The first successful vacuum cleaner was invented in 1901 by Hubert Cecil Booth, a British engineer. It was a horse-drawn, petrol-driven unit the size of a milk float, and it took four to six people to operate it. These giant cleaners were called Puffing Billies. Wealthy society ladies threw vacuum cleaner parties. Guests sipped their tea and lifted their feet as Booth’s attendants cleaned the carpets with long hoses fed through the windows from the unit outside.The cost of a large house being cleaned was around 13 pounds,roughly the annual wage of a scullery maid. Variations on the same theme were introduced in America at about the same time.
Booths business The British Vacuum Cleaner and Engineering Company went on to introduce the Goblin portable cleaner in 1926.
William Henry Hoover produced the first single operator bag-on-a-stick type upright cleaner in 1908. The first electric suction vacuum was the model 0, it weighed 40 pounds and was invented by James Spangler who was seeking a cure for his asthma The cumbersome contraption he created actually worked and he sought financial backing.
William Henry Hoover bought the patent in 1908 and kept Spangler as a partner and soon six people assembled 6 vacuums a day in Hoovers leather goods shop.He then offered store managers the opportunity to keep commission on every vacuum sold and to become a Hoover vacuum dealer. The Hoover 0 sold for $60 a considerable sum back in 1908
William Henry Hoover bought the patent in 1908 and kept Spangler as a partner and soon six people assembled 6 vacuums a day in Hoovers leather goods shop.He then offered store managers the opportunity to keep commission on every vacuum sold and to become a Hoover vacuum dealer. The Hoover 0 sold for $60 a considerable sum back in 1908
We also have a much later Ewbank In 1876 Melville Bissell patented the first carpet sweeper and called it Grand Rapids after his own town, It was a success and other companies soon marketed their own models. The English firm, Entwisle and Kenyon Ltd, made the Ewbank carpet sweepers at their washing machine factory at Accrington, Lancashire. Established in 1864, the first carpet sweepers were made there in 1889 following a trip by one of the company founders to a Chicago carpet sweeper factory in 1882. Its unusual name, Ewbank, was derived from the area in Accrington where the factory was located. The Ewbank carpet sweeper was very popular in Britain where carpet sweeping was said to be referred to as ewbanking. Most of the wooden carpet sweepers kept the same basic design until around 1939.
The carpet sweeper remained very popular as it did clean with some degree of success but eventually the electric vacuum cleaners started to dominate the market. My own sweeper pictured here was made in 1925 We also have a much later Ewbank carpet sweeper believed to be from the 1970s
The carpet sweeper remained very popular as it did clean with some degree of success but eventually the electric vacuum cleaners started to dominate the market. My own sweeper pictured here was made in 1925 We also have a much later Ewbank carpet sweeper believed to be from the 1970s
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THE STAR VACUUM CLEANER
MADE BY STAR ENGINEERING WOLVERHAMPTON 1910
Away from the electric vacuums being built in the USA ,in the UK a company called Star Engineering Co Ltd was busy making bicycles and were also early pioneers in the motor industry. Star also made electric fires, incandescent goods and wheels for horse drawn vehicles. In 1910 they started selling their version of a vacuum cleaner.
The Star vacuum cleaner works by hand. You pull and push the concertina-like drum up and down the handle, sucking air and dust in through the cleaning head. Unfortunately, the dust doesn’t store very well inside the drum, and tends to blow back out again.
The cleaner satisfied a need for labour saving devices amongst those with no mains electricity.
The cleaner was given the patent number 18899 and initially sold for 54 shillings. Amazingly it was produced until 1938.
MADE BY STAR ENGINEERING WOLVERHAMPTON 1910
Away from the electric vacuums being built in the USA ,in the UK a company called Star Engineering Co Ltd was busy making bicycles and were also early pioneers in the motor industry. Star also made electric fires, incandescent goods and wheels for horse drawn vehicles. In 1910 they started selling their version of a vacuum cleaner.
The Star vacuum cleaner works by hand. You pull and push the concertina-like drum up and down the handle, sucking air and dust in through the cleaning head. Unfortunately, the dust doesn’t store very well inside the drum, and tends to blow back out again.
The cleaner satisfied a need for labour saving devices amongst those with no mains electricity.
The cleaner was given the patent number 18899 and initially sold for 54 shillings. Amazingly it was produced until 1938.
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In the 1920s and 1930s stick cleaners became popular as an alternative to the larger vacuum cleaners from companies such as Hoover. These were relatively cheap compared to the large upright cleaners, although they were low powered they were a big improvement on the pump cleaners. These stick cleaners were basically electric brooms , their low powered motors, and bags were fixed up on the handle, the only part of the vacuum cleaner in touch with the ground was the nozzle.
Our cleaner pictured here is a Bustler which we believe was made around 1931.
Our cleaner pictured here is a Bustler which we believe was made around 1931.
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From the early twentieth century comes this strange looking wooden vacuum cleaner , the Volvac Continuous Suction No.1 which has recently completed restoration work.
In August 2014 Stockport Museum found the patent application for the Volvac and this is pictured opposite .The patent application dates to 1909 later than many believed the cleaner to have been built. The original Volvac before the application for modifications to be made may still place this machine back towards the start of the 20th century. |
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Recently restored is our great Volvac Continuous Suction Cleaner from the early 20th century The leather bellows were rotten when we got the machine and new leather bellows have had to be made. Rusted plates have been restored as has the footplate. The woodwork was mainly in good order but much waxing and polishing has brought it back to its former glory.. We are still lacking information about this vacuum cleaner, although recently it was discovered Stockport Museums also own one of these devices
Opposite is a drawing of the vacuum which was invented by a man called David Edward Davies of 40 John Bright Street Birmingham. His complete revised specifications for the Volvac were approved by the Patent Office on 10th November 1910. |
A recent exciting find was this Baby Daisy No.1 Substantially smaller than the No.2 Daisy this Daisy from the 1890 period is a really rare find because it still has its original metal hose with it. It has received a fair bit of restoration . it was purchased from a couple in a Warwickshire village who had owned it for the last 47 years!!
The 'Baby Daisy' was a manual vacuum cleaner operated with a set of bellows which used suction to clean carpets, upholstery, furniture and even books It needed two people, usually domestic servants, to operate. One stood on a footplate at the bottom of the bellows, and with a broom stick or pole placed in the holder at the front, moved it backwards and forwards activating the double-action bellows. Movement in either direction caused a vacuum. The second person held the attached hose to suction up the dirt and dust. This movement was a key design feature as it has a double connected bellows, meaning that movement in either direction created a vacuum. The second operator would use the attached hose to clean the house. Dust and dirt was collected in a cotton bag within the machine. While the vacuum required two people to operate and had limited suction power, it was far better than using a broom to clean dust and dirt from carpets and rugs.
The Baby Daisy was said to have been designed in France in 1890 but made in England by the Daisy Vacuum Cleaner Co. Ltd, Leamington Road, Gravelly Hill, Birmingham. Restoration of this rare Baby Daisy No.1 saw the greatest challenge being the heavily rusted hosepipe which has been freed up and once more bends. Woodwork has been waxed and polished back to its former glory and the footplate has been restored. The metal work on the base has been put back as it would originally have been including the daisies in the ironwork. .The pictures below show how we received the Daisy originally.
The Baby Daisy was said to have been designed in France in 1890 but made in England by the Daisy Vacuum Cleaner Co. Ltd, Leamington Road, Gravelly Hill, Birmingham. Restoration of this rare Baby Daisy No.1 saw the greatest challenge being the heavily rusted hosepipe which has been freed up and once more bends. Woodwork has been waxed and polished back to its former glory and the footplate has been restored. The metal work on the base has been put back as it would originally have been including the daisies in the ironwork. .The pictures below show how we received the Daisy originally.
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When the Baby Daisies had had their day and the factory closed down the site was taken over by a company called Butler and Spraggs who manufactured nuts and bolts and nails etc. Today the site where this factory once stood is now covered by the spaghetti junction, a major road junction on the Uks motorway network
One of my oldest vacuum cleaners, a Baby Daisy No.2 from the turn of the 20th Century. As can be seen from the photos it is in need of some restoration, in particular the footplate needs re-leathering
The Baby Daisy was a 2 person operated machine, one would stand on the footplate and pump the attached handle to operate the bellows to generate a vacuum whilst another person would have sucked the dirt with a hose.
The pictures shown below illustrate how restoration of the No.2 Baby Daisy is progressing. The daisy design is back as it was originally and the ironwork has been restored as have the bellows. Regular waxing and polishing has brought the woodwork back to its former glory.
Note the different wood colorations and sizes of the no.1 and no.2 pictured side by side. The no.1 was missing its handle at the time of the photo as it was receiving restoration. (may 2014)
The Baby Daisy was a 2 person operated machine, one would stand on the footplate and pump the attached handle to operate the bellows to generate a vacuum whilst another person would have sucked the dirt with a hose.
The pictures shown below illustrate how restoration of the No.2 Baby Daisy is progressing. The daisy design is back as it was originally and the ironwork has been restored as have the bellows. Regular waxing and polishing has brought the woodwork back to its former glory.
Note the different wood colorations and sizes of the no.1 and no.2 pictured side by side. The no.1 was missing its handle at the time of the photo as it was receiving restoration. (may 2014)
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A snapshot of 2 old pump action vacuum cleaners I own, the one on the right is an American device from a company called the Reeves Vacuum Cleaner Company of Milford Connecticut It was patented on Jan 20th 1914 and made of metal, the one on the right is an English device from around 1912 made of wood. Both use the same principle, pump the handle at the top and the nozzle at the bottom will collect dirt. Both put more dirt on the floor than collected. Needless to say Electric Vacuums eventually took control of the UK market.
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