Origin of the First Vacuum Cleaner
There has been a lot of speculation about the date of the first vacuum cleaner and the person who invented it. Some patent dates that appear in literature are 1905, 1901, and 1869. According to vacuum expert and historian Robert Kautzman, patent papers have revealed that a vacuum sweeper was produced by Daniel Hess in 1860. Hess, a resident of West Union, Iowa, called his invention a carpet sweeper, not a vacuum. The machine did, in fact, have a rotating brush like other sweepers, however, the machine also possessed an elaborate bellows mechanism on top of the body to generate suction. The amazing thing about his machine was that it incorporated two "water chambers" to capture the dust and fine dirt. He states that the air is cleansed as it passes through the device. This very principle is used in the Rexair vacuums of today. Until any new developments occur in the future, Kautzman believes that the Hess machine is the earliest portable vacuum cleaner in the United States.
The next significant machine to make an appearance, according to Kautzman, is the Whirlwind vacuum cleaner. It was invented by a Chicago native named Ives McAffey in 1869. His machine was cleverly designed and had most of the components of a modern day upright vacuum cleaner, except for a motor. Suction was created by a fan driven by a belt connected to a hand crank at the top of the cleaner. Unfortunately, his company did not do very well. It is believed that McAffey did add an electric motor to his machine some time later, with no success. Perhaps his invention paved the way for later companies to flourish in the early 1900's.
Murray Spangler worked as a janitor in Ohio. But, he was allergic to dust and his job aggravated his condition. After reading an article touting Booth's triumph, he decided to build an electric version of Booth's machine. A vacuum cleaner was created from a wooden crate, fan motor, broom handle, and pillow case in 1907. It worked! He began to sell his invention door to door. One of his satisfied customers was the wife of a prominent leathergoods maker named William Hoover. When Hoover saw the machine, he instinctively realized its potential for the future. He ultimately bought the patent rights for the vacuum. The Model O, as it was called, set the standard for all upright vacuum cleaners that followed. Thus, the Hoover Vacuum Cleaner Company was born in 1908.
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