Preparation of brooms for a bath: terms and rules

Harvesting brooms for a bath is a process that requires special attention. There are many opinions about when they collect raw materials for them, how to knit branches correctly. However, traditional recipes and recommendations usually pay off. It is worth learning more about what kind of brooms for a bath are and when it is most correct to harvest them before the start of the season, otherwise it will hardly be possible to get high-quality material for vaping.

The tradition to independently procure raw materials is supported by all experienced bathhouse attendants. It is thanks to their efforts that particular importance is given to the selection of suitable sources for obtaining stems. Bath brooms are linden, birch, oak, fir, juniper. In hot countries, eucalyptus or bamboo shoots are also used for them.

The properties and characteristics of various raw materials for the preparation of brooms should be considered in more detail.

• Birch. This type is considered the most traditional, due to its diaphoretic properties, it helps to make the detoxifying effect of visiting the bath more intense. Raw materials are available as much as possible, it is easy to procure it yourself. In the steam room, thin and biting birch branches with small leaves covering them create a very special feeling, massage and relieve swelling. Such raw materials have a beneficial effect on the health of the respiratory system, the condition of the skin.

• Oak... The shoots of this tree are considered to be the best for making durable reusable brooms, allowing to catch up with the maximum amount of steam. This type of raw material is great for people suffering from skin diseases, excessive sweating. Oak brooms can be steamed even at increased pressure, they cleanse well, massage, but do not create conditions for excessive blood flow.

• Juniper. This type of raw material is characterized by increased resinousness, the release of essential substances occurs gradually. The best is a broom, collected from branches from several bushes. When visiting the sauna, a steamed broom ensures natural evaporation of the healing essential oils. With its help, it is possible to get rid of nasal congestion, as well as to alleviate the patient's condition with rheumatism, radiculitis.

• Linden. Fragrant brooms from its branches are especially loved by people who regularly visit the Russian bath. With their help, you can cure a cold, ease the condition of the body when coughing, and remove the symptoms of a runny nose. Linden essential oils have a beneficial effect on the condition of the skin, help to narrow pores, and eliminate inflammation. A feature of visiting a steam room with such a broom is a rich honey aroma.

• Eucalyptus. This plant is used to make brooms, which have excellent healing properties. Steamed branches and leaves exude a special aroma, useful for the prevention and treatment of colds. For brooms, bushy plant varieties are used.

• Nettle. Herbal raw materials are used fresh, forming brooms right before visiting the bath. Among the positive properties of nettle, one can note a pronounced anti-aging, healing effect, an increase in skin tone.

Lovers of light steam use maple branches, bird cherry shoots and other plants rich in essential oils.

The best time when you can start preparing brooms for the bath, for each type of such products comes in a different period. For example, oak branches are harvested at the end of July and August. It is necessary to wait until the leaf reaches its full size, and its stalk is still well fixed on the shoots. Birch trees in the middle lane are harvested for Trinity - a church holiday that comes 49 days after Easter. In the southern regions, this period is shifted to mid-May.

Linden trees are cut from mid-May to the 2nd decade of June, after the beginning of flowering, the branches are no longer suitable for making brooms. Fir raw materials are less whimsical. You can cut it all year round, but from the beginning of spring to the end of June it is possible to get the best brooms - the most fragrant and fragrant.

For herbal raw materials, the procurement time is much softer. For example, nettles are harvested from spring to late summer, choosing shoots with young shoots, without inflorescences, with rich foliage. Other types of herbs are best harvested during the flowering period, when the shoots are quite strong, and the leaves are delicate and aromatic, saturated with essential oils.

There are certain procurement rules that allow you to correctly and carefully select raw materials. Experienced sauna lovers know that burdock grows under healthy oak trees.

Raw materials for brooms are cut only on young trees, choosing sunny, dry places with a favorable ecological situation. The length of the branches should be between 40 and 70 cm - depending on individual preferences. Shoots with damaged bark, growths or dried out areas, hard foliage, weak branching are discarded.

There are also general rules for the procurement of raw materials for brooms.

1. To collect branches, choose morning hours (after the dew has melted), while the weather should be warm and dry.
2. Several days should pass after the rain. In wet weather, brooms cannot be harvested.
3. Do not cut branches on trees growing near roads. Options are chosen that have a height of at least 3 m, with a length of side shoots from 50 cm.
4. Raw materials are collected from more than one tree, cut to 1/4 of the branches at a time.
5. You need to cut off shoots for brooms sharp pruning shears... Choose those that grow on the sides.

Correct knitting of brooms begins with the rejection of the material. On high-quality branches, suitable for creating bunches, leaves are cut off by 1.5-2 palms to form a handle. To get the job done, you can make a special winding machine. With it, the manufacture of large and small brooms will be faster and easier. The winding device helps to knit handles in 2 or 3 places, provides the highest possible density of bundling of branches into a bunch.

However, you can do with manual labor, especially if the preparation of bath accessories is performed for personal needs. Consider the popular knitting methods.

1. Single. It is used in the manufacture of small brooms or for those products that will be used fresh. With a single strapping, the product is used no more than 1 time. The bundle is fastened with a tightening knot as close as possible to the leaves.
2. Double. In this case, 2 belts are formed on the "handle" of the broom. The handle turns out to be tough and comfortable to grip. To make a double strapping, the branches in the bundle are divided into 2 parts, superimposed on each other, crossing at an angle of 90 degrees. First, the end of the broom is tied, then the halves are twisted again, combining into a common bundle, knitted again - this is how durable birch and oak products are made for reusable use.
3. Triple. This method is used on thick brooms to pull the handle down. In this case, the middle knot is made ordinary, the upper and lower can be tightening or simple.
4. Complete. This technology is focused on binding bath brooms made of coniferous materials. When using the product fresh, the tightening can be intense, along the entire length of the handle. For drying, you should not strengthen the entanglement, if the twine is too tightly applied, the branches under it can rot.

Hemp or linen twine is considered the best, but its synthetic counterparts are often used at home. In addition, it is even possible to use electrical clamps, which can be tightened more as the branches dry out.

The cut raw materials must be properly dried. It is important that the bundled brooms are not too thick as this will increase the drying time. The use of additional heat sources is excluded - all processes take place in conditions of natural humidity without contact with direct rays of the sun. The best brooms are made from raw materials harvested in early summer. Before mating, it is recommended to dry the branches slightly by spreading them on dry and clean cloth.

At first, it is not worth hanging the products assembled in bunches. They are kept in a pile for about a day, then the foliage is removed from the handle. Only then can the hanging be done. The choice of this drying method will ensure that the raw material is rounded. Flat fan-shaped brooms are obtained only when stored in stacks with periodic movement of the lower tier upward.

Combined drying is also popular. First, the branches tied in bunches are stacked, placed under a light press. Then, when they take the correct fan-shaped shape, you can proceed to hanging. The whole process takes 1–2 weeks, with short-term storage they can be left hanging until ready for use. For oak brooms, drying lasts twice as long, maple needs even more, grass brooms need much less time.

Bath brooms must be properly stored. In order for the leaves to remain green, smell pleasant, and not become covered with mold and rot, it is important to follow important rules.

1. When storing in a dressing room or pantry, it is important to keep the room dry and clean. In this case, brooms are stacked on top of each other individually. Over time, if the storage conditions are comfortable enough, the branches in bundles will acquire a characteristic fan-shaped shape.
2. When placing in the attic, it is recommended to lay out brooms, spreading hay under them... In this case, the storage area must be thoroughly ventilated to prevent dampness.
3. When placing brooms for a bath to dry in a city apartment, it is imperative to provide them with the most comfortable conditions. You can use a warm glazed balcony or a pantry. Brooms are stored on top of each other, periodically moving the lower tier upward.

Such a broom is sent for recycling. It is not recommended to feed spoiled raw materials to farm animals. So that the foliage in high-quality products does not crumble, after drying they are wrapped in paper, then stacked.

The video below tells in detail about the preparation of brooms for a bath.