Tag Archives: rugs

Then(1907): Spangler’s Spangled Electric Suction Vacuum Cleaner

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James Murray Spangler brought about the next significant leap towards the vacuum cleaner as we know it today

His vacuum cleaner was created out of a necessity…the necessity of treating his own asthma.

Spangler worked as a janitor in a department store in Canton, Ohio.

Spangler developed a chronic cough. He assumed that this cough was the result of the airborne dust being stirred up by the carpet sweeper he was using to clean the store.

Being a tinkerer and amateur inventor, he decided to solve this dilemma.

His design consisted of an old electric ceiling fan motor, a broom handle and one of his wife’s pillowcases.

This device is said to be the first “portable, electric vacuum cleaner.”

This was also the first vacuum cleaner that was lightweight enough and practical enough for household use.

This vacuum cleaner was also the first vacuum cleaner powered by electricity instead of a gasoline-powered motor.

After improving this first design, Spangler obtained a patent for this design on June 2, 1908.

He soon formed the Electric Suction Sweeper Company.

This was a family business. His son helped him assemble the machines. His daughter assembled the dust bags.

However, they were only able to produce two or three vacuum cleaners each week.

The Then(1901): The Vacuum Cleaner

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The vacuum cleaner is another invention that most of us take for granted these days…(except on the days that you’re having company or expecting a visit from CPS, perhaps)… 

A tool that thankfully transformed domestic work forever.

And a tool that illustrates the Industrial Revolution – its new manufacturing processes, the desires for a more convenient life and the overall change from a primarily rural to an urban society.

An Industrial Revolution reflected in the vacuum cleaner itself – from the most basic of brooms and brushes, to innovative robotic machines that now do the vacuuming for you…

So exactly who can we thank for this powerful household tool?

Tabby cat standing on hind legs holding handle of vintage Bissell Grand Rapids floor sweeper on ornate rug
A cat curiously interacts with a vintage Bissell floor sweeper on a patterned rug

*****Daniel Hess’s Carpet Sweeper*****

Daniel Hess received the first patent for an official vacuum cleaner in 1860.

His simple “carpet sweeper” design consisted of two basic parts – a rotating brush and an elaborate bellows mechanism.

Even though this new invention was quite an innovation for its time, the person holding the device still had to do all the work…

Although this “carpet sweeper” was honestly not that much better than the brushes and brooms that already existed, his simple carpet sweeper inspired others to think about how “new” and developing technology could be used to clean homes.

Orange and white cat startled by vacuum cleaner on wooden floor
A surprised orange and white cat interacts with a vacuum cleaner in a messy room

*****June 8, 1869: The “Whirlwind”*****

Nine years later, Chicago inventor Ives McGaffey received a patent for his “Whirlwind” rug cleaner.

This vacuum cleaner looked similar to modern upright vacuum cleaners, but the device required the use of a hand crank.

Its release brought mixed success.

Even though consumers recognized the value that an actual working vacuum cleaner could offer, this was a disappointment.

The device was bulky and hard to maneuver. Those who were able to operate it claimed that it was not effective.

But it was another step in the right direction.