It's spring cleaning - and that means trash finds

[fan-of-fans]

It's spring, and I guess that means people are cleaning out their houses. I've seen several vacuums thrown out in the last couple of weeks. Two weeks ago I saw two upright carpet cleaners - probably Bissells. Last week there was a Dirt Devil Breeze bagless upright. Then this week I saw a Hoover Steam Vac (mid 90s non-hose model) and this morning another upright. I didn't get a good look at the upright unfortunately, it looked kind of interesting.

So have you guys been seeing many vacuums thrown out lately?

 

[compactc9guy]

zip 0 lately but whit warmer temps well see

 

[oreck_xl]

Most of the plastivacs that get thrown away around here belong at the curb. Unless it's an Electrolux, Kirby or Hoover convertible I rarely stop anymore. I did find a Hoover Elite 200 a few weeks ago. I was shocked that the fan/fan housing was still intact.

 

[human]

Agreed. 99 percent of the time when I see a vacuum cleaner at the curb it's a piece of plasticrap that doesn't warrant me even slowing down, much less stopping for. The last worthwhile vacuum cleaner I saw beside the road was a super clean Electrolux Discovery II that I snagged about two years ago and still frequently use.

 

[electroluxxxx]

Around here there are "trash outings" they usually happen the whole month of may/june. last year I managed to snag some great and sought after audiophile stuff, an Electrolux B8 Epic polisher/shampooer with all of the heads, a beautiful early Silverado with 2 power heads, one of which was original. a mint condition fantom cyclone XT that was absolutely complete, and a mint like new Bissell Sweep master with the floor washer complete. I think there were a few other finds that im forgetting about, but all in all it was a good year last year and I believe this year might be just as good.

 

[gottahaveahoove]

If I'm driving and I see a Hoover Convertible,

(I'd know that handle anywhere), I'll look closer. It's amazing ,the things I HAVE seen.
It amazes me at whet people will throw out.

 

[kirbylux77]

Edgar, I wouldn't agree entirely with you. Sure, most people do throw out plastivacs, because that's what is mainly sold these days. But I have had some really good luck over the years too. Some of my notable finds over the years:

- mid-run Electrolux Super J, complete with original woven non-leaky hose & shiny PN4. Body in near mint condition, just minor scrapes on the underside. No tools, but worked perfectly & needed a $12 dollar powerhead cord to lower wand.

- early Electrolux 2100 with all the tools, PN5 powerhead & Sidekick. Just needed a new hose.

- early Hoover Spirit canister, white/gray with early L shaped Quadraflex Powermatic powerhead. Had most tools, just needed a new rear wheel.

- early 2000's Panasonic upright, upper level model with TriForce motor, metal bottom plate & brushroll. All the tools, only minor damage to wand holder on the side

- TriStar CXL. A junker, but was complete & a great parts machine.

- Nice mint condition Dirt Devil Power Pak powerhead.

- Rainbow D4 Performance Edition. A friend found just the canister, dolly & water bowl. It needed new carbon brushes, & I had all the rest of the parts for it. Later sold to a doctor who was obsessed with Rainbows for over $400 dollars, & he referred some future clients too.

- later model Bissell Cleanview II bagless with cord rewinder. Cleaned up, new belt & donated to a friend in need.

- Mid level yellow Kenmore Whispertone canister from 2000's. Cleaned up, new filters & bag, & sold.

In my town, in the past couple of years they started a large item garbage pickup for couches, appliances, etc. Numerous vacuums put at the side of the road, so this year I will be picking up whatever I can that can be used for parts or sold.

Rob

 

[fan-of-fans]

I've never seen a high end vacuum like a Kirby, Lux, Rainbow, FQ, etc in the trash. When I was younger I saw a metal base Eureka and a plastic Hoover Convertible once. A neighbor once brought me a Kenmore upright (Panasonic made) with the metal handle, and a Kenmore canister once they had found. I also got a Hoover Legacy that I used for a number of years and later sold. All that was wrong was the bag compartment needed reattaching. The attachments had never been used.

I too mostly see bagless uprights (usually Bissells) in the trash now, and that's about all I ever see anymore. A few years ago I was seeing mostly Hoover Windtunnel Self Propelleds for some reason and again, bagless Bissells. I also saw a Hoover Sprint canister once that a guy was getting out of the trash!

 

[human]

I was in the car this afternoon and saw a yellow plastivac (Dyson, maybe?) but didn't even tap the brakes. In my experience, high end trash finds are very few and far between. I have three in my collection. Aside from the aforementioned Electrolux Discovery II. I have an Electrolux 1205 that my dad saved from a neighbor's trash pile in the early '80s and a Kirby Gsix that I grabbed from next to a dumpster about six years ago. It needed just a bag and a belt and was actually what brought me to Vacuumland, seeking information about it. A year so ago, I was driving to work and saw a vintage Kirby (Classic Omega, maybe?) beside the road. Unfortunately, I was running late and traffic was heavy so I couldn't stop to investigate. It was gone when I went home at lunchtime. I hope somebody managed to divert it from the landfill.

 

[dartman]

The last free vacuum I found was on Craigslist a year or so ago when I found a Starks/Royal 5700 upright. Traded a few emails then guy called me and told me about it and said it was free of course seeing how it didn't list a price. I drove right out that weekend morning and picked it up complete with a bunch of bags and belts. I had been wanting one to complete my Royal pairing as I have a 4650 canister and a 413 that work great. I have carpet so either does a good job here. Next Door.com is also a great place to look for free and cheap things local to you. I found a 8 track pro studio reel to reel with all the extras for free one day too but was too slow to get it.

 

[cmbcool01]

Found a couple free vacuums online worth something wasn't intrested so I never bothered with them but I'll agree with most on here that most curb fines are generally crap that belonged on the curb out of the box don't need any plastic bagless crap in my collection I would stop if it was a bagged machine

 

[huskyvacs]

I found 3 vacuums so far on the trash, the first I have done so since 2010. I found a Bissell Cleanview full of dryer lint, a Eureka The Boss Excalibur that looks like it hasnt been touched for 20 years, and just recently a Dirt Devil Max Power from 2016 that looks like it was only used once until it clogged and then trashed.

 

[cmbcool01]

Most people don't care to do basic vacuum maintenance

So it doesn't really surprise me to see curb machines with something as easy and simple to fix as a clog or bad belt honestly it seems most vacuums today although cheap plastic crap that quality wise do belong in the trash are nonetheless mechanically still tossed well before thier time simply because most people won't bother to do the most basic repair or maintenance