Domestic Vacuums in Commercial Settings

[Sucknologist]

I work in a repair facility in a large school board that must remain nameless (in Toronto. The majority of machines are Royals (that I've been trying to get them off of for several years now.) I'm starting to see plastic residential models coming in. Unless a quick fix is possible, I reach for the "Beyond Economical Repair" form.
I can understand the temptation to buy a cheapo vacuum, but I don't believe there is any savings in this strategy.

 

[sebo_fan]

I guess it depends on the type of school where domestic appliances are concerned. I know of several private schools run by board of directors who really squeeze the money on cleaning resulting in a lot of cleaners bringing in their own vacuums from home and inevitably if is an old machine from the 1980s or 1990s end up leaving it in the school to clean the carpets.

Council run schools in the UK end up either using contract cleaners where the school has already supplied the commercial vacuum or the company hired bring in their own machines. My old primary school had a whole fleet of Kirby uprights. I remember them well. I used to love watching the cleaner use the Kirby uprights on the carpet, not just for the way they sounded but for the headlight to come on every time the machine was switched on, as well as the noise. Having spoken to the current manager of the cleaning firm, they got rid of the Kirby uprights a long time ago because of the price of the dust bags. How I would have wanted one of those uprights back then had I known!

 

[myles_v]

I remember seeing an older Kirby at my school last year, I think it was set up to be used as a carpet shampooer. I've also seen Sanitare uprights and Pro Team back pack vacuums.

 

[fan-of-fans]

I saw a Dyson upright of some sort being used to vacuum the kid's area at the gym. For the gym area (hard floors) I saw a commercial backpack-type vacuum being used. At Publix recently I saw some kind of bagless upright being used to vacuum the entrance area carpet.

 

[human]

My elementary school had a Kirby Omega to vacuum the carpet in the library when I was a student there back in the early '70s. Looking back on it--and knowing what I now know about state purchasing contracts and Kirby's sales model, it seems somewhat odd they had that machine. Maybe it was purchased with PTA funds and somebody on the PTA knew a Kirby rep who gave the school a good deal.

I work part time at a small retail store. We took a $79 plastic Bissell upright from stock to vacuum the two 4-by-6-foot rugs at the entrance. It's all we really need for that task. We'd had a plastic Hoover before that and somebody actually bought the thing at a substantial discount. We originally had a Dayton shop vac, but we never used it. It was too unwieldy for our needs and it took up too much space in our tiny stock room.

 

[emi92]

Hi everyone. I am an industrial design student and I was wondering if any of you could help me out by filling in a survey about vacuum cleaners. https://emi92.typeform.com/to/CiLHTA
All input is highly appreciated

http://https//emi92.typeform.com/to/CiLHTA

 

[sebo_fan]

Which brand are you canvassing for?

 

[suctionselector]

Emi92

Emi92 I have enjoyed doing your survey and all the best for your studies.

 

[scottg]

I always take note of the vacuums that businesses are using when I'm out. When I first started cruising, I noticed that Royal Caribbean was using Windsor uprights. I believe (at least on the last ships that I've been on..) they're now using Numatics.

Also, if you're familiar with the Perkins restaurant chains.. I'm not sure about elsewhere, but any of the local locations I've been to here in PA, they've got a central vac. They have a secondary canister which sits in between their wall outlet and their main hose.. I suppose this is where the majority of large debris falls out and makes for easier cleaning without having to always tend to the main bucket.

It always makes me laugh when I see people in restaurants pushing around those carpet sweepers. I chuckle to myself thinking about Kramer's line in an episode of Seinfeld... "The carpet sweeper is the biggest scam perpetrated on the American public since one-hour martinizing." lol.

 

[human]

The sweepers are intended to be less annoying to the customers since they make almost no noise. I worked at Pizza Hut back in the early '80s, when Pizza Huts still had dining rooms, and we used the sweeper when the restaurant was open. It was just for spot cleaning behind messy customers and it wasn't all that effective. We only hauled out the shop vac after we had closed for the night and the last customer was out the door. We did the entire dining room with that.

 

[hvrvaclvr]

Most stores/restaurants where I live use the cheap Walmart vacuums like Bissell Powerforces, Eureka Airspeeds, or Dirt Devil Quickvacs. I've seen a few using Sharks. The only place that I've seen using a commercial vacuum is the Dollar Tree. I've seen them using a Sanitaire.

I can tell a lot of the department stores just use their display vacuums. At Best Buy, the Eureka Airspeed is always full of dirt and bits of Styrofoam.

 

[tolivac]

The sweepers do very well at picking up crumbs and food bits and are easier to clean out.Have you seen a vacuum used in a restuarant-I have and they get pretty GROSS!!!Cleaning a eating place is really the toughest job for any type of vacuum.I would NOT want a central vacuum in a restuarant--the plumbing is going to get VERY greasy and loaded with food debris.For restuarants and cinemas-the sweepers are actually a BETTER choice than a vacuum cleaner.The restuarants where I have gone to-the manager says he has their carpets steamed cleaned several times a year.When they do have vacuums-its usually a VERY GREASY Saintaire or Carpet Pro.And the greasy grunk is DETRIMENTAL to direct air vacuum fans-the grease hold abrasive dirt particles and the fans get quickly eroded.-and the grease weakens the plastic.The Carpet Pros get badly clogged.And the only times the vacuums can be run is when the restuarant has closed for the day and all patrons have left.

 

[sebo_fan]

When I was younger I worked in a few busy restaurants and coffee shops. Sweepers are great to have, especially the HOKY ones with the rubber blades. No noise, great pick up and can be done discreetly between customers that reaffirms the business policy of keeping things clean. Also handles minor wet messes where a cloth is not always best, or if staff are rushed for time.

 

[jade_angel]

When I was a kid, I used to see commercial Hoovers and Royals absolutely everywhere. Could hardly think of a restaurant or a hotel that didn't have a metal Royal or a dust-cup Guardsman sitting somewhere. Now? I seldom see either one (though not quite never). Orecks, and a lot of them, the odd Sebo here or there, sometimes Sanitaire, and once in a great while, a Simplicity.

As exceptions, my office has only the Royal 880 I hauled in (which is no longer entirely an 880, but...), the local comic shop is using a Panasonic canister and the other gaming shop has this turbo-grody old Bissell bagless. I think there's more gunk on it that has ever been in the bin. Oh, right, and the little motel up the street has a pair of newer-generation Kirbys. I didn't get a close look, but I think they're Sentrias.

Come to think of it, I wonder if the base I used to work at still has that 70s-era Silver King kicking around in the network switch closet? Those don't turn up too often in commercial settings, now, do they?

 

[citroenbx]

vacuum

I use a hoover turbopower 2 in a commercial environment upstairs and up to last month a dyson dc07 down stairs

and they do all right

the dc07 on second wand

hoover turbopower 2 bad autosense and bad bearings

but has been there for long time and goes through a bag full of soot about once a month and dyson has it's filter washed and bin emptied every week

R.I.P TO THE DC07 IT BIT THE DUST

 

[fan-of-fans]

At schools here I recall seeing a plastic Sanitaire F&G based upright and a Windsor upright in a cafeteria.

I recall recently, when I ate at the Golden Corral buffet, they had a rechargeable sweeper, possibly a Shark to sweep the carpets around tables. It was quiet and seemed to do a decent job picking up food particles. I imagine they have to steam clean the carpets regularly as well.

 

[niclonnic]

I am in a community based transition program for young adults with special needs. We go out to different job sites to transition to the world of work after high school.

At the portables where our program is based, we have two Eurekas: a Boss SmartVac and a Whirlwind Plus.

Most job sites I go to have domestic vacuums, such as Bissells, a Hoover Windtunnel and a Eureka Boss Power Plus upright. I've used a Shark at a family center. The only place I've seen using a commercial vacuum is a city community center. They have an Oreck XL. A local church also had an Oreck, but they've replaced it with a Hoover Windtunnel Air Steerable. I've seen an old soldiers' home use Windsor vacuums.

At an elementary school portable, I saw a Dyson DC33 as well as a Bissell Powerforce bagless vacuum.

When I was in high school, one of my classrooms had a Dirt Devil Dynamite, as well as a Eureka 4-in-1 vacuum in pink.

One time at Target a few years ago, I saw an employee using a Bissell Cleanview Helix to vacuum the entryway carpet. It sounded very clogged.

 

[crazykirbydude]

My elementary school had Bissell PowerForces. They also had an Aerus Electrolux upright too.

 

[fan-of-fans]

Today I went to Winn Dixie, and while I was standing in the checkout line I saw two vacuums up front.

One was a green and yellow Bissell Commercial ProBag hard case bagged upright. The other was a gray and orange Hoover Taskvac hard case bagged upright.

I know the Bissell Commercial is really just a rebadged Powerforce with a grounded power cord. But it was nice seeing actual COMMERCIAL grade BAGGED vacuums being used for a change. Both looked pretty new.

In the same plaza a while back I went to the Dollar Tree and there was a Sanitaire F&G upright with the gray plastic hood, and a bagless Bissell Powerforce. SO 50/50 I guess there.

 

[wstonehocker96]

Domestic machines in commercial settings is a mistake and should be outlawed.