How to Make Brooms
- 1). Clean the straw. To do this, gather bundles of straw tightly together in one hand and slap the straw against the palm of your free hand. This loosens up all of the dirt. Do not use water; it will damage or mold your straw.
- 2). Divide the straw into 10 bundles. You want your straw to be about 18 inches long. If your straw is much longer than that, cut it all to length. Gather a bundle of straw together in one hand. Arrange the straw so that all of the length is the same on the top, just above your grip. Don't worry about the bottom length just yet. Squeeze your fist around the bundle of straw as tightly as you can. The diameter of the bundle should be similar to that of a nickel. Add or take away straw until you have the right amount. Set this section of straw aside and create 9 more like it, so that you will have 10 bundles of straw.
- 3). Tie off all of the bundles you have sectioned. First, pre-cut the flexible twine that you will be using to tie the bundles with. Cut 20 pieces of twine about 8 inches long. Take one bundle into the palm of your hand just as before. Again, even out the straw so that the length sticking out above your hand is all the same. Wrap a piece of twine 7 inches down from the top of the straw. Tie a knot holding the straw together as tightly as you can. Secure the knot and wrap the twine around the same spot again, tying another knot. Continue wrapping and tying the twine around the straw until you have used up all of the twine. Tie another piece of twine the same way about 2 1/2 inches below where you just tied off the straw. Repeat this step with the other 9 bundles.
- 4). Twine all 10 of the tied bundles together. Place the bundles of straw side by side on a flat surface, matching up the tops to ensure they're all placed at the same level. You will be tying all 10 bundles together side by side to create the base of the broom using a 4-foot-long piece of twine. Start with the first bundle on the left. Tie a knot, using the end of the twine, in the middle of the two ties that have already been attached to the bundle. This will create the appearance of three ties all about an inch apart. In the same position, pull the twine underneath the second bundle and then over the third. Continue in a weaving pattern going under and over until you reach the 10th bundle. Switch directions, weaving your way back to the first bundle. Keep doing this back and forth, making sure to pull the straw as tightly together with twine as you can. Once you reach the last few inches of your twine, tie the end within your weave.
- 5). Attach the broom handle. You can find a piece of wood that resembles a broom handle at many hardware stores. You can also recycle the handle from an old broom or use a piece of bamboo. Take one end of the handle and start pushing it through the top middle of the straw. Push it through past the ties. Use wire to scrunch together the top of the straw tight around the broom. Continuously wrap it around until there's a secure hold.
- 6). Cut the straw on the bottom of the broom. Using scissors, cut along the bottom of the broom to even out the length of the straw. This will ensure that your broom will sweep up any debris.
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