A Hoover and a Royal reborn to usefullness.

[aeoliandave]

Yeah, yeah, pardon the plastic. By now you know I have soft spots for any derelict vacuum cleaner in distress with rebirth potential.

These two, you will recall, were rescued from the curb in Woodstock. In otherwise excellent barely scuffed condition, both needed only a thorough bath, cord transplants and the green Royal Express Vac needed rear wheels.

The thing is, not only do the shapes, robust materials and features compel me to bring them back to usefullness but the sheer suction power ensures their makeover survival in my house.

 

[aeoliandave]

The Hoover Twin Chamber has an enormous HEPA filter cartridge - was able to get one at Zellers for $32. (ugh) Switched over to hose only the SUCTION reading is 45".

Also intersting to me is this 'dirty air' vacuum doesn't suck the dirt through the dust path to the fans; it pushes the dirt very powerfully through the fan, up the vertical tube to the top of the dust canister.

Typical of high quality Hoover the vinyl hose is very flexible and a pleasure to manipulate. This vacuum type is currently available at SEARS Canada here in Stratford, tho the upper section has been redesigned to hold 2 tools and a blue Whirlwind turbine brush under a flip down visor.

The 2in1 wand contains a very useful removable 16" long thin crevice tool On the back are two horizontal clips for a dusting brush and maybe an upholstery tool? Just a guess as they are missing.

Anyone got one of these you could take a picture?

 

[aeoliandave]

Alien Grasshopper Mantis vac.

I love the color & design of this Royal badged Express Vac (the plate on the back says Royal is a Dirt Devil? Anyway, the power nozzle's central suction hose is a sensible idea and this vacuum registers 98" on the gauge!!! This is one light powerful picker-upper. The curved aluminum handle retracts down the front of the body.

 

[danemodsandy]

That Hoover:

.

 

[aeoliandave]

Curvy Purty Freshly Green Light Upright.

I've seen the earlier squareish version of this light vacuum in boring colors and a straight retracting handle. This one has verve and style!

A simple efficient debris path with minimum jinks. Entire dirt canister lifts out and a handle button releases the bottom so the dirt falls out. The HEPA filter cone is washable.

Oh yeah, I drilled new 1/4" bolt holes and installed chair rubber caster wheels. The old wheels were the snap on kind and obviously flimsy - correcting this flaw turns this into a terrific small apartment vacuum.

 

[aeoliandave]

I sure didn't set out to accumulate bagless uprights but

True Sandy and I do agree with the general sentiment. Bagless vacs are a pain in the butt for high maintenance and don't hold much dirt. They should be washed out after each use to last a long time and who has that sort of time? I mean, I vacuum off the hepa filters with the kitchen Lewyt, Lux or whatever vintage daily driver is at hand. But I can see their appeal to the uninformed with one vacuum cleaner who live in brand new relatively dust free hermeticly sealed homes where cleanlyness goes way beyond Gawdliness, taken to an absurdly paranoidal level. And well, if one does genuinely have allergy & hygeine concerns the evidence packed into HEPA folds and creases will make you feel diligently guiltless about your housekeeping...

My house is 104 years old, bursting with unavoidably circulating fresh outside air and I like running vacuum cleaners. A lot! 'Nuff said.

Dave. No allergies I pay any attention to, honest dust everywhere The Good Lord flang it and a sparkling attitude about inevitabilities.

 

[camelotshadow]

looks like the hepa my windtunnel had
if u shop online
might get generic for under $20
I too cleaned it practically after each room to keep the suction which was great but fell off really fast

It was abear to push
I found it in the trash about 2 yrs ago
I finally redonated it back
someone else from the building took it...

LOL

filters are too expensive

I;d rather have a filter queen

LOL

 

[arh1953]

Nice finds!

As pretty as the vacuums are, the background is prettier!

 

[electroluxxxx]

I think you can get filters for $10 on ebay for the Hoover and dirt devil. I think I bought one a few months ago and it was a genuine Hoover. also I have that same model hoover but in burgandy. they groom really nicely and leave the freshly vacuumed marks in the rug. I love my hoover but it seems to sputter a lot of dust from the container. Great finds

 

[danemodsandy]

Bagless:

Dave:

The reason I am so horrified at today's bagless cleaners is that I grew up in an era before disposable paper dust bags were a commonplace. Our family's vacuum (a Compact C-2) was set up to use them, but they were considered optional. That cleaner was used for thirty years with only the cloth bag, and it was my lot to empty the @!#%*! thing. There is nothing less hygienic than dumping dust out of a vacuum's dust container into a trash can. The tee-ninesiest breeze and it all blows back in your face and hair! And it's not like you want to dump it indoors- didn't you just vacuum all that crap up?

It amazes me how the "bad old days" can sometimes come back in the guise of a "new" idea. I use only cleaners with disposable bags- I've been there, done that with dirt containers you have to empty.

 

[gottahaveahoove]

So true

we ALL used (I still do) bags. we never had problems. Just give a good old Convertible. I'm a happy guy.

 

[aeoliandave]

The modern day innovators can wax eloquent all they want about clogged bags & suction loss but after all is said and done nothing can beat the original Filter Queen cyclonic action for superior bagless cleaning with minimazl suction loss over time. Same configuration is used in the Fairfax & Rainbow. Adding a washable hepa filter medium inside a quick-release removable cone is the only genuinely useful improvement FQ might consider...

Then we have the large capacity cloth/paper filter bag arranged around the fan motor in a GE Swiveltop and Eureka Rotomatic - any tub canister in fact. Honorable mention goes to Constellations and others with the large internal cavity around the 'pillow' paper bag.

When you think about it, having experienced many brands & types of vacuum cleaners spanning a century of progess, what plastic bagless can hope to compete with vintage Hoover beater bars, Kirby carpet suction or the free hanging cloth and paper dust bag combo of a Compact, Haley's Comet or Vortech Force with a powernozzle or the remarkable 'First with a paper bag' Airway double wall bag chamber...dare i say, a smooth quiet powerfully sucking Canadian Electrolux with PN? Each and every one basicly cyclonic in principal. All turbines spin the airflow.

At the end of an all over house cleaning I'd rather toss a paper bag or dump a full tub into a garbage bag than have to additionally wash & dry out Hepa filters, perforated inner & outer cylinders, acrylic debris bins and the like before my vacuum chores also have to wipe down the modern bagless with a damp cloth as plastic bodies get charged with static that attracts all the airborn dust in the room, yet another feature of no consequence in a metal bodied vacuum.

 

[danemodsandy]

Yep!

"before my vacuum chores also have to wipe down the modern bagless with a damp cloth as plastic bodies get charged with static that attracts all the airborn dust in the room, yet another feature of no consequence in a metal bodied vacuum."

The Hoover PowerMax Runabout we have has that problem; it has to be dusted after each use, and I use Favor High Shine furniture polish on it to help with static attraction. Favor has a lot of silicone in it, like Pledge used to before that brand got so heavy on oil. Since Original Pledge is no longer made, Favor is my polish of choice these days; today's Pledge lineup leaves an oily residue on plastic. Favor works wonders on static-y plastic.

 

[danemodsandy]

Yep!

"before my vacuum chores also have to wipe down the modern bagless with a damp cloth as plastic bodies get charged with static that attracts all the airborn dust in the room, yet another feature of no consequence in a metal bodied vacuum."

The Hoover PowerMax Runabout we have has that problem; it has to be dusted after each use, and I use Favor High Shine furniture polish on it to help with static attraction. Favor has a lot of silicone in it, like Pledge used to before that brand got so heavy on oil. Since Original Pledge is no longer made, Favor is my polish of choice these days; today's Pledge lineup leaves an oily residue on plastic. Favor works wonders on static-y plastic.

 

[danemodsandy]

Mea Culpa!

Apologies for the double post.

 

[xraytech]

I agree I think that the bagless thing is gross, I remember helping grandma empty her Kirby Classic as a child it was a terrible mess opening that up and shaking out the bag. Same as the second hand Compact electra grandpap had in the garage with cloth bag. Only vacuum grandma had with a paper bag was he Convertible she kept upstairs and she used Kirby down stairs until she couldnt push anymore. Now she has a nice Singer upright with disposable bags. I am glad it is easier for me to change those bags than to empty that kirby. I also find that the dust bulids up heavily on my Hoover Concept and i dust it with Favor also. I too think that pledge is too oily and it also leaves a terrible residue on the veneer of my waterfall bedroom Suite and my great grandmothers dining room suite, I dont want my fine 1930's furniture ruined by cheap polish or my fine vacuums

 

[danemodsandy]

xraytech:

Your waterfall bedroom suite is furniture that was made before modern finishes like catalyzed lacquer were invented. Older finishes and spray polishes don't get along well. If you'll look at the labels on Pledge and Favor, you'll see cautions about this.

What works very well on older furniture is lemon oil, like the Old English brand. This is what is used at the White House on the antiques there. The staff there uses it every day, but that's because the WH is a very busy place, and furniture takes a real beating, with dust and fingermarks accumulating very quickly. Running the place is more like running a hotel than a private residence. You don't need to glop the stuff on; a wipedown with a rag very lightly dampened with lemon oil is pretty much sufficient over time. Doing this a couple-three-four times a year, vacuuming and dusting frequently, should be all your furniture needs. Bear in mind that the lemon oil is a cleaner, not a lubricant or "feeder". The wood in your furniture is dead; it doesn't need anything to eat. Oil also does very little to correct drying-out of wood; if furniture is drying out, correcting the humidity level is the solution, not smearing the piece with heavy coats of oil.

The care of the White House's furnishings is under the direction of the experts at the Smithsonian, who oughta know what they're doing. I can tell you that this regimen has been very benificial to my own older furniture. The less you do to antiques, the better off they are, so long as they're kept clean and in climate-controlled surroundings.

Hope this helps you.

 

[buffalo-joe]

That Hoover Bagless..........

I have one of those Hoover Bagless machines in my collection too. I am NOT fond of bagless, but this was the first Hoover Bagless Vacuum. I have an early one with a patent pending on the tag. These were nothing more than Elites with a bagless upper housing. The early ones also had the 8 amp Elite motor. Later ones had the 12 amp. The 12 amps are very loud and don't do any better than their lower amp brothers. I have the lower amp model and it has the nice, early, Elite sound. If you can call it nice I guess.

Dave, you have that Hoover looking great. As for that other green thing, well, it looks like new..........


Joe

 

[aeoliandave]

Thank you Joe for that info. I knew there was something about it and well, if its the first Hoover Bagless then that's reason enough to keep it running. Besides, it's a stately shade of blue.

As for the Green Thing, yeah its so new I found this new one at Walmart Canada this afternoon for $69.99.

Heck, mine was free and has better wheels.