Incredible vacuum cemetary

[funvacfan]

over on Automaticwasher.org. Here is a link.

http://www.automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?30234_39

 

[arh1953]

I saw that over there!

It's fascinating, and sort of creepy. I hope it's salvageable for whole machines, and parts for the less complete units.

 

[electrolux~137]

If there was ever a place that would send the folks from "Hoarders" over the edge, this place would be it.


http://www.aetv.com/hoarders/video/...m_campaign=hoarders&utm_term=hoarders tv show

 

[vaclover]

wish I could find such a place in south africa!

 

[gottahaveahoove]

I'm CERTAIN there MUST be some salvageable stuff there!

To think, they were all bought new, used, abused, etc.....Wouldn't you LOVE to get in there !!

 

[kirbyvertibles]

So let's all have a Huge mini meet and clean it out. Lol

 

[a1945]

Please tell me a collector is going to go through this stuff and salvage all they can, it would kill me to see nothing salvaged.

 

[rexaird]

ONe thing about those pictures that drove me nuts, the machine claimed to be the Eureka upright AirWay nozzle was just a plain upright, the Eureka nozzles were all either 2 tone turquoise, light on the hood and darker on the base, or yellow on the base with a white hood. And if you look close you can see it has the normal Eureka handle setup, the P/N version had a different setup. I think there's a video of the turquoise one on YouTube somewhere too.

 

[clothbag]

I just looked at the graveyard pictures and was quite shocked. I will have to admit though, that at last 26 of the uprights that I acquired came from a vacuum repair shop in the next town over from where I live. The building he was in was sold to the city of Agawam for a park. The cellar was loaded with about 150 vacuums, mostly electroluxes, and there were 4 apartments on the second floor, one that had another 70 uprights, plus many boxes of attachments for Kirbys. I helped him go through packing what he was moving to the new place and he gave me the uprights for helping him, plus I received about 6 boxes of different parts and paper bags as well. That was less stuff he had to worry about moving or dumping. A friend of mine took over 100 of the Luxes and got about 20 restored before he passed away. Sadly all but 10 of those were thrown out as the executor of his estate could not find any buyers for them. I even tried to help. After the business moved out, the building came down. I would have loved to taken more of the vacuums, but when this took place my sister was having me put all my stuff in a storage unit. There they stay with muost of my personal belongings.

 

[electrolux~137]

I hope whoever is descending into this Vacuum Cleaner Purgatory is being very cautious about critters and creepy-crawlers. Long, heavy pants tucked INTO long, heavy socks. Leather ankle-high work shoes (not tennis shoes or flip-flops!) Long-sleeve shirts and heavy gloves. Don't reach into boxes or under piles of vacuum cleaners.

I've got two good stories here.

One time I found an old ramshackle vac shop down near my church. The shop is long gone; the property is now a tiny industrial park.

Anyway, I went into the filthy shop one day just to see what the guy had. The place smelled of stale cigarettes, cat pee and cheap aftershave that didn't quite cover up the old guy's rancid B.O. He said he had a bunch of "old junk" out back behind the shop and I was free to have a look.

I went back there and started looking around - pulling out some old machines and stuff that were there. Unfortunately it was all ruined since it had been exposed to the elements for years. As I was standing there with disappointment over the condition of the stuff, I started feeling an itchy, tingly, crawly feeling on my legs. I looked down and my light tan khaki pants were COVERED with fleas. Hundreds of them hopping around on my legs and feet, crawling up inside my pant-legs and biting my ankles and calves.

I screamed and literally tore my pants off right there in the guy's back yard! I went running to my car in my underwear (Thank God I don't "go commando!") and got some bottled water and poured it all over my feet and legs. I tore off my shoes and socks and just threw the socks away. Luckily I happened to have a pair of walking shorts in my car so I put them on. I went back to the guy's shop and gave him hell about that junk pile in the back. He said, "Oh yeah, there are stray cats around here and I guess they atracted fleas."

I washed off my shoes and pants with the hose outside his shop and drove home barefoot. I stopped by my apartment and called out to Arlee at his open window to bring me out some shoes. ("Don't ask so many questions, just bring me some shoes. I'll explain later.")

I drove to the store and got a flea bomb. I closed my car windows and doors and let off one of the bombs inside, and kept it shut all day and night. The next day I opened all the doors and windows. I brought out an Electrolux, and with the hose attached to the blower, air-washed the interior of my car very thoroughly.

That seemed to do the trick; I didn't see any fleas after that.

Oh My Gawd that was such a horror! I'm getting itchy just thinking about it!


-------


Then here's the other story.

I went out to my old garage (R.I.P.) at my former apartment one day to get something. I had a pile of boxes stacked up inside the back area of the garage. The top box was higher than eye level. Whatever I wanted (don't remember now), was in one of the boxes under the top, open box. I reached up and pulled the top box down. When I got it down to eye level, I let out a loud shriek, jumped back and dropped the box!

Because staring at me, hissing with teeth bared about three inches from my face, was a huge 'possum! The 'possum is among the ugliest animals in the western world, and this one was mighty annoyed at its cozy little nest being disturbed. It scared the living daylights out of me -- before I got my wits about me I thought it was a gigantic rat!

I ran out of that garage, my heart pounding and the wind knocked out of me. It took a few minutes of re-gathering my bravery before I went back in there because I knew that beast was still in there somewhere. But I figured it had gotten as scared as I had, especially when I let out that ear-piercing scream!

(I also used to see a lot of black widow spiders out there, so I was always very careful about reaching my hands down into dark spaces.)

 

[vintageroyal611]

Dear me! You and your constant garage battles! First a possum, then you lost your door, maybe you would have better luck with a car port!!!

 

[electrolux~137]

??

What I would have had better luck with would have been a better landlord.

 

[kirbymodel2c]

Great stories.

Great stories Mr CL)

I've found quiet a few spiders in vacs over the years.

Anyone else have any stories like that.
I Always checked my kirby's over when I got them just in case there was any stoleways etc.

Normally the bags were just full of old stale dirt(

James )

 

[electroluxxxx]

I am an Arachnophobic so everything gets checked before entering the car... unless I am in a rush I check everything before it enters the house. I have had an incident once where a spiders egg hatched in the vacuum cleaner and I did not notice it until I saw them all pouring out from the motor housing... not too pretty

 

[kirbymodel2c]

Ohhh

What did U do?? Scream?? James)

 

[electroluxxxx]

no I backed off pretty quickly, but later on continued to service and despider the machine.

 

[ohio_tuec]

Yes, I enjoyed the stories as well, Charles. Just seems a shame after that nasty fiasco you weren't able to retrieve a few vintage sweepers. You mean to say that there was NOTHING out there worth salvaging? Not even for parts?

 

[tommymilan]

amazing!