Cleaning a Witches Broom with Bar Keepers Friend

October 26, 2022

So, I recently learned that cleaning a witches’ broom with Bar Keepers Friend is a thing. I had the opportunity to interview a direct descendent of Moll Dyer, who lived and died in the late 1600s near Leonardtown, Maryland. If you’ve ever watched The Blair Witch Project, you may be familiar with the Moll Dyer. Moll was accused of witchcraft, chased from her home on a freezing winter night, and found frozen the next day atop a large stone. They say her spirit haunts the wooded area where her cabin was, and she extracts terror on anyone who trespasses on her grounds.

Cleaning a Witches Broom with Bar Keepers Friend

Today I’m talking with Moll Dyer’s the eighth great-granddaughter, Molly Dyer.

Hi Molly, thank you for contacting me! 

Molly: You are most welcome

Me: So, Molly, are you a witch?

Molly: Yes, but I prefer to be called a Wiccan.

Me: Isn’t Wiccan a religion based on pre-Christian Anglo-Saxon and Celtic traditions?

Molly: Some say that, and there are resemblances, but the goddess Wiccan is a divine female who appeals to feminists and those who see god in nature. We’re especially in touch with environmental concerns. You could say we’re the 21st-century version of Mother Earth.

Me: So, how much do you know about your ancestor Moll Dyer?

Molly: Quite a bit. I talk to her at least once a week.

Me: What?

Molly: Oh yes, she’s usually near the stone where she was found frozen. Last March, it was moved near St. Mary’s County Historical Society, and I was afraid I would lose contact, but I didn’t.

Me: That’s amazing. What do you talk about?

Molly: I seek her advice, and she offers hers. That’s why I contacted you. She asked if I was keeping my broom clean because it was important to keep a good image. I told her, Yes, I did. I used Bar Keepers Friend. Of course, I had to explain what BKF is. She chuckled at the idea of cleaning a broom with rhubarb.

Me: Wow, that’s quite a story, Molly. So, how do you clean your broom with Bar Keepers Friend?

Molly: First, you should know that most modern industrial brooms are no longer wood. The best brooms are metal, and there are some excellent fiberglass-handled brooms too. The bristles on the best brooms are high-quality plastic. My primary broom is stainless steel. It’s heavy-duty, shiny, and flies true.

Me: You fly your broom?

Molly: Oh yes, but only on special nights like All Hallows Eve, or what you call Halloween. So, cleaning my stainless steel broom is easy. I use Bar Keepers Friend Stainless Steel Cleaner & Polish because it leaves my broom shiny as it streaks through the dusk sky without any streaks! And the spray nozzle is super easy to use; all I do is spray it on and wipe it off.

For the plastic bristles, I use BKF MORE Spray + Foam. I dip the bristles in a bucket of warm water, take it out, spray it on, and then rinse it. Sometimes after a summer evening flight, I need to use a brush to remove dead bugs.

Me: Thank you so very much for the interview and the information!

Molly: You are most welcome, Randy.

Me: Molly, I have one more question. Can you take me for a ride on your broom?

Molly: Oh no, broom rides are only for girls, but if you watch the night sky closely on All Hallows Eve, you might see me streak across the evening sky!  

What are your Halloween traditions? Will you be cleaning a witches broom?  If so, let us know, and send us photos, please.   

About the Author

Randy Clark is a speaker, coach, and author. He publishes a weekly blog at Randy Clark Leadership.com. Randy is passionate about social media, leadership development, and flower gardening. He’s a beer geek, and on weekends (after COVID-19), he can be found fronting the Rock & Roll band Under the Radar. He’s the proud father of two educators; he has four amazing grandchildren and a wife who dedicates her time to helping others. Randy is the author of the Amazon bestseller The New Manager’s Workbook, a crash course in effective management.