Dust Bunnies to Dust Busters: a Brief History of Vacuum Cleaners

Have you ever been pushing your vacuum cleaner around the house and stopped for a second to wonder, “Where in the heck did this thing come from?!” Well, we decided to do the research for you, and we’ve got the answers you’re looking for!

It all started with carpet sweepers. Have you ever used one? They’re pretty similar to a vacuum cleaner insofar as they also use a revolving roller lined with bristles, but they’re not nearly as effective due to the lack of suction. The advantage? With no electric-powered suction, they’re much quieter. They can, for example, be used in high-volume restaurants to clean up while patrons are enjoying their meals.

By the end of the 19th century, we saw our first powered carpet cleaning devices, but they blew air, instead of sucking stuff up. Imagine: blowing dust and debris and dog hair around with a leaf blower! Enter one Hubert Cecil Booth: Hubert was witness to this new innovation of “leaf blower-carpet cleaner” and wanted to improve upon it. He came up with the idea to create a device that used suction to clean, rather than blowing stuff around. His first models were dependent upon combustion engines and were HUGE! The very first prototypes had to be pulled around by a team of horses and were far too large to fit inside a home.

 

Check out one of his first models, the “Puffing Billy!”

Over the next few decades Mr. Booth improved upon his models and eventually the Hoover vacuum company entered the scene bringing even further innovation to these cleaning devices. …And that brings us to modern day vacuum cleaners!

 

As you can see, we’re passionate about our vacuum cleaners! Give us a call and we’ll show you what we mean! We’ll get your home (and carpets!) clean and let you take back your weekends!