When to make brooms. When and how to prepare birch brooms for a bath

An integral attribute of the Russian steam room is the fragrant bath broom. It has many important functions: it helps to relax and warm up the body, produces an intense skin massage, refreshes and aromatizes the air in the steam room.

You can prepare a high-quality birch broom for a bath yourself from correctly collected and tied branches.

The healing effects of a birch broom

Birch broom has long been used as a universal tool for bathing procedures. The beneficial effects of a broom on the human body are manifested in the following:

effective cleansing of the skin from accumulated toxins, acne and dead cells;
improvement of blood circulation and lymph flow;
elimination of aches in muscles and joints due to rheumatism and high physical activity;
air aromatization and prevention of diseases of the upper respiratory tract.

To get the maximum therapeutic effect from using bundles, you should know when you can prepare birch brooms for a bath.

Properly prepared products will help get rid of frequent pain in the back and muscles, improve the condition of blood vessels, relax the nervous system and strengthen the immune system. Their main healing property is their gentle and gentle effect on the bronchi, as well as the prevention of allergic diseases.

Features of harvesting birch brooms

Many novice bathhouse attendants are interested in the question: when do they prepare birch brooms for a bathhouse? When starting such an important task, you should know what time is most suitable for preparing brooms.

The best time to start collecting material is the first 14 days after Trinity, when the birch tree gains strength, the foliage acquires a rich green color and contains the maximum amount of useful aromatic substances.

Proper harvesting of birch branches requires compliance with important points:

High-quality material can only be obtained from young and strong branches with elastic and succulent leaves. In this case, the sheet must have a smooth plate, not damaged or infested with pests. The main rule is no earrings.
For a broom, you should prepare elastic and thin branches that can withstand mechanical loads well.
Collection is best done in ecologically clean areas, remote from highways and industrial zones. The best option is the lower reaches of rivers, forest edges, birch groves.
To obtain a beautiful and functional workpiece, only the lower climbing branches are used.
Collecting material for a broom is best done on a dry and sunny day in the afternoon. Branches cut on a rainy day require careful and lengthy drying. Poor drying can cause rot or mold to appear on branches or foliage.

You can solve the problem of oily skin, frequent rashes and improper functioning of the sebaceous glands with the help of an oak broom. Regular use of such a bundle will make the skin clean, fresh and silky. It is recommended to collect oak leaves for brooms from the second half of August to the first half of September.

Correct knitting

The next important stage is knitting the prepared raw materials for the bath broom. To get a quality product, it is recommended to follow some knitting rules:

The assembly is made from elastic and flexible branches with dense, fully blossomed foliage. All undeveloped or damaged leaves are first removed.
The branches must have 2 or more branches to give the bundle the necessary density.
For assembly, it is better to use branches whose length is from 40 to 55 cm, thickness - no more than 5 mm.
One knitting must contain the required amount of material so that the diameter of the handle does not exceed 6 cm.
Prepared branches must be knitted immediately to prevent them from premature deformation and drying out. Next, the resulting matings are subjected to long-term drying.
The dressing can be double or single, with a distance from the butt of 5 and 12 cm.
The branches of the formed butt should be trimmed evenly.

Important! To knit a broom, a rope or twine is used, which tightly forms the handle and prevents damage to your hands during further use of the finished product.

If desired, the rope can be replaced with plastic or metal clamps. They allow you to securely fix the handle and adjust its diameter after the product has dried. Additionally, the handle can be tied with cotton tape to prevent excessive heating of the clamps.

Technology for drying brooms from birch branches

In order for products to last a long time, they need to be able to not only cook, but also dry them.

There are several simple ways to dry brooms, but they all have a common rule: the collected bunch is dried only in the open air in a dark place. Under the influence of ultraviolet radiation, birch foliage can lose its elasticity, color and shape, and when heat treated, it can fall off.

To dry products, it is better to choose a quiet and secluded place, protected from direct sunlight, precipitation and drafts, for example an attic with good ventilation. Experienced bath attendants recommend hanging the bundles with a handle from any base or laying them out on a flat and clean surface.

Turning the pieces daily will ensure they dry evenly. At first, the branches are laid out loosely; as they dry, they can be folded more tightly.

If the bundles are dried in the attic, they are hung from the floor beams and left there until completely dry. In this case, the roof will ensure uniform shrinkage of the birch sheet and preserve the shape of the product.

When drying several brooms, it is necessary to ensure a minimum distance between them for free air circulation.

If the drying technology is followed, then bundles of birch branches are dense, with dark green foliage and a pleasant aroma.

Interesting fact! In villages and villages, birch brooms are dried in a rather unusual way for a city dweller - in sheaves of dry hay. To do this, the prepared bundles are laid out in a circle in several rows. This method helps preserve the shape of the product and its consumer characteristics.

Storing brooms

The final stage of preparing a broom for bath procedures is proper storage. To store dried bundles, clean, cool and well-ventilated rooms are used - attic, barn, garage, pantry, balcony.

Careless or improper storage can lead to loss of product shape and falling leaves.

If many bundles are prepared, they can be placed in batches on a separate shelf. To prevent the leaves from stagnating, it is recommended to ventilate the bunches by swapping them: lift the lower ones up and lower the upper ones down.

If brooms are stored on the balcony, it is necessary to provide additional protection from sunlight, otherwise the leaves will turn yellow and quickly fall off.

Common mistakes when preparing brooms

A bathhouse is a place for mental relaxation and healing of the body, therefore the quality of bathhouse brooms should be checked at each stage of preparation.

Often, beginners encounter the following common mistakes when making birch brooms:

Incorrect timing for collecting raw materials, which can reduce the quality of the finished product.
Failure to comply with the rules for collecting material: branches were cut on a rainy day or before noon, when there was dew on the foliage.
Incorrect knitting of prepared raw materials to form products.
Violation of drying technology when the material was exposed to negative direct sunlight.

Compliance with the established rules will allow you to prepare high-quality birch brooms that can be used throughout the year. When preparing products, it is important to take into account the weather conditions in the region, seasonality and even the day of the week.

A systematic approach to preparing and storing brooms will ensure a good time in the steam room at any time of the year.

A couple of centuries ago, our ancestors regarded visiting a bathhouse as a sacred rite, the roots of which go back to pre-Christian, pagan times.

And brooms - these obligatory participants in bath procedures in those days played an extremely important role, since it was believed that the souls of ancestors lived in the foliage of the birch tree, sacred to the Slavs.

This is how they explained the magical properties of bath brooms - with their help they “kicked out” diseases from the body, they were held to give strength over the sick and dying, they were placed under a baby’s cradle to protect against everything bad. In order to protect the house, birch brooms were hung at the entrance to the hut.

Today, the Russian bathhouse is perceived only as a useful health-improving and hygienic event, but the attitude towards the bathhouse and bathhouse broom among those who like to take a steam bath remains almost reverent. Choosing the “right” broom before visiting the bathhouse remains an almost magical ritual, and its making is part of a great holiday.

And it’s not surprising, because the most suitable time for this is considered to be two weeks after Trinity Day, which usually falls in the first half of June.

At this time, the leaves on birch trees gain full size, become fragrant, but still remain tender. In addition, during this period insects do not yet begin to spoil the foliage. And after catkins appear on the birch trees, the birch leaf becomes “not the same” at all.

They prepare birch branches for brooms on a fine clear day in the first half of the day, after the dew has disappeared (the wet leaf will quickly roll up into a tube and fly around), but the heat has not yet set in.

The branches for brooms are chosen to be young and fresh - the foliage on them is the most fragrant. Branches 50-60 cm long are cut with a knife, pruning shears or broken off. A few branches are taken from each birch so as not to damage the tree. In the old days, a birch broom was knitted strictly from 27 branches - 9 branches from three different birch trees.

Making birch brooms with your own hands

1. Immediately after Trinity, we started thinning the area and removed a lot of birch trees, the fresh branches of which were used to make brooms.

2. One good broom takes from 20 to 30 branches, but no more: the broom should not be heavy when wet, otherwise the hand of the steamer or bathhouse attendant will quickly get tired.

3. The branches for each broom undergo preliminary preparation: highly branched branches are broken into separate thin branches. Then on each branch the shoots and foliage are removed from the side of the butts by 12-15 cm - for a comfortable handle.

4. Prepared branches with cleaned lower parts are placed in a stack - a blank for the future broom.

5. If the side shoots deviate from the main stem at a large angle...

6. ...they are twisted around the trunk - this is the only way to get a dense, compact birch broom.

7. When finally laying the branches, you need to make sure that they all lie with a bend in the same direction, so that the leaves with the matte side are turned inside the broom, and the shiny side is turned out.

This will make the broom denser, and its leaves will not fall off the first time you use it in the steam room. The bare ends of the bath broom are tightly tied with synthetic rope.

10...and carefully “trim” the broom itself, removing shoots sticking out in different directions.

11.With our broom you can even go to the steam room now! By the way, it is recommended to use the same broom no more than three times in a steam room.

Drying brooms

Dry the brooms in the shade in a ventilated place, out of direct sunlight (in the attic, under a canopy). If you dry brooms in the sun, the foliage will lose both color and aroma.

You can dry brooms by laying them out in the attic or hayloft. But at the same time, you need to turn them over every day until they dry completely.

You can store birch brooms by hanging them in a ventilated place or laying them out in layers in a dry, well-ventilated place. In the latter case, the brooms additionally collapse under their own weight and become denser.

In urban environments, brooms are stored in paper bags.

12. Most often, ready-made bath brooms, tied in pairs, are dried in the shade in a well-ventilated place. You can also store them here.

How to steam a broom

If the broom is fresh, they are steamed with it immediately, without steaming, otherwise it will become limp. Simply rinse it several times in warm water. A dry broom should first be immersed in cold water for 10-20 minutes, and then in hot water for 1-3 minutes.

A very dry broom needs to be steamed for longer - pour hot water into a basin, lower the broom into it and cover it with another basin on top. You should not steam it in boiling water or for longer than half an hour: the broom leaves will soften greatly and quickly fly off.

Birch broom - the most important attribute of a Russian bath

Choosing a place and tree for harvesting brooms

Long, strong, flexible branches of weeping birch have long been considered the best raw material for bath brooms. But it is recommended to pay attention to young trees that have never bloomed. They are valued for their very delicate leaf structure. Gardeners know very well that removing young root shoots is beneficial for the tree, and they use it to prepare brooms.

When cutting branches, it is advisable to choose a tree that is smooth and beautiful, without growths. The sick birch tree has weakened branches. The product made from them will turn out unsuccessful and will not be useful.

You should not collect wood from trees growing near roads or in contaminated areas. They will do more harm than good. It is best to go to a grove or forest to collect branches. The best option is birch trees growing near ponds.

Preparation of brooms from specialists begins with testing the bottom of the leaf “on the tongue.” The surface of a good, suitable sheet is velvety to the touch. Branches with rough leaves are not suitable for use. They make rough products.

Harvesting birch brooms, timing

The quality of the broom, its softness, aroma, and service life are influenced by the correctly chosen moment of collection. If you do this at the wrong time, too early or late, then later it will become slippery, will not last long, and will quickly fall apart. Correctly and timely collected branches will provide a high-quality product with useful reusable properties.

Since ancient times, it has been customary in Rus' to collect preparations a couple of weeks after Trinity. At this moment, the leaves have already grown sufficiently, have collected the required amount of essential oils, and young shoots with high elasticity have appeared. However, when choosing the moment of harvesting, you should take into account the characteristics of the climate and place of residence.

Harvesting birch brooms is a process perfected by our ancestors and requires special preparation. First of all, you need to know about the ripening time of birch, since the quality of the product depends on certain properties of its foliage.

It is important to understand that leaf development has clear deadlines, and other factors can also affect its structure: heat, rain and wind. Based on these criteria, experienced bath attendants determined that the most suitable time for collecting branches for a broom is when the leaves have become stronger, but flowering has not begun - that is, the catkins have not appeared. Depending on the region and weather conditions, this could be any spring month. In the Moscow region, you can start harvesting in mid-May.

Birch brooms - preparation and storage video

To make a good birch broom, harvesting should be done early in the morning, when the dew has already disappeared. Only in dry weather. Branches with wet leaves are not suitable. When dried, their structure will collapse, the foliage will darken and curl. If it rains, you need to wait a few days. Ignoring these nuances will not lead to the desired result. The resulting products will lose most of their beneficial properties.

As practice has shown, the branches of a two-year-old tree growing closer to the ground have better properties. These make the strongest brooms. You can cut them with a knife, but it is more convenient to use pruning shears. For convenience, pickers with extensive experience climb onto a birch tree, tilt it, and tie it to a tree growing nearby. Such an approach, with appropriate skill, will not harm birch, since this tree is flexible and durable.

If the brooms are not knitted immediately, the blanks are provided with storage conditions - attics and hay are used for this. In city conditions, the best option is a mezzanine or balcony. But first they need to be wrapped in paper.

The most effective way is to dry on the roof, for example of outbuildings:

We spread hay on the surface;
We lay the blanks on top with small gaps between them;
Cover with hay;
We turn the workpieces over the course of a month, every two or three days.

Knitting a birch broom

Before knitting, the dried blanks are laid out on burlap and left to lie for a couple of days - to “breathe”.
The size is selected according to individual preferences. Recommended length: 0.4-0.8 m. Larger or smaller products are inconvenient to use.
The area for the handle is thoroughly cleaned of knots and leaves and treated with fine sandpaper.
The prepared branches are collected together and given a flattened shape.
Thicker branches are placed inside the product, and thin ones are laid out along the edge, bending inward.
Distribute the branches in a fan, with leaves in one direction.

The handle is made as follows. Collect the cleaned blanks and fasten them tightly with a rope closer to the foliage to improve the quality of the product. Fabric is wrapped around the handle to prevent calluses. Recommended handle length is 15 cm.

When assembling the product to improve its qualities, you can add branches of chamomile, thyme, and red currant. If you want to add coniferous plants and nettles, it is better to place them in the middle so as not to damage the skin during use.

Drying and further storage of brooms

Experts recommend not tying the branches too tightly. Otherwise, the foliage will darken and burn. Properly dried, the finished product has fragrant, bright green, matte foliage. We offer several surefire ways to achieve the desired result.

Hanging in bunches

The products are hung under a canopy, in a well-ventilated place, so that direct rays of the sun do not fall. They will dry well within a week. Afterwards, the brooms can be placed tightly on shelves in a well-ventilated, dry place, such as on racks in a garage or storage room. They can also be left hanging.

Fan-shaped on the surface

It is believed that a good broom is shaped like a fan. Therefore, it is recommended to place fresh products on the floor. Turn over daily until dry. Otherwise, the products may dry out or dry incorrectly.

You can dry birch brooms only in the shade!

From the sun, the foliage curls and fades, the aroma is lost, and the appearance deteriorates. An improperly dried broom will fall off as soon as it is steamed. The presence of strong drafts is also unacceptable. The quality of the product may also suffer from them.

It is recommended to store brooms carefully, in a cool, ventilated area. Drying using fresh, dried hay preserves the color, shape and aroma of the product as much as possible. Brooms are placed in stacks, with leaves in the middle. This will give the tree additional beneficial properties and it will become even more fragrant. In an apartment, finished products are stored in bags, paper or plastic.

Steaming the broom before use

Before use, as a rule, the broom is steamed. This procedure is not performed with a freshly manufactured product. It may become limp. There are at least two traditional methods of steaming.

Option one. The dried product is placed in cold water for fifteen minutes, and then in boiling water for a couple of minutes. Brooms that are too dry are kept in boiling water longer, covering the container where they are located with another container.

The second option is suitable for fresh or recently harvested brooms. The product must be soaked in boiling water and placed on stones. In this case, it is necessary to periodically rotate the broom, shaking it, so as not to get burned. A couple of such approaches for two minutes will be enough, and you can begin bathing procedures.

Bottom line

The quality characteristics of a birch broom are influenced by such factors as: choice of birch, condition of the branches, drying and storage, knitting. If you do everything following the rules, you will get strong and beautiful products that will bring maximum benefits to your health. If possible, seek help from specialists and make your first broom with their help.

Massage with a birch bath broom is an excellent remedy for pain in muscles and joints, promoting faster and painless recovery after various physical activities. Birch helps normalize the condition of acne-prone skin, accelerates the healing of minor wounds and abrasions, and soothes the body as a whole.

One of the most pronounced medicinal properties of birch broom is its intense positive effect on the bronchi - the substances contained in the plant contribute to their expansion, which normalizes lung ventilation and facilitates the discharge of sputum. That is why experts especially strongly recommend the use of birch brooms for smokers and patients with asthma and allergies.

Birch leaves contain vitamins A and C, many essential oils, tannins and other useful components. In order for them to be fully preserved in the broom and to show their beneficial effects as effectively as possible, you need to know, firstly, how to prepare birch leaves for a bathhouse, and secondly, how to properly use the ready-made device. It is this information that you are invited to familiarize yourself with as you study the information below.

In ancient times, bath brooms were traditionally prepared 1-2 weeks after Trinity Day. Typically, this holy holiday falls in June. Along with this, due to significant differences in climatic conditions in different regions of Russia, it is not worth relying on folk custom alone - in many zones the birch tree does not have time to bloom before Trinity, and a broom made from such branches is of little use.

The principle is this: we focus on the characteristics of the ripening of birch. Maximum strengthening of the leaf will indicate the imminent appearance of earrings. This short time period, when the leaves are the strongest and there are no catkins yet, is the most suitable for preparing the right bath brooms.

Bath brooms are traditionally collected from weeping birch. Typically, these trees have a fairly impressive height, while possessing long, strong and quite flexible branches. Beautiful brooms are made from the branches of young and previously unblooming birch trees - such trees have the most delicate leaves.

Helpful advice! When choosing branches, make sure that the upper side of the leaves is not rough, the branches are straight and rather thin, and the leaves themselves are velvety and tender.

Photo of a weeping birch near a pond - a suitable tree for collecting raw materials

The branches can be cut with a sharp knife or collected in another suitable way. For greater convenience, the collector can climb a tree, bend it down, tie it to some nearby tree and collect the required number of branches. Birch, as noted, is quite flexible and durable, so such manipulations, provided they are carried out carefully, will not cause harm.

Important! There is no need to immediately tie the collected branches too tightly. The material is hung on a strong rope under a protective canopy so that direct contact with the sun is excluded. There should be a draft in the room. After a week, the brooms are already drying out quite thoroughly. In this state, they can be placed tightly on shelves in a dry, ventilated room, for example, a dressing room or a barn.

It is better that the finished bath broom looks like a fan, and not looks like a broom. To follow this recommendation, a fresh broom should be laid out on the floor and turned over daily, repeating until the products are dry. Otherwise, the material may dry out or dry incorrectly.

For example, if the harvester tightly ties the birch branches from the very beginning, the leaves in the center of the broom will become dark and “burn”, which is why they will have practically no aroma.

The color of properly dried brooms is concentrated green, pleasant matte. The branches should emit the aroma of balsamic birch oil, noticeably intensifying when steamed.

It is also correct to collect branches for brooms in June for the reason that during this period the leaves already grow to a fairly large size, but retain the required level of essential oil glands, which are present, at the same time, not only in the foliage, but also in young birch shoots. Young large shoots retain high elasticity, thanks to which whippings with such a broom are easily tolerated by a bathhouse visitor.

Summarizing the above, we can draw the following conclusion: branches with strong and young leaves are used to prepare birch brooms. Such foliage contains a maximum of components useful for humans. On the territory of Russia, depending on the climatic zone, the optimal time for harvesting birch brooms can range from early June to mid-July.

Choosing a time and place to collect branches

The correct time for harvesting determines the quality, service life, aroma and softness of brooms. For example, if you collect the branches too early, subsequent steaming will make the broom flimsy, short-lived and slippery. A properly prepared product will “hold the sheet” for as long as possible.

A high-quality broom is fragrant, durable and “holds the leaf” well.

Dry weather is chosen for harvesting. If the foliage is moistened with dew or rainwater, when dried it will collapse, curl, fly around, and darken. If it rained the day before, it is better to wait a few days, and only after that start collecting branches for making brooms.

To assemble branches, choose an environmentally friendly place, away from roads and other pollutants. In practice, two-year-old branches growing close to the ground have the best properties. It is convenient to use pruning shears for cutting.

What to do with the branches after harvesting?

An attic space is a good place to store harvested branches, or a heap of hay is even better. A balcony or even a mezzanine is suitable for storing workpieces in urban conditions. In this case, the brooms will need to be pre-wrapped in paper bags.

Drying brooms on the roof of the barn is also allowed. This is done in the following sequence:

meadow hay is spread over the roof;
birch branches are laid out on the hay with small gaps;
a layer of hay is laid out on top of the branches;
Every day (some experts advise increasing this period to 2-3 days) the branches turn over. This is done over the course of a month.

Most often, dried pieces are tied in pairs to a rope and stored in this position. You don’t have to knit brooms right away, but combine the branches into small sheaves. The sheaves are wrapped in hay and stored in the attic. Before going to the bathhouse, the required number of branches is pulled from the sheaf and tied into a broom.

Instructions for tying a birch broom with your own hands

The image shows the step-by-step sequence of knitting a birch broom for a bath. To better understand the process, please read the more detailed guide for this activity. The necessary information is presented in the table.

Table. Knitting a birch broom

Work stage	Description	Photo
	First, lay out the dried birch branches on burlap and leave for a couple of days. Branches withered in this way are better suited for preparing birch brooms.
	At this point, everything is individual: some bathhouse attendants love massive brooms, others prefer small products. The only standardized recommendation is regarding length: keep it within 0.4-0.8 m. A shorter or longer broom will simply be inconvenient to use.
	At the location of the handle, knots and foliage are removed. In general, approximately a third of the total length of the product is subject to cleaning.
	The cleared branches are collected together. The product is given a flattened shape. The frame is created from thicker branches - they must be placed inside the future product. Thin pieces are laid out around the frame. Place them with the curve inward. The leaves should face the same direction and the branches should fan out. In this case, the broom will seem to “hugg” the body of the steamer during the bath massage. One thick and dense product is enough for an average of 2-3 visits to the steam room. After this, it crumbles and becomes unusable.
	The previously cleaned and collected branches are wrapped with twine: you squeeze the workpieces with one hand, and wind the rope with the other. There are no secrets here: the main thing is that the branches are tightly fastened. A strip of fabric is wound at the end of the handle - without it, there is a high risk of getting calluses in the future. Recommended handle length is 150 mm. The highest quality is ensured when tying branches with twine in several rows near the foliage, and not along the length of the handle - a handle with a free end is more convenient to use, it will not slip out even with the most powerful movements.

Helpful advice! When assembling the broom, add some fragrant herbs to its composition. For example, thyme and chamomile are good, mint and black currant are also good. If nettle, spruce and other thorny plants are added, they should be placed inside the product to eliminate the risk of damage and discomfort.

Don't make the broom too heavy. At this point, be guided by your own feelings: the product should be comfortable and light just for you.

Subsequent drying of brooms

There are many ways to dry brooms. Regardless of the characteristics of each method, one basic general rule remains: brooms should be dried in the shade. Direct contact with sunlight leads to rapid burning and curling of leaves, volatilization of fragrant and beneficial components, loss of aroma and external qualities. A broom dried in the sun will fall off immediately after steaming.

There should be a moderate draft in the room. The presence of powerful drafts is unacceptable, because... because of them, the final quality of the finished brooms will also not be the best. Ideally, the chosen room should be dry, cool and dark. While drying, brooms can be either folded or hung. To ensure uniform drying of the branches, as noted, the workpieces must be turned over daily.

The simplest drying option involves hanging brooms from a pole or even a simple rope. To provide protection from the sun, the cord is stretched under a suitable canopy.

It was previously mentioned that the best shape for a broom is a fan. To ensure compliance with this recommendation, about a week after the start of drying (during this period the brooms begin to rustle a little), you need to tightly tie the collected branches and lay the workpieces tightly. They will press together and gradually flatten, becoming like a fan.

The method involving drying in hay requires some clarification. Firstly, the hay must be sufficiently dried and fresh. The products are laid in circular layers. The foliage should be directed directly to the center of the stack. Fragrant hay is laid between the layers. Drying under such conditions contributes to maximum preservation of aroma, color, as well as shape and quality characteristics.

It is possible that the first harvesting experience will end in over-drying of the products. In this case, you shouldn’t get too upset and get rid of the preparations - the brooms can be “reanimated”. To do this, firstly, the “marriage” must be steamed for a longer time (literally for several minutes), and secondly, after steaming, the product should be kept on the heater. The steam emanating from the laid stones will contribute to the rapid restoration of the brooms.

Important! After carrying out “resuscitation measures”, be sure to remove fallen leaves from the heater.

Recommendations for further storage of birch brooms

Having prepared brooms, ensure their proper and careful storage. The room should be cool, shady and well ventilated. Violation of any of the listed recommendations will lead to yellowing and discoloration of the foliage, it will lose its aroma and freshness.

Hay is good for storing brooms, as well as for pre-drying them. In such conditions, the foliage will be even more saturated with beneficial elements, due to which its aroma will noticeably improve. For storage in urban areas, you can use plastic or paper bags and vacuum packaging.

If a bath broom falls off due to repeated use, you can find an excuse for this - nothing lasts forever. Much more tragic are situations when the foliage instantly flies off after the first steaming. This state of affairs is direct evidence of a violation of the rules for harvesting birch brooms.

You can find a description of the most common errors in the following table.

Table. Mistakes when preparing bath brooms

Errors	Explanations
Incorrect timing of collecting birch branches	A broom will inevitably fly around if it is made from branches collected too early or, conversely, collected too late. As noted, the best period for harvesting branches is June-July. In June, the foliage is already quite strong and dense. By the middle of the second summer month, the birch begins to prepare for the approaching autumn, which does not have the best effect on the characteristics of the foliage.
Violation of the rules for drying brooms	Often, inexperienced bathhouse attendants, trying to prepare as many brooms as possible in the shortest possible time, dry the preparations in the sun. Yes, the products will dry in literally a day or two, but the leaves in this case will not survive the first contact with boiling water. Remember: the broom must dry on its own and the heat of the sun does not help it with this.
Collecting branches after the rain	Firstly, branches cannot be collected immediately after rain. Secondly, the workpieces cannot be washed independently. If the issue of settling dust does not leave you alone, wait until you go to the steam room and then pour boiling water over the brooms - not a trace of dirt will remain.

Practice shows that it is best to prepare brooms with a small supply. However, you shouldn’t be too zealous either: it’s much more pleasant to use a fragrant and fresh broom every time.

Before use, brooms are traditionally steamed. Fresh products do not need such preliminary preparation - they can become limp. Before use, dry preparations are immersed in cool water for 10-15 minutes, then in boiling water for a couple of minutes.

If the birch broom is too dry, its steaming time can be increased. In this case, the basin is filled with boiling water, after which the product is lowered into the water and covered with a second bowl. Another good option is to dip the product in boiling water for a couple of seconds and then place it on the heater. In this case, you need to carefully monitor the condition of the broom, slightly shaking and rotating it to prevent burning. Usually 2-3 such approaches with a total duration of up to 1.5-2 minutes are enough to bring the broom back to normal.

It is more convenient for two people to go to the bathhouse with brooms. The person receiving the massage is in a lying position. The performer is first recommended to wear gloves to avoid getting calluses (if there is fabric wrapped around the handle, as recommended in the instructions given earlier, you can refuse to use gloves).

Get ready right away: steaming using a broom is a whole science. First of all, remember the most important rules:

The massage is performed with a damp broom. Periodically, the product should be moistened with a little warm water;
touching the body with a broom should be light, soft and barely perceptible;
If the steam room is heated to more than 60 degrees, you need to use a birch broom as carefully as possible, otherwise the steam will leave burns.

A competent bath massage helps improve blood circulation, normalize metabolic processes, get rid of pathogens, and strengthen the skin.

The traditional sequence of a bath massage using a broom is as follows.

One person lies on his stomach and places his arms along his body. The second bath attendant takes 2 birch brooms and carefully, slowly, from bottom to top, strokes the body of the first bath attendant. At the same time, the brooms do not come off the skin. In the reverse movement, birch brooms are passed along the sides of the body. You need to repeat all this 2-3 times.

At the next stage, the massage therapist lifts the birch brooms up to take some heated air, after which he lowers them onto the lumbar area of the first bathhouse attendant and presses them with his hand for a couple of seconds. This manipulation helps restore the back muscles after heavy loads, get rid of pain and quickly cure various injuries.

If you take bath procedures without brooms, the effect of skin cleansing and the benefits of the procedure are reduced

The so-called medicine helps well with lower back and lower back pain. stretching. To carry it out, both birch brooms are placed on the lower back, after which one is taken to the back of the head, and the second to the legs. This wiring must be done at the same time. The knees and shoulder blades are worked in the same way.

Important! During the massage, you need to make sure that the brooms touch the bath attendant’s body, and not just move through the air. Violating this recommendation in an overheated steam room will result in burns. If an unpleasant burning sensation is detected, the broom should be moistened with cool water.

Quitting is a very useful technique. This massage is carried out by applying quick tapping movements with the end of a birch broom on the body of the bathhouse attendant. The back is worked on first, followed by the lower back, and finally attention is paid to the pelvis, hips and then to the feet. The whole procedure takes about a minute. Finally, the steamer’s torso is stroked with brooms, but at a higher speed than at the beginning of the procedure.

A stronger massage is whipping. It is carried out in the following sequence:

the broom rises upward to capture some air;
all parts of the body are whipped 2-3 times;
alternately with whipping, a “compress” is performed (described earlier, when a broom is pressed against the body for a couple of seconds).

Another interesting and useful massage technique is fanning, which involves lightly waving a broom with barely perceptible touches to the skin. “Treatment” is best started from the legs, gradually moving up along the body, and then pay attention to the sides, moving in the opposite direction. During the procedure, light warm air currents will be felt.

If it is necessary to warm up the body more intensively, the broom should be periodically lifted upward and shaken. A broom heated in this way is pressed for a couple of seconds on the lower back and shoulder blades, knees, and feet. If necessary, cool the product with cool water.

The massage ends with rubbing. To do this, the performer takes the broom by the handle, and with the other hand, slightly pressing on the part with the foliage, slowly and gradually rubs the body. The legs and arms are rubbed lengthwise, the torso is worked in all directions.

Important! After the massage described, you may experience slight dizziness - be careful in your movements.

Have fun!

Video - Preparing birch brooms for a bath

From letters to the editor:

I really love taking a steam bath. A few trips to the steam room - and you seem to look several years younger, feel light and strong. I always buy birch brooms from the old lady near the bathhouse. And so I thought: maybe I should try to prepare brooms for the winter myself. When and how do they do it?

Birch brooms, perhaps, the most popular among Russian steamers. Birch grows everywhere in our country; finding and harvesting it is not very difficult. In addition, we all know about the healing properties of birch leaves. They help cure respiratory diseases, such as bronchitis. In addition, the substances contained in the leaves have a calming effect on the body, have a beneficial effect on the skin, and alleviate the symptoms of radiculitis.

For broom preparations you need to choose a time when the leaves are fully formed. You cannot cut off branches with very young leaves and leaves that are finishing the growing season - they will not stick to the branches after drying, and in the bathhouse you will very quickly end up with not a birch broom, but a golik (a broom with bare branches).

One experienced steamer once revealed to me the secret of a reliable and fragrant broom - it must be prepared from the end of June until Peter's Day (approximately until mid-July). Brooms stored earlier and much later than this period will fall off.

It is also important to take into account environmental requirements: the harvesting site should be away from dusty roads and industrial enterprises. It is necessary to take care of trees, therefore, if you are harvesting branches from young birch trees, never cut off the top and upper branches, save the lower branches without harming the plant. It's even better if you find a mature weeping birch tree whose branches reach close to the ground. The best brooms are from birch trees, which have a smooth upper surface of the leaves.

My wife and I were harvesting brooms in a lowland area located not far from our site, lushly overgrown with willow, birch and aspen. In the first ten days of July, after breakfast and before the heat set in, we walked into this spontaneously formed forest, alas, now demolished for unknown needs. There they cut the lower branches of young birch trees and carried them, tied in an armful, to their house. And already there, away from mosquitoes and horseflies, sitting comfortably on benches, they formed and tied brooms. The branches were matched one to the other, creating a lush, evenly filled with foliage, broom 50-60 cm long. The thickness of the broom handle was made so that it was comfortable to hold in the hands - and not too thin, but not too thick. Then I securely and very tightly tied the handle bars in two places with twine. This had to be done because, after drying, the wood would “shrink” a little and the binding would loosen. That's why I tied it very carefully.

We tied the prepared brooms in pairs, and I took them to the attic of our garden house, where the wire was stretched. I hung them there not very tightly so that they would dry better. A small window was made in the attic, which provided ventilation, but it was still always gloomy there, which was necessary so that the brooms did not fade, losing their color. The roof heated well, the brooms dried well and retained their bright green color. In the bath they steamed and emitted a wonderful birch aroma. It was a pleasure to steam them.

Some vapers prefer oak brooms. Oak leaves from a properly prepared broom also have healing properties. They are recommended for excessive sweating, people with oily skin, and help lower blood pressure. However, I think you shouldn’t get carried away with one type of broom; it’s better to alternate them. And it’s even better to prepare combined brooms, combining birch branches, several branches of oak, linden, and eucalyptus in one, if you managed to get it. Then the effect on the body will be combined.

You just need to remember that brooms are prepared from oak branches later. The fact is that this plant usually begins to bloom its foliage later than all its other neighbors. Therefore, they gain full strength later. Usually oak brooms are stored in the second half of July - the first half of August. When harvesting, you need to be very careful with the plant itself - not to cause much damage to it, because oaks grow very slowly and you can’t see them very often.

Sometimes you can see sellers of juniper brooms near the baths. I don’t know where the police are looking - these are relict plants, there are fewer and fewer of them left in our forests. Perhaps now you can see juniper more often in gardens. By purchasing these brooms, you are encouraging forest poachers.

Stock up on brooms, worry about your health, just try to cause minimal harm to nature. Remember that life does not end with us, your children and grandchildren are growing up, leave them the joy of a steam bath too.

E. Valentinov

Photo by Olga Rubtsova