Do you remember your household vacs?

[eureka1998]

Curious to know if anyone off the top of their head can list all the vacs from their childhood to now that their parents or yourselves used as your main house unit? here are mine! (NOT including vacuums I collected)

1. Hoover Windtunnel Turbopower 5100 (1998)
2. Red Hoover Caddy Vac Soft Guard (1999-2001)
3. Purple Hoover Caddy Vac (2001-2003)
4. Hoover Fold Away (2003-2005)
5. Dirt Devil Swivel Glide bagged (2005-2006)
6. Bissell Velocity (2006-2008)
7. Eureka Altima (2008-2009)
8. Hoover Fold Away Widepath (2008-2009)
9. Dirt Devil Featherlite Bagless (2009-2012)
10. Hoover Windtunnel T-Series Rewind (2012-2015
11. Shark Rotator Slim Light Lift Away (2014-2017)
18. Hoover React Lite (2017-2019)
19. Shark Rotator Powered Lift Away Speed (2018-2021)
20. Shark Navigator Lift Away Speed Zero-M (2019-2023)
21. Shark Navigator 3XL Pet Zero-M (2022-present)

We had ALOT because we used them an insane amount LOL

 

[panasonicvac]

My parents still have their Beam central vacuum since 1990 and continue to use it today.

 

[eurekaprince]

Here are the vacs of my life:

1959: parents’ brown GE AirFlo canister vac (bought before I was born in 1959)
1960: parents’ blue Eureka Super Automatic 260 upright with attachments
1971: parents’ blue Sanyo Dust Cassette canister vacuum
1974: parents’ gold Eureka Rugulator Cordaway Vanguard model 2083
1976: parents’ burnt orange Eureka Dial a Nap upright with attachments (KMart model for Florida vacation apartment)
1982: my blue and white Eureka Dial a Nap Upright model 1425 with tools (gave to Vacuumland friend)
1994: my red Eureka World Vac Power Team (sold to friend)
1997: my 220-volt royal blue World Vac Mighty Mite II (for apartment in Israel)
2000: my green Kenmore Progressive (Elegance in Canada) Powermate Canister (gave to friend)
2005: my light blue Hoover WidePath Tempo upright (gave to friend)
2005: my chrome Hoover Retro Constellation suction only canister (sold on Kijiji)
2007: my black Electrolux UltraSilencer Green suction only canister
2013: my Black Hoover Platinum Lightweight Upright with mini PortaPower canister
2014: my red Miele Contour S2 budget canister (sold to friend)
2015: my white Miele S8 PureAir deluxe canister with SpotLight handle (Canadian version of Alize)

It’s been a long parade of vacs since I was born!!!!

 

[eurekaprince]

Forgot one of my vacs: in around 2008 or 2009, I bought a Metropolitan hand vac with hose and tools to clean my car…it plugs into the lighter socket so I can clean the car anywhere there is no electric plug. Not very powerful though.

 

[suckolux]

We only had 3! First was a budget Singer branded Eureka,tan/brown which went to grandma
Second was our 59 Compact and a green Kirby when mom married stepdad. Still have the Compact!

 

[fan-of-fans]

1) early 80s Kenmore mid range Powermate canister that my
Parents bought when they got married.
2) mid 80s Kenmore canister that a cousin gave us, that we used along with the other
3) early 80s Hoover Concept One my grandmother gave my mother after she moved, and replaced it with a Hoover Elite Supreme. My grandmother replaced the Concept, as the Power Drive had burned up when she was getting the old house ready to pack up and move, but the vacuum itself still worked great.
4) early 2000s Kenmore Whispertone canister in Hunter green, replaced the Hoover and other two canisters.
This one excited me most, as it was the first vacuum my parents bought after I was born. I remember being excited the night we got it at Sears and the new smell it had. I remember I got home from school on the Friday that week and used all of the attachments on it to clean. lol
5) mid 2000s white bagless Kenmore Quick Clean cord reel upright
My mom got that in 2005 as the Powermate motor went kaput on the Whispertone, so she used it for carpets and kept the Whispertone for hard floors and above floor cleaning.
6) 2017-ish Hoover Elite Whole House Rewind in blue and red. That one replaced the Kenmore Quick Clean as it got broken somehow, but I never found out what happened. It still ran though, but my mom said it got a crack in it.

Also, before my parents married, my mother had a “green and yellow” Kenmore Powermate canister, as my mom described it. That one was long gone by the time I came along, but all four white “Sears” attachments (horsehair swivel dusting brush, flared crevice tool, upholstery tool and floor brush) were still around. The early 80s Kenmore canister replaced it, as my mom said the canister motor had died in that 70s one.

 

[powerstarenergy]

Alright, Let's See...

So, I can remember my parents having
-A Dirt Devil Quick Vac (2012 model)
-A Bissell Powerforce Bagless (also a 2012 model)
-A Dirt Devil Breeze (from 2015)
I think they had one after that but I do not remember it
And finally, their current one, a Bissell Powerforce Helix (one from 2021)
I know the Dirt Devil has the word Express on it, but it was a Quick Vac. That is the closest image I could find. I tried so hard to put the images in order but the website didn't let me for some reason.

 

[human]

The first vacuum I remember was a mid-/late-'50s vintage Lewyt canister, charcoal gray on the bottom with a bubble gum pink motor unit and matching pink tools. That one stayed around, mainly to vacuum cars, until my parents moved in about 1997. The next one, which overlapped the Lewyt, was a Bissell Sweepmaster stick vac. The last time I saw it was at my sister's vacation home in the mountains. The Bissell also overlapped a tan and lime green Hoover Convertible that we got in the early '70s. It got passed down to me in the late '80s and I dropped it off at Goodwill when I moved in the late '90s. Mom and Dad replaced the Hoover with a similar looking Singer upright that was impossibly loud. I didn't like it and I have no idea what became of it.

Two other family machines we got along the way were a mid-'80s vintage Hoover QuikBroom and an Electrolux 1205. Dad must have found a bargain on the QuikBrooms, because he got one for me, one for my sister, and one for them. I got rid of mine at the same time I got rid of the Hoover Convertible, but then grabbed theirs from a donation pile when they moved in 2016. Dad rescued the 1205 from a neighbor's trash pile in the early '80s. It had a non-electric hose and a flippy floor tool. Its suction was pretty poor because of the leaky hose, but I was surprised to see they held onto it. I grabbed it at the same time I got the QuikBroom with the idea of letting it be a parts donor for my other 1205, but once I tried it with a vinyl hose and a power nozzle, I changed my mind, cleaned it up, replaced the broken handle, and put it into active service.

 

[huskyvacs]

For my great grandma: Electrolux Golden J Jubilee (motor exploded when my mom was using it) replaced with an Electrolux Olympia One on trade-in, and she also had a Hoover Elite soft bag.

For my grandma: Oreck XL

For my mom & me: Eureka Boss World Vac, then a Kirby Ultimate G for upstairs. Downstairs went through an Eureka ESP, a Bissell Whisk-It, a Bissell Daisy, a JC Penney orange upright, a Kirby Classic 1-CR (motor was shot when bought so that lasted all of 10 seconds), and now has none until I get a dedicated cleaner figured out. Garage has two Shop-Vacs.

 

[hoover300]

-1954 Kirby 514 passed from my great grandmother
-Yellow Hoover PD DAM also from her, thrown away in 2009 and the 514 stayed
-Bissell 3 in 1 in grey
-Bissell Rewind Cleanview Helix
-Creamsicle color Kenmore Progressive canister
-Redesigned Powerforce Compact in robin's egg blue

 

[vgwpg]

Here is a descriptive list of vacuums, as I cannot remember their exact models.

My parents:

1) My parents had a blue straight suction canister of some sort when I was born in 2001. Sadly, that is all I know. She stopped using it when I was very young (when she got her new vacuum) and sold it at a garage sale when I was around 5. I have a faint memory of what it looked like, but not enough to know what it was. Sadly, there are no pictures of it anywhere and my mom doesn't remember what it was. It could have been a Hoover Spirit or a Kenmore, but I don't know. I do vividly remember wanting to keep it when my mom was selling it. She said that it was silly to keep something that we hadn't used for years and that it wouldn't make much sense since it didn't have a powerhead and our house was pretty much all wall to wall carpeting, but she said that if it didn't sell, I could have it. But somebody bought it. I remember crying the rest of the day.

2) My parents' next vacuum was a green Kenmore canister which they got in 2002 or 2003. It was very similar to the later Whispertone, but it only had the 12 inch powerhead, it had the shorter hose with no controls, and it had no cover on the tool compartment. It was sold after being replaced, but it had been heavily used and was in pretty rough shape.

3) In 2013, my parents replaced the Kenmore with a Dyson DC37 Turbinehead Animal (purple cyclone) since the Kenmore had been falling apart. It was honestly a pretty terrible machine. It never cleaned well, we had several problems, and it ended up dying in 2019. We still have it and it is working again, but we never use it.

4) In 2019, my dad decided to retrofit the house with a central vacuum since he grew up with one and I wanted one. It's a Husky Storm, and that is what we use currently. I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised with its quality and performance.

5) My mom is currently using a blue-green Kenmore Elegance (Canadian version of the Progressive) that she acquired from her mom/my grandma after she passed away.



My grandparents:

1) My mom's mom had a Hoover Futura that she used until she got her Kenmore Elegance.

2) She also had a teal GE swivel top canister that I never saw used, but it was sitting in her basement. My aunt took it unfortunately.

3) My grandparents on my dad's side currently use a Thoro-Vac central vacuum that was installed when the house was built in 1991. It's a red/white rebranded inverted bag unit from Broan or NuTone I believe. They have however gotten a new attachment kit. The original was a Sweep n Groom powerhead and their new one has a Panasonic nozzle that is the same as what a Kenmore Whispertone would have.

4) They also have a grey Eureka Roto-Matic power team (rebranded as a Beaumark from the Bay) from the 70s that was from my grandpa's mother. It has always only been used as a car vacuum though since my grandparents exclusively use the central vac for inside.

5) My grandparents also used to have a vacuum that they had at their cabin. It was a brown Eureka (rebranded as a Viking from Eaton's) straight suction canister vacuum that they bought new. They unfortunately left that vacuum in the cabin when they sold it in 2009, which I am still upset about. I saved this one for last because this vacuum was very special to me because it was the first vacuum that I ever used. We went to the cabin every weekend and starting at 3 years old, I would do the vacuuming. I miss it to this day. I don't remember what model it was, but I do know that it used the "L" style bags.



I actually also have a gold Electrolux Ergorapido that my grandma on my mom's side bought for me in 2009, so that one is special to me too. I vacuumed every day with it. I replaced the batteries a couple of times in it, but it no longer holds a charge at all, so it doesn't work, but I still have it.
I bought a Shark rocket that I was going to use as a replacement for daily cleaning, but my allergies go crazy whenever I use it, so I rarely do. But it's technically a vacuum that I use and not a part of my collection.

 

[eureka1998]

My aunt had the most outside of my house

She replaced hers often for the same reason. LOTS of usage, so our vacuums went out quicker cause we cleaned excessively. She had:

Hoover Elite Supreme (199?-2001), don't exactly know which one as I only ever remember seeing it from the back, but my gut tells me it was a navy blue one. Always liked how they had that drawn diagram of the hose setup on the side.

Hoover TurboPower 5100 (199?-2004): Bought the same time we had ours. But when I went over their house as a kid I only remembered seeing the Elite. This mustve been an upstairs vac until it became the main vac. I was given it until the wheels fell apart.

Hoover Twin Chamber Bagless (2004-2005): Went with her to pick this out, it wasn't bad but they decided to give it to me after they got the Aptitude, at the time she preferred bagged.

Electrolux Aptitude (2005-2007): Never saw it in use but saw it at the house. Was gotten rid of after the cord got torn, but I think they went and bought another after.

Hoover Windtunnel 2 Surface Command (2007-2008): The big new Hoover at the time, and was only used for a short time due to its flawed self cleaning filter.

Eureka Altima (2008-2009): She got it because it was a good machine for us but IDK why I don't think it was used for long.

Hoover Tempo (2009-2018): Her longest running vac. The Tempo bagged units were the best thing in there price range, but being an old Windtunnel platform its no surprise. She loved that one as it was everything that was needed.

Hoover LiNX (2016-2019): Good small vacuum that she used for quick pick ups, definitely a premium stick vac.

JOY Super Chic (2017): Small Lightweight stick she briefly used as the main vacuum. Troubles with constantly overheating made it one of the worst vacuums and its easy to see why it discontinued so early.

Hoover Widepath (2018): A vacuum from my collection that I gave to her after the Tempo died. Being direct air, it was too powerful for her carpets. Ended up staying at the house after it was sold. Hopefully the new owners used it.

Shark Duo Clean (2018-2022): The shark craze definitely took over my family because, even though Shark is a bad company when it comes to replacement parts, I'd be lying if I said they weren't a good vacuum. Theyre one of the few I don't sneeze when using and I would imagine she enjoyed it. Don't know which duo clean she had though.

 

[eureka1998]

My grandparents

Mothers side:
She remembers that they had mostly Hoover Convertibles as a kid, specifically the one she rememebrs was the white one with blue accent lines and a blue base (U4349 I think). But thats about what they can remember. Theres an old photo with what looks like some type of 80s Kenmore in the BG but they don't remember that one.

When my maternal grandmother got her small place, she bought a Shark Bagless Stick Cyclonic, the very first big entry from the company. She also had floorwashers in the meantime she used like the Bissell Flip It and the Hoover Floormate Second Gen. The shark was ok but overtime, she needed a full size. In 2009 when we got the Featherlite, she took the Fold Away Widepath and used it for 10 years! She loved it and it shows maintenance goes a long way. After that went, she took our Shark Rotator when we got the Hoover React, and later on she got our Rotator Speed Powered Lift after the Non Powered Rotator started losing its suction.

Father's side:
My paternal grandparents had an Electrolux 1205 for over 20 years, and at the time probably one of the most powerful units on the market. That was given to my uncle in the early 90s and they got a Black Hoover Futura canister. For the longest time I thought it was a TurboPower until I saw it again years later. That was replaced in the early 2000s with a Dirt Devil Featherlite Vision which was one of Dirt Devil's vetter units. Then my aunt gave her their Windtunnel Supreme.

 

[mieles5380leo]

My parents had a Eureka Victory bagged upright vacuum that my mother got when she was in college (I believe from a friend). Around 2005/2006 we adopted a long hair pet collie and he shedded a lot. About a year or so later we adopted his half sister. The Eureka began burning up belts and the bearings in the brush roll began melting because the amount of long hair it had to pick up was just too much for it. My father routinely visited our local vacuum store for belts and such until the salesman noticed he came in for belts a lot and decided to show him “the vacuum that will never break a belt”. It was a Simplicity Synergy X9.5. He bought it for right around $1k in November of 2006. My mother just about killed him for that but in hindsight she’s glad he did because that is the same vacuum they use to this day. They’ve never had to buy another vacuum and the only thing the Synergy has needed is a new handle because the strain relief began getting faulty about 8 years after they bought it and it also needed a new hose and wand at one point but that’s it besides regular maintenance (bags/filters).

 

[vinvac]

My list is pretty short:

My Mom had a Kirby 508, which I still use today. It was factory rebuilt in the late 90's and still runs like a top.

My grandmother had a Model 66 Airway canister.

Her sister, had a Hoover Model 28 and a Hoover Junior.

Our neighbors had a Eureka Princess with the cord away and tool carrier on top.

The neighbors to the south had two vacuums, a cylinder shaped Speed Vac which I believe was made by Bee Vac and a Regina Electric broom. Their cleaning lady brought her own vacuum which was an Electrolux Model L in blue.

But one of my favorites was the neighbor that had a lower end Kenmore upright, again guessing made by Bee Vac, it was a light blue with a gray bag. She lived in a mobile home and my guess is the vacuum was from the 60's.

 

[gottahaveahoove]

simple here too!

We had a Convertible, model 67.


Grandmother and both sisters had Hoover 28


2 uncles had Convertible 69


another had Convertible 70


Aunt had a Singer... replaced it with Convertible 1076 and a Connie


 


Father's side had Electroluxes (Electroli)?

 

[eureka1998]

Just saw an old family video

and I did not know this but in the background was a Hoover TurboPower 2200, never knew we had that!!! That was before the Red Caddy Vac!

 

[panasonicvac]

Since we're expanding our family tree

I'll also talk about my relative's vacs. I'll start from my mom's side.

My grandparents had a 1994 Kirby G4 80th Anniversary Edition, a red 2004 Dirt Devil Jaguar bagless upright, a Kirby Tradition, a black Kenmore Progressive Direct Drive, a Dirt Devil 103 hand vac, a red 10 gallon Shop Vac, a Hoover Steamvac Deluxe, a couple vintage 80's B&D Dust Busters one brown and one white, and I believe a Bissell Power Steamer since I remember that carpet cleaner was a canister. Now I have their G4, Kenmore, hand vac, Shop Vac, and Hoover.

My aunt had a Hoover Concept Two, a Beam Serenity 2100 central vac, a Dirt Devil Ultra hand vac, a black 12 Gallon Shop Vac QSP, and a Bissell Little Green 1653-4. Now I have both her Hoover and Bissell.

My uncle had a Panasonic Jet-Flo MC-6250, a Panasonic Performance Plus MC-V7367, a Dirt Devil 120 and a Plus hand vac, a vintage orange Shop Vac I believe was 16 gallons, and a orange Ridgid wet dry vac that was also 16 gallons I believe. He also had a very old vintage stick vac as well, I don't remember that one too well but I think it was a Hoover. Now I have his Panasonic MC-V7367.

My uncle had a Panasonic I believe was a Jet-Flo MC-5130, a Panasonic MC-V6255, a Dirt Devil 120 hand vac, a Ridgid WD12450 wet dry vac, and a Bissell Little Green 1720-1. Now I have his Panasonic MC-V6255. After my uncle's first wife split, she had a white Oreck XL Classic upright with the matching Oreck XL compact canister and a blue Dirt Devil Ultra Vision. Now I have her Dirt Devil. Before my uncle married his second wife, she had a Kenmore Stylite none Retraxx model, a blue Hoover Windtunnel Supreme, and a Panasonic Jet-Flo MC-6210. Now I have her Panasonic.

Now onto my dad's side.

My grandparents at their house has a Vacumaid P-125 central vac, a Hoover Steamvac Gold, a Hoover Supreme 12.5 gallon wet dry vac, a Shark cordless sweeper, and they used to have a white/blue Black & Decker Dust Buster I believe was a VersaPak version. At their cabin, my grandpa has a green Kenmore 2621 canister which as of today I don't know where it's at because the cabin recently got flooded and the entire place has been gutted for renovation. Yesterday I went up there to look for it so I could take it back home and service for when the place gets finished but right now it's currently missing. Anyways, he also had a blue Hoover Widepath bagless upright, a red Shop Vac QPV 16 gallon Pump Vac, another Shark cordless sweeper that's the same thing as the one at the house, and a white/green Black & Decker Dust Buster similar to the white/blue one at his house but it's not a VersaPak version. Now I only have the white/green B&D.

My aunt had a green Hoover Windtunnel Self Propelled upright that I believe was an Ultra, and a Dirt Devil hand vac I believe was a 103.

My uncle had I believe a Hoover Turbopower 1700. A Eureka upright that I don't remember too well but it was a blue hardcase Bravo with a headlight, my very best guess would be a Bravo II WideTrack based on the photos online but I'm pretty sure I'm wrong. He also had few other machines. A grey Eureka Quick Up cordless, a red Dirt Devil Jaguar Power stick vac, and a grey iRobot Roomba. Only vacuum he still has today from my childhood is a Vacumaid P-125 central vac.

My uncle had a green Dirt Devil Vision Swivel Glide, a Hoover FloorMate I don't remember too well but I believe it was a H3060 cause I think it had attachments, and a green Dirt Devil bagless hand vac I don't remember too well either but it was similar to the Power Reach.

My great aunt had a Kenmore Professional 12, a Eureka ESP 2061D upright, and a black 8 gallon Shop Vac QSP. Now I have her Kenmore.

 

[thatwasherguy]

Childhood vacuums...

We had a Eureka The Boss Victory (model 4335) that my parents got as a wedding gift in 1997. When it died around 2013, they got a Dyson DC-65 to replace it, that they still have today. Both grandmas had 8 pound Orecks, although one still had an Electrolux Super J in the garage, and the other had a small shop-vac that I now have. My aunt had a Kirby G4, which died around 2013 due to motor failure (she gave me the attachments and literature from it a couple years ago as a holiday gift). She got a Riccar Starbright to replace it, which she still has today. My uncle had my parent’s Eureka’s big brother, the Mega Boss Victory model 4460. Because of it’s similarity to my childhood machine, I kept it when he passed away.
Thatwasherguy.