Find more Odd Shots—or post your own—at Katney's Kaboodle.
October 5, 2009
Natural polish
So how do Filipinos who don't have electric floor polishers or vacuum cleaners with a gazillion attachments keep their wood and stone floors shiny? With a bunot, half (or two-thirds, in this case) of a dried-out coconut husk—without the shell, which is too hard. The husk's fibers are soft enough not to scratch wooden floors but tough enough to withstand the vigorous polishing that floors require. Of course, this method requires that one be healthy and very fit, without knee or hip problems of any kind. Put one foot on the bunot and just slide it back and forth, following the grain of the wood. Guaranteed to strengthen your arches and leg muscles, and give you a great aerobic workout. And I've just realized while cropping and editing this photo that our bedroom floor needs to be waxed and polished very soon.
Oh my goodness! I don't think I could do that for five minutes!
ReplyDeleteI'd pay good money to see HILDA sliding the coconut across the wooden floors . . . . .
ReplyDeleteWow I learn something new every day. Very cool. I like the floor too. Tell hubby to take and post pictures of the coconut floor show. :)
ReplyDeleteJust catching up on your blog and so glad you are OK after the typhoon and that we have you to keep us abreast of life in the Philippines!
ReplyDelete:-O Say what?! I'm too lazy (and hate wasting time on such things), I think I'd change the floor wood before I'd do that! :) I know some people cannot afford modern cleaners/wax machines, but I'd rather work double shifts for a month and buy one, than go for this kind of aerobic workout.......
ReplyDeleteoriginal et très bio comme option
ReplyDeletevery original and organic as an option
This is one of the strangest things seen around. Thank you for this, my respect for the vacuum cleaner has just increased a lot.
ReplyDeleteand are you going to do it yourself, Hilda? that sounds like an oh so hard thing to do ... (but sounds healthy too). ;D
ReplyDeleteWell, if that isn't something. And here I am in Serbia with no coconuts! I do a Pippi Longstocking routine from time to time with my feet on damp cloths, sliding back and forth, back and forth....
ReplyDeleteI used to polish our floor with a bunot when I was a kid. I prefered to do that than apply wax to the floor which one have to do in a kneeling or squating position.
ReplyDeleteyou're right, ate hilda, that is the best exercise, hehehe...thank you for coming by my post!! you had awesome timing!!
ReplyDeleteThere must be an easier way. My floors would look pretty bad if I had to use one of those.
ReplyDeletehehe, nice post! ^0^
ReplyDeletei remember when i was a kid, i don't know that the wonder "bunot" is for shining the floor and i would usually play and slide it around the floor.
funny, with new techy stuff, nobody really uses it anymore.
Very interesting. I bet its fun the first time but I imagine it gets a bit more like a chore as time goes by. Thanks for sharing Hilda :)
ReplyDeleteWow, that's fascinating! Do you really clean your floor that way?
ReplyDeleteI hate vacuum cleaners (don't know why but I can't stand them, it might be the deafening noise) so I'm willing to give this a try. Now I know what souvenir to buy when I visit Manila :)
ReplyDeleteWhat an ingenious idea. Nature dose provide us with most of what we need, all we need is imagination.
ReplyDeleteHahahaha you just announced to the whole world my secret exercise paraphernalia! =)
ReplyDeleteby the way hilda, your "bunot" really looks strange with its top still uncut. Weird. Hehehe
ReplyDeleteI just hurt my back a little yesterday in church trying to lift my 5 years old so he can see the priest better. That coconut toll looks like torture instrument to me today. May be in a day or two I will give it a second look. May be it helps loosing weight and staying fit.
ReplyDeleteThe more simple people always find clever alternatives to do what they need, don't they? Very nice post!
ReplyDeleteGod bless you!
Cezar
That's pretty good. Never knew that stuff. Thanks for sharing. I can bet that the work-out would make your legs a bit sore?
ReplyDeleteLes
Interesting description Hilda. If I tried to do that, I would not be able to get back up off of the floor!
ReplyDeleteWow, I haven't seen that in a long time. But I agree with Layra, your bunot looks strange without the top cut off, or maybe it's a Visayan thing. I'm thinking, it must be painful to the sole..
ReplyDeleteThat certainly is something odd - to me anyway! I might try it though. We have pine wood floors in our home.
ReplyDeleteI love learning about the good old natural ways of doing things. Cool!
ReplyDeleteHilda, I don't know how I managed to miss a few days of your posts. It's good to catch up now. I'd hate to miss any. Always something new and interesting to see and enjoy and learn.
You just brought back a strong childhood memory for me! Our maid used to use a bunot all the time, even though we had a vacuum cleaner. She preferred the old way of cleaning the floors.
ReplyDelete