It’s a cultural thing. I’ve noticed that almost all households in the Philippines have a walis tambo. I don’t even know the English translation of the walis tambo but some people call it the “Baguio broom” due to the fact that it’s primarily produced in the mountain city. This is kinda weird since I’ve also lived in the faraway Visayas islands and they also have walis tambo and walis tingting there.

Do you imagine how old the walis tambo is? Am fairly sure it dates back to the Spanish era. That is why am wondering why it exists in this age of smart phones, Facebook and smart TV. Why haven’t we found an alternative to our walis and use vacuum cleaners like our counterparts in the Western world?

As for me, I have little affection left for the native walis, especially since it puts a drain on the family budget. Our trusted helper Dalisay, who works hard at cleaning the house, seems to be buying the broom every month. One of the reasons could be that it’s not of good quality. With time, the broom loses its fiber or its hair and when it goes “bald,” that’s the time to replace it. Not so efficient I must say!

As a busy working mom, I need household gadgets I can rely upon. I believe that with the right gadget or appliance, I can save precious time and money and still be able to focus on other things. The good thing with modernization (and the digital age) is that we can already delegate our important tasks on man-made machines. A good example is our electronic washer where I just set the timer on and it’s ready to wash the whole family’s clothes. No need to hire a labandera or laundrywoman!

So yes,am eyeing on a vacuum cleaner to clean our house without sweat. It would be a welcome treat for dear Dalisay who can then focus focus on taking care of baby Lucy (yes, she’s a great multi-tasker!) On weekends when am free, I can also be more inspired to clean the house. No more bending over and grappling with an almost bald walis tambo.

I’ve set my eyes on the Electrolux Dynamica to do the work for me. It’s a corded stick vacuum cleaner that can effectively clean hard floors, carpets and surfaces with ease. I also like the fact that it’s lightweight and of course easy to use. We’ve always depended on Electrolux as a trusted household appliance brand and I’m glad they’ve got a winner in Dynamica to help us say bye-bye to our old, antiquated broom days.

I need change! I want to start the doom of the broom. I need help!