The Vacuum Cleaner is one of the most amazing inventions in the home appliances industry. However, the vacuum cleaners you use today to clean our homes were initially intended for something other than domestic use. So, who invented vacuum cleaners and how was the first ever vacuum made and who invented it? No worries, I will provide answers to all of your questions.
So, without further ado, let’s begin the discussion-
- Who Invented Vacuum Cleaners?
- History of Vacuum Cleaner Invention
- World’s First Vacuum Cleaner Company
- Old Vacuum Cleaners Vs. Modern Vacuum Cleaners
- Types of Vacuum Cleaners
- Oldest Vacuum Cleaner Companies That Still Holds The Market Position
- Influence Of Vacuum Cleaners on Human Life & Environment
- Advancements in Vacuum Cleaner Technologies
- Advantages of Vacuum Cleaners
- Disadvantages of Vacuum Cleaners
- Final Word
Who Invented Vacuum Cleaners?
In 1860, Daniel Hess of West Union, Iowa, invented a manual vacuum cleaner. It was called a ‘carpet sweeper,’ It used a revolving brush to collect dust and a bellows to generate suction.
However, powered suction vacuum cleaners were independently invented in 1901 by British engineer Hubert Cecil Booth and American inventor David T. Kenney. The vacuum cleaner they created was massive in size and inefficient for domestic use. But getting a tremendous response from the noble community, the design of this device gradually improved with time.
History of Vacuum Cleaner Invention
In 1901, Englishman H. Cecil Booth invented a giant suction cleaner that ran on gas. Unfortunately, this machine was so large that it had to be put on a horse-drawn cart.
Due to their massive designs, loud operation, and the stink produced by their exhaust systems, these early vacuum cleaners did not appeal to the average consumer. However, Booth’s willing customers among the British nobility inspired others to improve his design.
Then an innovation occurred in the early 20th century when James Murray Spangler invented the sweeping carpet machine. He made the machine out of a soap box, a broom handle, a pillowcase, and an electric motor, and he started selling it to local women.
Susan Hoover was one of those women to whom Spangler sold his product. After utilizing the machine, she was delighted with the results, so her husband, William, invested in the mass production of Spangler’s machine and eventually obtained the design rights. Hoover’s Electric Suction Sweeper Company was the name he gave this company.
The company made the world’s first plastic vacuum cleaner in the 1930s and built modern central vac systems in 1952. However, all these vacuums by Hoover used bags to collect dirt and debris.
In 1993 another innovation took place with the invention of the world’s first bagless vacuum cleaner by James Dyson. These bagless vacuum cleaners are now the most popular types sold in today’s market.
However, this was not the last invention to dispute the household cleaning market. In 2002, the first robot vacuum was launched by iRobot, which entirely changed the household cleaning experience.
World’s First Vacuum Cleaner Company
Hoover is the world’s first vacuum cleaner firm, and its name is synonymous with the word “vacuum.” The owner of this company, William Hoover, first purchased the design rights of H. Cecil Booth’s suction machine and established Hoover’s Electric Suction Sweeper Company.
Hoover was the world’s first vacuum company that manufactured plastic vacuum cleaners in the 1930s.
However, Techtronic Industries of Hong Kong purchased all the assets of Hoover US$107 million in cash; as a result, the company’s official name is TTI Floor Care North America. Besides Hoover, this company owns two iconic vacuum names, Dirt Devil & Oreck.
Old Vacuum Cleaners Vs. Modern Vacuum Cleaners
Since the 1900s, vacuum cleaners have had a considerable evaluation. It had a long journey in conversion from commercial use to household use.
The vacuum cleaners produced early were gigantic; they were even tough to use for commercial purposes. But by the 1960s, vacuum cleaners were much lighter and easy to use.
Earlier vacuum cleaners were made of heavy materials, but with time, they were made of plastic, making these vacuums convenient to use in the household. Moreover, the invention of the bagless vacuum was another significant evolution in the vacuum cleaner industry.
The vacuums of the modern era are highly advanced. They are lightweight, compact, and have intelligent features. They clean your house and purify the surrounding air to keep you safe from allergens.
Moreover, robot vacuums have taken the household cleaning industry one step ahead. Cleaning your house is no longer something you should be concerned about, thanks to the invention of robot vacuum cleaners.
Types of Vacuum Cleaners
There are various types of vacuum cleaners available in today’s market. The most common types are discussed below-
Upright Vacuum Cleaner
Upright is the most popular kind of vacuum cleaner. They are perfect for cleaning hard floors and carpets.
An upright vacuum may be suitable if you have a large carpeted house. However, the vertical form of these vacuums is ideal for applying pressure to the powerhead and efficiently removing substantial debris and stains from carpets.
Furthermore, upright vacuums have a mighty suction power. Some come with extra tools and flexible lengths, allowing for multi-purpose cleaning.
Canister Vacuum Cleaner
Canister vacuum cleaners are more suited to cleaning bare flooring. They come with a hose for convenient dirt collection and are great for cleaning small places. Additionally, they assist with cleaning beneath furniture, upholstery, and staircases.
Moreover, Canister vacuums are highly portable and lightweight. As a result, if your home is tiny, consider using a canister vacuum for routine cleaning.
Handheld Vacuum Cleaner
Handheld vacuums are compact, lightweight, and portable, making them ideal for everyday cleaning. They are either corded or cordless.
A vacuum with handheld features is ideal for quick cleanups. In addition, this vacuum may be beneficial if you have children or pets in your home. They also have a slew of extra accessories to help with multi-purpose cleaning.
Bagged Vacuum Cleaner
A bagged vacuum cleaner operates traditionally, with a replaceable bag acting as a filter. However, these vacuums are not used as many advanced options are available now.
One drawback of these bagged vacuum cleaners is that these vacuum cleaners require frequent bag replacement. As the bag fills, it decreases the efficiency of your vacuum. So, the replacement of the bag adds an extra maintenance cost.
Bagless Vacuum Cleaner
Bagless vacuum cleaners are more popular and demanding in today’s market. These types of vacuum cleaners are very convenient to use.
They save your maintenance cost as they don’t require any bag replacement. Moreover, these vacuums come with filters that are washable and reusable. So after every use, you can wash the filter with cold water, and it’s ready to reuse.
However, it is always better to replace the filters after heavy cleanings; they may also get worn out due to frequent washing. So, keep the filter condition in check and replace it when required to improve cleaning performance.
Corded Vacuum Cleaner
Corded vacuum cleaners have strong suction power. They can keep the suction power constant throughout the cleaning as they get energy from the direct source.
However, one problem with corded vacuum cleaners is the difficulties you may face while moving with them, as it needs to be connected to the power source. Moreover, if the cord length is short, it may add extra trouble in operating.
Therefore, consider one with a long cord length for convenient use in buying a corded vacuum.
Cordless Vacuum Cleaner
Cordless vacuums are portable as they don’t require a cable connection while operating. As a result, these vacuums are in demand these days.
However, when purchasing a cordless vacuum cleaner, you must consider its battery life. A vacuum with short battery life can be trouble while cleaning. For example, suppose your vacuum got out of battery, and you cannot pause your cleaning in the middle. Waiting hours to complete your leftover task until your vacuum battery gets charged can be annoying.
Therefore, get a cordless vacuum cleaner with longer battery life, especially when you have a large house to clean.
Robot Vacuum Cleaner
Robot vacuum cleaners are the most effortless cleaning tool ever made. They can perform all the cleaning duties on their own without human interference.
Many advanced vacuum cleaners available in today’s market have many automated functions. Examples include intelligent navigation, auto recharging and resume, self-emptying technologies, and many more.
However, you may face some troubles while operating a robot vacuum. Such as, your robot may lose its way to the charging dock or get stuck while cleaning; some may also create a mess with pet animals.
Oldest Vacuum Cleaner Companies That Still Holds The Market Position
Since the invention of the very first vacuum cleaner in 1901, many vacuum cleaner companies have developed their reputation in this industry. Let’s know some of those companies-
Hoover
In 1908, asthmatic American inventor James Spangler sold his design for an electric broomstick-like cleaner with a cloth filter and dust-collection bag to William Hoover. From here, the journey of Hoover started.
After all these years, Hoover has been a renowned name in the vacuum industry. Some of the most selling products of Hoover are as follows-
- Hoover Windtunnel
- Hoover UH30651
- Hoover MAXLife Pro
Eureka
The Eureka Company is one of the oldest and most well-known names in the vacuum cleaner industry, founded in 1909.
However, this company was purchased by the Swedish business Electrolux AB in its 65th year. Still, this company has kept its brand reputation intact and produced vacuum cleaners to satisfy its customers.
Some of the selling vacuum cleaners of Eureka are as follows-
- Eureka RapidClean
- Eureka NEU182B
- Eureka 3670M
BISSELL
In 1876 the company BISSELL first manufactured a carpet sweeper that captured the attention of customers and thus gave birth to history in the vacuum industry.
Even Queen Victoria intended to ‘BISSELL’ her palace every week. So, the company also grabbed the attention of the royal court with its impressive cleaning devices.
After all these years, BISSELL still holds the position among the top vacuum cleaner brands, and undoubtedly it is an achievement for the company. Some of the selling BISSELL vacuums are-
Influence Of Vacuum Cleaners on Human Life & Environment
Vacuum cleaners have a significant role in the life of humans and the environment. The positive & negative effects of vacuum cleaners are as follows-
- Positive Impact of Vacuum Cleaner
Vacuum cleaners have made our day-to-day life much easier. It saves us time and makes us time to focus on other essential things in our life.
In this modern era, life has become busier. Both men and women are now active outside of work. In this situation, household chores are now tough to maintain. However, they no longer need to worry about cleaning their home with a vacuum cleaner.
Vacuum cleaners have solved their problem of regular cleaning. Moreover, the easy maintenance and use of vacuum cleaners have increased the frequency of house cleaning.
Thus, people can now maintain the cleanliness and hygiene of their homes with less effort with vacuum cleaners.
- Negative Impact of Vacuum Cleaners
Besides the enormous benefits of vacuum cleaners, it also has some negative impacts on human life and the environment.
One of the adverse effects of vacuum cleaners is that they make people lazy. All the automated features in vacuums make life easy but also make people unwilling to make a physical effort in households.
Another significant negative impact of vacuum cleaners is their effect on the environment. Millions of vacuum filters, bags, and lithium-ion batteries are being discarded, resulting in landfills yearly.
Moreover, the motors of vacuum cleaners emit a large amount of carbon which is the cause of global warming. In this way, vacuum cleaners are affecting the environment.
Advancements in Vacuum Cleaner Technologies
Vacuum cleaners have made a significant advancement in all these years. They are now featured with many high-tech facilities, which no one ever expected years back.
Moreover, vacuum cleaners of the modern era give you several choice options. Some of the fantastic technologies found in modern vacuums are as follows-
- Cyclone Technology: Cyclone technology is one of the most innovative high-tech features of modern vacuum cleaners. This cyclone technology accelerates the suction force and efficiency of the vacuum cleaner in collecting dirt. Moreover, they ensure no loss of suction power while operating.
- Anti-Hair Wrap Technology: Having pet animals in the house is excellent but cleaning pet hair isn’t something to enjoy. However, the brushes of the vacuum cleaners often get tangled with hair and stop rotating. Anti Hair Wrap technology helps to get out of this situation. This technology is specially designed to remove and clean hair from vacuum brushes.
- Wi-Fi & Smartphone Connectivity: Modern vacuums feature Wi-Fi and smartphone connectivity. This connectivity opens the doors for many advanced functions such as voice control, personal scheduling, notification of the vacuum condition, etc.
- Convertible Design: A convertible design is another feature of modern vacuum cleaners. These vacuums can be easily converted from an upright stick design to a handheld one to perform multi-purpose cleanings.
- Advanced Filtration Technology: The advanced filtration system used in modern vacuums can kill up to 99.99% microdust particles, saving you from allergens and asthma.
Besides all these, many high-tech features are available in modern vacuums, which have made day-to-day cleaning much more convenient.
Advantages of Vacuum Cleaners
Vacuum cleaners are the most used home appliances that have made our daily cleaning routine much more convenient. There are many benefits that we get from vacuum cleaners. Some of these are as follows-
Time & Energy Saving
Modern life has become busier. Now, time is money, and people are running after money by saving as much time as possible. In this case, the vacuum cleaner is a great invention that saves you time in household chores.
Manual cleaning of the home takes hours; in contrast, cleaning with a vacuum cleaner can take just 15-20 minutes. And thus, it saves your time and allows you to invest your valuable hours in other sectors.
However, cleaning with a vacuum cleaner is effortless. All you need to do is hold the vacuum, which will do all the work. Moreover, getting a robot vacuum will make your task much more manageable. With a robot vacuum, you need not worry about recharging or emptying. It can do all these by itself.
Therefore, there is no doubt how vital a vacuum cleaner is to save time and energy in our household.
Relief From Allergies
Another crucial benefit of a vacuum cleaner is its advanced filtration, which gives you relief from allergies.
The dust in sofas, mattresses, and upholstery traps a wide range of irritant particles that can cause harm to your respiratory system. These particles can cause a runny nose, cough, and other irritations or allergies.
However, to remove this irritation, the HEPA filter used in many advanced vacuum cleaners can capture about 99.99% of dirt particles, including allergy and asthma-causing microparticles.
So, you should vacuum your house regularly, not just for cleaning purposes but also to get health benefits.
Easy Maintenance
Using a vacuum cleaner is very easy and convenient. All you need to do is turn the vacuum on and hold it where you require cleaning; vacuum cleaners will do the rest of the work by themselves.
In terms of maintenance, you need to look at its battery life and regularly clean the filter. However, if you have a bagged vacuum, you need to change the bag when it fills up.
Moreover, the maintenance of Robot vacuum cleaners is much easier. There are many high-tech vacuum cleaners in the market with unique automated features making the maintenance procedure much more manageable.
For instance, iRobot Roomba i7+ has personalized scheduling, self-emptying, auto-recharge and resume, and many other intelligent features. So, maintenance of such a vacuum cleaner is very convenient.
Pet Hair Removal
If you have a pet animal at home, your foremost concern is pet hair cleaning. Pet animals like cats and dogs frequently shed hair, which remains scattered on the floor, carpets, sofas, and upholstery. And regular pet hair cleaning is a significant pain.
However, vacuum cleaners can assist you in this case. Many pet vacuum cleaners in the market have the strong suction power to suck pet hairs from various surfaces.
Besides pet hair, many vacuums can also clean pet urine. Moreover, they have pet odor removal technologies that will freshen your surface. However, these vacuum cleaners are a bit expensive but worthy of investment.
Physical Exercise
According to many studies, cleaning with a vacuum cleaner can be good exercise. This is because moving the vacuum cleaner forward and backward involves your body muscles while cleaning.
Vacuuming keeps you focused on the work rather than the physical exertion required. As a result, you’ll feel better than if you’d only run for exercise.
Thus, vacuuming is an exercise that, when done consistently, can help you improve your physical health.
Disadvantages of Vacuum Cleaners
Besides the enormous advantages of vacuum cleaners, there are some drawbacks that you should know. For your convenience, I’ve pointed below the disadvantages of the vacuum cleaner-
Noisy
One of the significant drawbacks of a vacuum cleaner is it produces noise while operating. This noise level can cause headaches.
However, the intensity of noise varies with vacuum brands and models. So, before purchasing any vacuum cleaner, check and buy the one with minimal noise intensity.
Can be Heavy
While moving your vacuum cleaner, you might face trouble as heavy vacuum cleaners are tough to move. So, if the device is big and heavy, it will not be convenient to use it for multi-purpose.
Again, sometimes you may need to lift your vacuum for cleaning requirements. So, it is better to purchase a vacuum cleaner with minimal weight.
Moreover, a vacuum cleaner may also get challenging to store due to its massive structure.
Trouble Obtaining Spare Parts
With so many vacuum types on the market, you may need help to get spare parts. Some spare parts are unavailable, and manufacturers sometimes stop creating them to promote new products.
Consequently, always choose the most recent and popular product from the available selections. This way, you won’t have to deal with the same problem again.
Maintenance Cost
Most bagged vacuum cleaners on the market do not come with reusable waste bags. So, to operate your vacuum cleaner, you must purchase them separately. Although it is very inexpensive, the bags will have an ongoing expense.
Therefore, these are some drawbacks of using a vacuum cleaner. However, you can buy a model considering these above facts, which may help minimize the disadvantages. For instance, buy a vacuum cleaner with low noise and washable filters.
Final Word
After all these discussions, you now know the history of the invention of the vacuum cleaner and its advancement. The vacuum cleaner is now a part of our everyday household chores.
Moreover, the invention of the vacuum cleaner made our life much more convenient. It saves our time and provides us with many health benefits.
Therefore, there is no doubt that the invention of the vacuum cleaner is one of the most significant wonders of modern science, especially in the home appliance industry.