Before 19th-century people preserved their floors by covering them with woollen rugs or druggets. They spread them underneath tables or other uncovered wide spaces. Wealthy high society used canvas cloth to cover their expensive carpets. They often put these during special occasions when more people gathered in their houses. They also put the canvas cloth while travelling far away from home. Later, during the Industrial Revolution houses started to fill with dust, partly caused by the absence of ventilation. People searched for innovative ways of carpet cleaning, which inspired interesting new ideas...
Early 19th Century Maids Used Bread With Lemon Juice
In the early years of 19th century most common method to remove sand and dust demanded beating rugs with brooms. Imaginative housewives removed the stains by scrubbing carpets with lemon juice and a loaf of hot bread. Next, they rinsed the carpet with water and then hung it outside to dry. Over time, people adjusted their carpet cleaning techniques with more effective methods. Maids used straw brooms to protect carpets' colour.
In 1865 Ives McGaffey Invented The First Hand-Powered Cleaner
Ives W. McGaffey invented the first hand-powered cleaner in 1865. This happened in Chicago and the cleaning machine was called the “Whirlwind”. This invention was the first one which used the vacuum method in its design. A hand crank operated a fan to generate suction. This cleaner was very hard to deal with since you had to turn the crank while you were pushing it over the rug or floor. Anyway, this invention did not remove stains.
Bull's Gall And Clay Paste Ruled The 1880s Carpet Cleaning Methods
A carpet cleaning technique, published in the 1880s, involved stirring the water with bull's gall. Housekeepers had to scrub it with a flannel cloth after applying, and then rinse with cold water. Other suggested carpet cleaning tip involved mixing clay paste with water. Women left the mixture on the carpet overnight to dry. They swept the paste away in the morning to find soil and stains removed. Chloroform was another alternative but sometimes caused colours to fade. Besides, chloroform harmed humans' nervous system, so it never became an ordinary carpet cleaning technique. Nowadays you can find carpet cleaners in Clapham containing it but in a very slight proportion.
1900s – The Dawn Of Vacuum Cleaners
Hubert Cecil Booth invented and patented his suction cleaner in 1901. He lay a handkerchief on top of a furnished chair and then tried to suck up as much dust into the handkerchief as possible. As a result of his experiment, he built a machine called the Puffing Billy. This vacuum cleaner was made of an internal-combustion engine that used gas. Because of its large size, it was transported around town by horses.
In 1907 James Spangler, a porter by profession was allergic to dust and could not afford to lose his job. He built an electrically-powered vacuum cleaner using a soap box, an electric motor, a broom handle, and a pillow case. It was one of the first cleaners to look like the present-day vacuums. He sold one of his devices to the wife of a leather goods producer. Her name was Susan Hoover and she was very impressed with the mechanism. Her husband William decided he should invest into implementing this brilliant idea. He bought the rights from James and started manufacturing these cleaners. Afterwards, he made Spangler a partner in Hoover’s Electric Suction Sweeper Company.
During the World War II inventors realised the advantages of chemicals, which later evolved into modern-day carpet cleaning. Most people started to acknowledge that rugs needed vacuuming before shampooing. In time, the cleaning industry has improved its substances and chemicals to clean even more effectively.
Hoover unveils the development of a wet-dry vacuum cleaner, making life more wonderful for Suzy Homemaker. Nice color footage of a 1950s kitchen:
