Interesting Facts About the Vacuum Cleaner
Household cleaning tasks are an unavoidable and necessary part of daily life to keep your home in tip-top condition. When most of us think of housework, we most likely imagine it to be doing the dishes, undertaking laundry tasks, dusting furniture, and of course, hoovering!
In relatively recent times, the advancement of technological solutions to tackle household dust and dirt with modern vacuum cleaners has altered the way we perceive what ‘clean’ really means.
WHAT IS A VACUUM CLEANER?
The vacuum cleaner is commonly understood to be a household appliance that creates a partial vacuum and is used to suck up dust and dirt. It typically uses an air pump to create a vacuum. It is used to clean floors but it can be used to clean other surface areas too.
HOW DO VACUUM CLEANERS WORK?
Before the vacuum cleaner was invented, dust and other small particles had to be removed from surfaces by hand. Thankfully, the vacuum cleaner’s simple yet efficient design has turned house cleaning into an efficient and relatively rapid task. By using nothing but suction, the vacuum cleaner sucks away dirt and dust and stores it away ready for quick disposal.
While modern vacuum cleaners can have complex designs, there are three key components of a vacuum cleaner. These are the motor, the fan, and the bag or collection cavity.
i) THE MOTOR
The minute the power is switched on the motor fires up and begins to turn. The motor tends to be positioned in the floorhead for an upright vacuum cleaner, or in the main/ central body of a cylinder vacuum cleaner.
ii) THE FAN
The fan is positioned on the floorhead of the vacuum cleaner. Whilst some vacuums have additional fans for cooling the motor, this isn’t part of the suction process.
iii) THE BAG/ COLLECTION CAVITY
The air pulls dirt, dust, and other debris into the vacuum cleaner, where it is collected by the bag or collection cavity. The bag has porous sides that act as a filter, allowing air to pass through but also traps dirt and grime etc. Many vacuum cleaners also have an exhaust filter. This is the final step of the filtration system and is designed to remove fine particles to prevent them from being released into the air.
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF VACUUM CLEANERS?
The main use of the vacuum cleaner is to remove dirt and dust from upholstery, carpets, velveteen furniture, floors made from hardwood and many other varieties of floors, including laminate flooring. They can also be used to clean flooring.
THE ORIGINS OF THE VACUUM CLEANER
The vacuum cleaner we know today evolved from the humble carpet sweeper which is an advancement of the manual vacuum cleaner. In the 1860s, the first manual model was developed. This model used bellows as its main suction technique. It wasn’t until the 20th Century that the first motorised designs started to appear. This period started a boom decade for the advancement of the vacuum.
The first vacuum cleaner was invented in 1866 by Ives McGaffney, and it worked by using a hand crank.
In the early 1900s, the basic technology and suction principle was established and this remains the same as in modern vacuum cleaners today. During this time the vacuum cleaner got smaller, which also made it more portable.
In the 1930s, only around 30% of homes had a vacuum cleaner.
The vacuum cleaners’ popularity increased from 1945- 1960, after World War Two, largely because of the growth of the working class population. However, the vacuum remained out of reach for many because of the exorbitant cost of around £800-£1,000.
The first robot vacuum cleaner debuted on Tomorrow’s World on the BBC in 1997.
Nowadays, there are many different types of vacuum cleaners on the market. Some have filters whilst others collect dust and dirt through a process of ‘cyclonic separation’.
Modern vacuum cleaners are considered to be very dependable and the best and most efficient way to clean away allergens along with household dust, dirt, and debris.
By vacuuming regularly, this will remove around 90%-95% of dust and dirt from floors and carpets in your home.
TYPES OF MODERN VACUUM CLEANERS:
CANISTER VACUUM
This type of vacuum usually has a suction hose attached and a retractable cord to make manoeuvring easy. It can be used to clean sofas and cars and is also very good on hardwood floors. It is a popular and traditional model and is known for its versatility.
UPRIGHT VACUUM CLEANERS
This type of vacuum is very popular and tends to be preferred as it is user-friendly. It has an innovative motor and a range of adjustable features. It is very effective when used to clean hardwood floors and carpets. The attached ‘beater brush’, powered by the motor loosens up the dirt and sucks it up in its suction pump. Some of the models have a bag to collect dirt and dust, while others have a collection cavity.
HANDHELD VACUUM CLEANERS
This type of vacuum cleaner is portable and cordless. They are ideal for cleaning up after pets by sucking up all that pet hair. They are very good when it comes to cleaning out the car by getting into all those ‘nooks and crannies’. They are comfortable to use and have a rechargeable battery.
STICK VACUUM CLEANERS
This type of vacuum is a hybrid combining an upright and handheld vacuum. Stick vacuums can be used to clean kitchen and bathroom floors. They are easy to use and easy to store away. They are relatively lightweight to use, are battery-operated, and are excellent when cleaning up quick mishaps and dust issues.
ROBOTIC VACUUM CLEANERS
This type of vacuum is based on the latest technology, using in-built sensors that can be controlled using advanced control systems, and they don’t require manual support. They excel on laminated flooring.
CONCLUSION:
There are many benefits of using a vacuum cleaner in your home. They are versatile, effective and efficient, and come in all shapes and sizes to suit a range of cleaning needs and tasks. The innovative designs remove dirt, dust, pet hair, allergens, and other small particles leaving your floors, carpets, furniture, and other surface areas ‘spick and span’, in a relatively short space of time.
Technological advances have enabled designs to produce smaller, more portable, and more affordable vacuum cleaners for a significant proportion of the population.
For all your cleaning needs, why not contact Pressed not Stressed and book your professional cleaning appointments?
