| Like a lot of inventions over the years the invention | | | | another few years before Hubert Booth of London |
| of the vacuum cleaner is also surrounded with great | | | | came up with the first electric vacuum. The only |
| debate as to who came up with the first vacuum | | | | problem was that the vacuum was so big it was |
| cleaner. We have to go as far back as the 1800's to | | | | stored on the back of a trailer outside the house and |
| try and understand what people had in their homes | | | | a very long hose was run inside to do the cleaning.As |
| and how they went about cleaning.Firstly we can | | | | time went by more and more inventors had a go at |
| trace one of the earliest and better known devices | | | | coming up with the ultimate cleaner and one which |
| back to 1860 when David Hess came up with a way | | | | could be used in the home without much fuss and |
| to solve a problem which housewives were having at | | | | was portable. Then along came James Spangler in |
| the time. In those days people used rugs on the bare | | | | 1908 with the first portable suction cleaner. This |
| wooden floors to try and keep the dust down to a | | | | cleaner proved to be extremely popular and for |
| minimum. Of course all the dust | | | | some reason he sold the patent to William Hoover. |
| remained on the rug and the only way off was to | | | | Yes, the man who's name has become synonymous |
| hang the rug and whack it with a stick. Shortly after | | | | with house cleaning. The fact that the Hoover name |
| came the rug-beater, which resembled a tennis | | | | stuck was a testament to how good and popular the |
| racket.However, it was only David Hess who thought | | | | early cleaners were and now nearly 100 years later |
| there must be an easier way to do the rug cleaning | | | | the vacuum cleaner can still be best described a |
| and he came up with a Carpet Sweeper which had a | | | | clunky, noisy piece of hardware. |
| rotating brush with a bellows system which provided | | | | Although innovative designs such as the Dyson and |
| the suction. Is or was this a 'vacuum cleaner'? The | | | | the next generation robotic Roomba are starting to |
| machine also consisted of two water chambers which | | | | give us some idea of what we can expect of 21st |
| | | | century vacuum cleaners.Whoever is responsible for |
| collected the fine dust and particles. The only | | | | the invention of the vacuum cleaner, of which I |
| problem with this invention is that there is no proof it | | | | believe there are many, would be proud to know |
| was ever produced.Then along came Melville Bissell, | | | | that the principles of their early day designs still |
| who's surname will sound familiar if you know your | | | | remain in vacuum |
| vacuum cleaners, who also came up with a carpet | | | | cleaners in millions of homes around the |
| sweeper that picked up dirt and deposited it in a pan | | | | world.Andrea runs a website devoted to providing |
| behind the sweeper head.But it wasn't until 1899, | | | | news, reviews, articles, best deals on top brand |
| when what can be described as the first 'motorized' | | | | vacuums such as Dyson Vacuum Cleaners, Miele, |
| cleaner, was invented by John Thurman and it was | | | | Oreck and much more. |