Why a broom is bought on Dhanteras
In the household tradition the broom is a form of Lakshmi: it sweeps dirt — and with it poverty and misfortune — out of the house, and Lakshmi is said to live only where there is cleanliness. So the cheapest thing in the Dhanteras shopping carries one of its oldest beliefs, and for many families the broom is the Dhanteras purchase. In 2026 Dhanteras is on Friday, 6 November; buy it after 10:30 am, once the Trayodashi has begun.
How many brooms, and which kind
- Most families buy one; where more are bought, an odd number — one, three or five — is the custom, and an even number is avoided.
- A traditional grass or phool jhadu, or the coconut-rib seenk jhadu for outside, is preferred to a plastic one.
- Choose one that is whole and tightly bound — not loose, broken or already shedding.
- Some families tie a white or red thread around the handle before bringing it in.
How to worship the broom on Dhanteras
- Bring it home before dusk and keep it with the other new purchases.
- In the evening puja, place it before Lakshmi, Ganesha and Kuber, apply a tilak of roli and offer a few grains of akshat.
- Pray that the house stays clean, free of debt and quarrel, and that what comes into it stays.
- Start using it from the next morning, not on the night of the puja.
Where and how to keep a broom
Customs of the home, often linked with vastu:
- Keep it out of sight — behind a door or in a cupboard, not in the open where guests sit.
- Keep it lying down, not standing upright.
- Keep it out of the kitchen and the puja room; the south-west or west of the house is preferred.
- Never step over it or touch it with the foot — as Lakshmi, it is treated with respect.
- Many homes avoid sweeping after sunset, when sweeping is believed to push Lakshmi out; if it must be done, the dust is not thrown out until morning.
What to do with the old broom
The old broom is not thrown out on Dhanteras or on Diwali — the new one replaces it in use, and the old one is set aside. It is discarded afterwards, preferably on a Saturday or on Amavasya, quietly and away from the house — not burnt, and not dropped where people walk. Many families simply put it out on the Saturday after Diwali.
A Lakshmi Puja in your name
For the full Dhanteras day see what to do and not do on Dhanteras and what to buy. Our pandits in Ujjain perform the Maa Lakshmi Puja in your name and gotra before Diwali on 8 November, and send you the video afterwards.