Rare Kirby Heritage & Waxing Floors

[vintagekitchen]

The vacuum gods smilled on me earlier this week, when I found a complete Kirby heritage, for only 15 dollars. I called the lady and told her I would take it, and when I picked it up, not only was it complete, but it had the full old style nozzle, like the Classic or Tradition! I had never seen one of these before, so I was thrilled! And the lady said she had another, but she doesnt think she has all the attachments for it, AND SHE IS GOING TO BRING IT TO ME FOR FREE! Now that is an awesome deal.

Here is the whole deal. It came with a pack of regular bags, a pack of hepa cloth bags, the manual, all attachments, hose, shampooer, and the polishing brush!

 

[vintagekitchen]

Full Size Nozzle

I love this design. My aunt had a Heritage, but with the optional small nozzle. It was easier to get around furniture, but never seemed quite right, so much power packed into such a small creature.

(I never liked the look of the shaved nozzle most Heritage models used either. Awful idea combining the smooth curves of the body with the sharp lines of the nozzle.)

My gramma had a Tradition, and it seemed perfect, a big beastly machine, with curves and lines like a classic car.

This design seems to combine the best of both worlds, the lines of the Tradition, with the larger fill tube, better bag design, and classy black of the Heritage.

 

[vintagekitchen]

On to the Waxing..

Since the dining room floor was looking a bit past it, and it was that time of year, (I wax in the fall and spring, with buffings every month in between to bring up the shine), I decided to give this baby a real work out.

First thing to do was sweep, then get on my hands and knees with superfine steelwool and Ajax liquid cleanser to scrub all the old wax off. (Thank god they add a scent now. The kind gramma used just smelled like straight ammonia). Then a new bucket of water and cleanser, and scrub the whole floor with a rag, still on your knees. (I can still hear gramma and mom, "no mop will ever get a floor as clean as getting down and scrubbing it.")

Here you see the floor after thoroughly scrubbing off all the old wax and letting it dry. You can tell where the most wear is.

 

[vintagekitchen]

Now the Kirby Comes in..

After the floor dries completely, it gets one last cleaning. Put the hose and floor tool on the kirby, and go over the whole floor to make sure there is no dust, no fluff, nothing to mar the wax.

 

[vintagekitchen]

What sort of wax?

Johnson Paste Wax of course. Gramma always said the paste lasted the longest, and protected the wood better. (Makes sense, the liquid has less wax and more solvent.)

Grab an old rag, (I keep one in the can just for this), get back on your knees and spread a layer over the entire floor. (your knees sore yet?)

Here is the wax and the Heritage with the polisher attached.

 

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Now it it gets Long and Tedious..

Ok, only one way to do this right.. Let the wax dry to a nice haze, (40 minutes to an hour depending on your humidity).

Take the Kirby with the polisher on it, drop the height setting as low as it will go, and hang on tight, lol. There is nothing like feeling and hearing it vibrating the floor, but if you let go, it will fly across the room faster than you can ever run.

Go over the entire floor with long slow strokes, then turn and go in the opposite direction, so the strokes criss cross, to make sure you didnt miss a spot. Then go the firt direction again, and then in the opposite direction one last time. This burnishes the wax nice and hard.

Now raise the height setting one click. The Kirby won't vibrate the floor as much, but you will still feel it, and you still need to hang on tightly. Go over the floor in long slow strokes, then go in the opposite direction so the strokes criss cross.

Ok, one last time, raise the height one more click. Now the floor won't vibrate, and if you let go the Kirby will try to creep away, but not quite make it. Go over the floor in long slow strokes, then again in the opposite direction so the strokes criss cross. The floor should look pretty good right now, but it will look better in a few minutes.

Last step.. Attach the carpet nozzle, put the belt lifter into the straight suction setting, and attach the felt pad. (I dont know why they discontinued these right before the Heritage model came out. I borrowed the one my brother uses with his Classic.) Lower the height selector until the felt pad is in contact with the floor, and do the entire floor in short fast strokes, until it is nice and shiny.

 

[vintagekitchen]

Final thoughts

It's a lot of work but omg it is sooo worth it doing the floors this way. Now for 6 months I can just go over it with the felt pad once a week instead of sweeping, then damp mop, and once a month go over it with the polisher attachment in the heaight setting I used the last time I went over the floor with it, to keep the wax smooth.

To my mind, Kirby made the best set up for doing this, since the air driven polishers dont get the speed needed for the past wax, (they are ok for the liquid though). And the felt pad to keep the shine up every time you clean the floor is perfect, instead of cleaning and shining being 2 seperate steps like the air driven models.

Question, does anyone have a spare felt pad so I can stop borrowing my brother's?