A Pair of Vintage Floor Polishers

[sireluxomatic]

<span style="font-family: georgia,palatino; font-size: medium;">Well, shampooer/polishers to be exact. Once again, the "journey of discovery" has yielded some good results. Answered an ad for "3-brush Electrolux polisher + 2-brush GE polisher" today, and this is what came of it: An Electrolux BX-10 and a greenish-blue GE (model CS12B), both well-used, but in fine working condition. The biggest surprise was the Electrolux. Upon asking the seller about it on the phone, she told me it was "very old", and a burgundy color, and I began to suspect it might be the Special Edition model from the late '80's (not that that would have been a disappointment). I've found that my idea of what constitutes "very old" differs violently from sellers I've encountered, but no matter. Imagine my surprise and delight to find that this time, my "very old" and the seller's "very old" agreed exactly. </span>


 


<span style="font-family: georgia,palatino; font-size: medium;">There are only two discoverable flaws, both in the BX-10. The cord has split its cover right at the plug, exposing the wires, but everything is still intact and the motor still runs. If it proves problematic, I'll have to see about replacing the plug. There's also a crack in one of the "handle bars", but nothing too serious.</span>

<span style="font-family: georgia,palatino; font-size: medium;">You know, I've actually grown to like the "Vacuum, $X" ads. Pleasant surprises are always, well, pleasant. </span>

 

[sireluxomatic]

#2

<span style="font-family: georgia,palatino; font-size: medium;">Here are some of the polishing, shampooing, and buffing pads included with the machines, all in good condition, not to mention an owner's manual and service location card for the GE.  Note the vintage Sobeys bag, for those familiar with Sobeys supermarkets.</span>

 

[kirbylux77]

Good find there on the Electrolux polisher, Bob! Looks to be in great shape....

Rob

 

[sireluxomatic]

Polishing the Polishers

<span style="font-family: georgia,palatino; font-size: medium;">Of course, it'll look quite a bit better when cleaned up, but it is in surprisingly good shape for an almost 50 year old machine. Best of all, all the brushes fit and turn properly, which is a problem with my other shampooer.  </span>

 

[petek]

That's the quintessential green GE polisher that almost everyone had back in the day. Mom had one and I still see them popping up now and again. I've passed on my polisher collection now to another keeper, can't keep everything and I needed space so they're now at the Stratford Repository

 

[sireluxomatic]

I'm at the same point; there's no more space to put anything, and things will soon have to come to a halt whether I like it or not (the way things are going, I'm liking the idea of a halt more and more). These two machines, at least, will come in useful for getting the floors done.

 

[eurekaprince]

We also had that green GE floor polisher in the early 1960's in Montreal! For some reason, mom actually allowed me to polish the kitchen floor with that thing even as a young toddler - maybe 5 or 6 years old. I learned how to add the "lambs wool" buffer pads by snapping them onto the snaps in the middle of the brushes. Without the pads, the polisher would make these neat tracks on the floor due to whatever floor polish residue was building up on the linoleum tile. Of course it was far too heavy for me to bring out of the front closet into the kitchen......

I remember being unhappy that it had to get stored "face-side" down with the brushes facing you - I guess that way the bristles were protected from getting smushed and bent. But I remember thinking "But you can't see General Electric that way"!!!!!

 

[sireluxomatic]

<span style="font-family: georgia,palatino; font-size: medium;">"But you can't see General Electric that way"</span>


 


<span style="font-family: georgia,palatino; font-size: medium;">Agreed totally. Seeing the logo or nameplate of a machine is very important; otherwise, it almost loses its identity

Since it can be a carpet shampooer, I don't know why GE didn't come up with a drip tray.</span>


 


<span style="font-family: georgia,palatino; font-size: medium;">Those polishers were ubiquitous when I was a kid. For whatever reason, I saw quite a few sitting in people's garages, all in various colors.</span>

 

[eurekaprince]

There was a subsequent series of GE floor polishers where the brandname was higher up on the hood - kind of on the corner where it turned to become the "roof". Always thought the stainless steel version of that series was really cool.

 

[sireluxomatic]

<span style="font-family: georgia,palatino; font-size: medium;">Yep, I vaguely remember seeing the stainless steel one; very striking looking. I believe the motor hood design changed slightly over time and became more rounded, didn't it? </span>


 


<span style="font-family: georgia,palatino; font-size: medium;">It's a fun and easy little polisher to use. I snapped on the buffing pads and ran it over the laminate yesterday. I'm not sure it would perform well cleaning large areas of carpet, but it'd be good for spot cleaning, no doubt.</span>

 

[howardlee]

Electrolux BX 10

Just "inherited" one of these - seems to be in reasonable shape. Any chance you have an owner's manual you coud share - or perhaps some guidelines if you don't???

Thanks

Howard

 

[nitrous]

Green GE floor polisher question

Hi Folks,
I've got a bit of a dilema with my old GE floor polisher.
How do you get the wooden bristle brush rings off?

I'd like to replace them.

Thanks
Doug