Strictly speaking, one may keep in his home and use during Pesah the same broom he had used throughout the year to sweep the floors in the kitchen and other rooms. Although the broom likely has small particles of Hametz caught among the bristles, these particles are not significant and do not make the broom forbidden for use during Pesah. Nevertheless, as new brooms are easily available and inexpensive, it is customary to buy a new broom for Pesah.
If one has a can opener which he knows for certain had never been used to open a can containing Hametz, he may use it on Pesah. Otherwise, one should purchase a separate can opener for Pesah. The teeth of the can opener break through the top of the can and could thus come in contact with the food inside the can, and thus since the teeth are very difficult to clean, a can opener used to open a Hametz can should not be used on Pesah.
Very often, people have cookbooks open while they cook in the kitchen, and food quite frequently spills onto the books. Therefore, cookbooks used during the year should be put away for Pesah. If one wants to use on Pesah a cookbook that had been used during the year, it must be thoroughly cleaned to ensure that it is free of all food residue. This applies as well to the Birkat Ha’mazon cards which many people use at the table. These cards often have food residue stuck to them, and they therefore must be thoroughly cleaned if they will be used during Pesah. Otherwise, they should be put away for the holiday.
