Carpet beater
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A carpet beater or mattenklopper (from Dutch) is a tool used to clean carpets and rugs by hanging them up and beating them. It is usually made of willow switches woven together in a knot similar to a flattened Turk's head. The number of strands determines the rigidity of the mattenklopper. A two-strand mattenklopper like the one shown here would be more flexible than a three- or four-strand mattenklopper. Modern mass-production version can also be in plastic or wire.
Its use in cleaning has been largely replaced by the carpet sweeper and then the vacuum cleaner, but it is still sold in household stores.
It is used in the James Bond novel Casino Royale as a torture device.
