scrub away with the head of the broom. Of course, gutter cleaning will require a ladder, so if you don't have the funds for that, you're out of luck.

Dusting. Sometimes so much dust and dirt builds up that your typical routine of dust rag and Pine-Sol just won't do the trick (ok, probably not as big of a problem in places where there are not dirt roads). Unscrew the broom head from the broomstick and reach whatever spots you can. You will, of course, have to re-attach the pieces to sweep up what you just dusted onto the floor.

Wire Raising. Sometimes there's a protest at the airport and the police shut down some roads so taxis and other traffic don't drive by the airport. This causes for detours to be necessary, and as a result, vehicles that would otherwise not pass down your street have no other choice. The problem with getting a semi-truck down a non-main road is that there are all sorts of telephone/electrical/cable wires hanging too low for a semi. But with a broom, you can stand on the trailer hitch of the semi and push the wires up and over the trailer. And no one loses power. Well, at least not because of downed wires.

Dog pestering. You may not own dogs, but the neighbors dogs still spend a lot of time at your house, so they're practically your dogs. Dogs toys don't abound where you are, so it turns out that everyday household supplies will have to do. Drag the broom in circles until the dog just gives up and bites the fleas off his tail. Also doubles as a dog tummy scratcher.

How have your used your broom lately?