Scary Vacuum Cleaners

[sleepdoc]

Colletors' fears of vacuums

This is a little bit of drift, but someone (I don't remember who) asked me not too long ago if I was afraid of vacuums as a kid - in fact, she assumed I had been because she had the idea that all vacuum collectors were terrified of vacuums early in life. I never was afraid of a vacuum. But, I had it easy because my family had Electrolux canisters, which were quiet. I didn't (and still don't) like loud vacuums, but they irritate, not frighten, me.

However, I wouldn't be surprised to learn that people who grew up in the era of Hoover Elites, Dirt Devils, and other "screamers" were scared of them as kids because of the horrible noise they make. I don't have data, but it's an interesting speculation.

 

[anthony]

Hi turbo 500

yes thats the one .That red goblin still gives me the creeps .

 

[icee]

Fun fact for you....

I used to be scared of all sweepers! Like all the way until I was like 13! Sad, I know haha. I really didn't like loud noises as a kid, and now I still don't really (ironicly I like rock and heavy metal, however that works). When I was really little I was also afraid it was going to eat me or something lol. I think one time I remembering seeing my mom accidently suck up a small tpy of mine so it freaked me out. Since we used to live with my grandma till I was about 6, they had a hoover elite. I know when my mom got married we had a dirt devil vision with the swivel wheels, but Idk if the vision was around in 98? So if it wasn't I have no idea what they had pre vision. But now of course I'm obsessed with sweepers and have a house full of them. Even when I was really scared of them, I still had like this small interest, or intrigue about them. I'm an odd one lol

 

[dirtmaster37]

Scared of....

See that many years back, commented on this thread. Had another revelation of a machine, or rather machines that scared me back when I was younger. The town my dad moved to, post my folk's separation, had another on of those "thrift type places" that had scads of vacuums in it. In later years, post licence, one found several machines there that I purchased. One being a NORCA model 80, which now resides with another collector in Illinois... It closed a few years back. Was heartbroken.

BUT, back when one was a young lad on his bike, I'd make a pilgrimage there every single Sunday when I'd go to visit dad for a weekend. Around 13 or so, three machines came up in the little alcove they kept all the vacuums, that I had NEVER seen before. Two were Royals, Straight Suction, and one I believe; was A Purifier? And then a large Hoover, which today I can safely say to all, was a Hoover Senior. An early one, just after the bag ring was introduced.

One was terrified of plugging any of them in. All of them had tattered cords, and being not too far off from that electrifying experience with the Kenmore, received by my great aunt, and they just looked ODD to me, prevented me from ever plugging them in. Or using them. Stupid me. That Senior, would have been the neatest to use. I know this now having used both the Model 0, and several Seniors.

The more you know!

Chad

 

[crazykirbydude]

What was that Kirby-like vacuum in the Mr. Mom clip?

 

[oreck_xl]

It was a highly modified Kirby Classic 1CR

 

[crazykirbydude]

What's with that giant box on the back and the headlight? It looks like a Kirby from Mars!

 

[crazykirbydude]

Also, what's with the buffer handle?

 

[ian]

Hello,
It's really fascinating to read your vacuum cleaner terror tales! I was very phobic of upright cleaners as a child. Recently I had to record an audition tape to an appliance company to talk about why I like vacuum cleaners. Here it is!


http://https//youtu.be/6erKEKml7Oo

 

[matt8808]

Shortly after I was born my parents bought a Panasonic MCE43N. My mum used to leave the machine running by my cot on low power to help send me to sleep (maybe this is where my vacuum interest comes from??).

I used to love this vacuum and as I grew up would play with / use it at every opportunity.

With two small children and a large german shepherd dog the vacuum used to get used a LOT. My mum was one of these people who never maintained her vacuum cleaner and the bag was often left to become so full that dirt would begin backing up down the hose. I can still remember my grandmother giving her a lecture as she pulled clumps of backed up dirt from the hose.

My uncle (mums brother) owned the same model Panasonic but also owned a Kirby Tradition with all the extra bits. My mum used to regularly borrow the Kirby with all its kit to give the house a good clean and shampoo carpets. I was TERRIFIED of this machine and would run from the room screaming as soon as it appeared. I can still remember hiding in my bedroom while she used it and trying to barricade the door so she couldn't get in with it.

Another memory I have of the Kirby is one time my uncle came to visit and my mum had mentioned that the Kirby wasn't working very well. Turned out the bag was so full that the dirt had backed up right the way down the fill tube to the emptor. I can remember watching as they stood it in the garden, took the bag off and tried to fish out all the backed up dog hair.

No idea why I was so scared of it. Maybe it was the inflating bag?

Can't of been the noise as my grandmother had a Hoover Turbomaster Freedom and that was noisy as hell in comparison to mums Panasonic but I wasn't scared of that!

 

[shinymac]

The thread about exterior bags on upright vacs is interesting and one that appeals to me too. I live in the UK and over here these days, there are precious few vacs around with inflating cloth bags. This is sad. We seem to have become a "bagless is best" society..lol.

One thing that the USA had which we never have had over here is VINYL bags. I wonder why that is ? Did the vinyl bags perish with age ? Which upright in the USA had or has the largest vinyl bag ? Did anyone make one themselves and adapt it ?

The other thing I wondered is if anyone knows anyone (that ISN'T a vac collector) in the UK, but who still uses an upright vac with an inflating bag in everyday use ?

Cheers Guys and Gals

 

[gj3476]

Back around the late 90’s - early ‘00s, my aunt Angela used to have a blue hoover widepath upright and I remember when she used to run a daycare at her house, she would pull out the Hoover and turns it on to vacuum while everybody including me would be taking a nap and I freak out, jumping off the floor to the couch like a monkey! Lol, good times! Here’s the one my aunt used to have. That’s how I started to love vacuums. I would love to find one like this soon.

 

[huskyvacs]

Thanks to "The Brave Little Toaster" and the scene with Kirby going crazy, I was always afraid of running over the vacuum cleaner cord.

Starts at 00:52 if the link doesn't jump directly to that point:

 

[ilovehoovers]

I used to be (and still kind of am) terrified of loud vacuums. Convertibles, Orecks, you name it, I was scared of it. That's why I love my Constellation; it's nice and quiet.

 

[kirbyklekter]

Definitely an old Hoover upright

Probably a #28 or#29. It was stored in the hall closet. When company came over mom would stick it in the corner of my bedroom to make room for companies coats and hats.

My parents were hosting a cocktail party so I was put to bed early. This was in the winter and we were having our fair share of thunder and lightening storms. As the night wore on the party got louder and so did the storm outside. At some point I woke to loud thunder and streaks of light shot through my shutters and would light all or just a part of the Hoover mom put in the corner.

She stuck an old wicker hat on the handle that was in the closet also just to make a little more room. I laid there side-eyeing this stranger in the corner of my room,barely visible except when a beam of light struck.

This little 3 yr. old was petrified, I was scared to even sit up and take a closer look so I hunkered under the covers until mom came in to check on me. I must of been crying loudly because some of the guests came in with mom to see if I was alright. I kept saying it's in the corner, it wants to eat me. Seen too many old cartoons with uprights eating everything in sight until they exploded! So yes old uprights scared me as a young man. Canisters, no problem!

 

[jo]

A few for me

I didn’t like seeing the sparks through the motor air vents on our Regina Elektrikbrooms. Also when I was a toddler Mom’s Electrolux model S had a malfunctioning switch and it would flicker on and off while using it. I could swear I saw sparks coming from the switch while Mom was vacuuming with it one time and was scared of it. Though I surely liked pushing the single wand with flip over rug and floor tool around, it was just my size as a little one. Even as I got older and the switch had been replaced...I did notice that those switches do spark inside when turning on or off. I can see it through where the metal shaft goes into the switch housing. My parents still have that Model S today though it resides as the basement vac now. We’ve had to put a few switches into it over the years. I last ran it when I visited them over the 2019 Christmas holiday when I vacuumed the basement steps and some of the basement for them to help out with some of the housework that is now a lot for them. I always think about that sparking switch every time I use the model S!!! Funny how that sticks you after all these years. The Electrolux model E, model R and early white model L’s all use that same flip type switch.

Jon

Jon

 

[fan-of-fans]

hatted Hoover

That would be scary to see that vacuum in the dark with lightning flashes lighting it up spooky!

Speaking of sparks through vents, I used to have a Bissell 3 in 1 hand vac/stick vac that I got for Christmas one year. You could see the sparks through the vents on it too. I didn't realize that vacuum motors had brushes and sparked, so I thought that something was wrong with it. Other than that I liked the vacuum after my dad told me it was fine.