I cannot start to describe how a Filipino home could be without the ever-reliable broom or walis tambo. Asking a Filipino mom if she has a walis is like asking Captain Hook if he really has a hook.
We, Filipinos, generally like to keep our houses clean, sweeping the floor at least once a day.
Other cultures might not understand this. The Philippines is practically still a dusty place. Beautiful, tropical, quiet, yes. But it sure is dusty. That's why we always have a walis in our homes. Even the homes of the rich and famous have at least one.
This walis has two variants, if I may say so. The tambo and the tingting. The tambo or soft broom is what we use inside our homes to sweep the floor. Aside from the floor, we also use it to reach cobwebs (we get up on chairs) or to smash an unwanted insect like the cockroach to death.
My family lives in Northern Philippines and we like to buy our brooms from Baguio where the brooms are about P 200 now or about $ 4. Good quality, thick yet soft broom.
The other kind, walis tingting, is what we use to sweep dried leaves from backyards and lawns. It's like a giant version of Pick-up-sticks only this are in one color. The tingting or sticks come from the thin middle stalk in anahaw leaves.
On any given day, I will prefer to use the walis tambo over a vacuum on non-carpet floors. There is some kind of mental satisfaction that comes from the dust gathering with every stroke of the broom.
My wee little house has two brooms just in case. (smile)
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