Vacuum Cleaners

Many inventors were involved in the evolution of the vacuum cleaner and the first manual vacuum cleaner was invented by an American inventor called Ives W. McGaffney in Chicago in 1868. The device was cumbersome and not very user friendly. He was then followed by Corinne Dufur who patented her electric driven carpet cleaner and dust gatherer in 1900. She was followed by H.C. Booth who created the first powered cleaner which used a vacuum in 1901. He first invented a device known as the Puffing Billy which was fueled by an oil engine and later by an electric motor. He further evolved his vacuum cleaner and created a model known as 'the Goblin' which lost out to the Hoover.

The inventor who had the greatest influence on the evolution of vacuum cleaners was W.H. Hoover whose company, which was at first called the 'The Electric Suction Sweeper Company', manufactured and sold its first vacuum cleaner, the 'Model O' in 1908 for the princely sum of $60. Vacuum cleaners continued to be considered luxury items until WWII after which they became common devices in most middle class households. Such was the brand identity which was established by the Hoover Company that in Britain vacuum cleaners are colloquially known until today as 'hoovers' and the act of vacuuming is also referred to as 'hovering'.

The Hoover company now produces a wide array of vacuum cleaners like upright vacuums, carpet cleaners like the SteamVac all terrain model, hard surface cleaners and updated models of its popular canister cleaner called the Constellation which was first introduced in 1952. The company also today produces other house hold electric appliances.

A British inventor once called James Dyson once again shook up the world of vacuum cleaners the mid 1980's when he introduced his vacuum cleaner that operated on the cyclone principle. His first model was introduced in the Japanese market and was priced at $1800.He subsequently introduced his Dyson DC01 upright model in 1990 which retailed in the U.K. for £ 200. Doubts were expressed at that time if the public would be willing to pay for a cleaner which was priced at twice the amount of an ordinary cleaner but over time the Dysons as they are popularly known have gained in popularity and have inspired other cyclonic cleaners as a result of which they are not that much more expensive than ordinary vacuum cleaner today.