Vacuums on your street in past vs now

[fan-of-fans]

When I was a kid these were the vacuums neighbors had:

Next door was an abandoned house, later it sold and I found a beige GE swiveltop in the shed, so the owner let me have it. It was rusted through the side, but it ran.

After that house was demolished and rebuilt the owner had a Hoover Dimension in beige they actually gave us when they moved. It was in mint condition for being about 15 years old, but my mom wouldn't let me keep it. They also had a Craftsman 16 gallon in black and an Oreck maroon bagged stick vac. I think those stayed in the house. The owner offed to let us have them but we passed since we didn't need them.

House next to that had I think a light gray late 80s Kenmore canister I saw them vacuum the cars with.

Next to that they had a plastic Electrolux canister from early 90s, but they never really vacuumed but used a dust mop.

House on other side of me I recall having an old Electrolux L if I remember right. Next to them was a cottage and they had a Fantom Thunder, which fascinated me because nobody else had one back then.

Across street they had a mid 80s beige Kenmore Power Mate canister they vacuumed the car with. Once I saw a Filter Queen in the garage, now I think they have an upright of some kind.

House next to that, had a Kirby G3 and an early 90s BOL Kenmore Power Mate canister in gray with the headlight-less power nozzle and cord wrap on bottom.

 

[human]

I honestly don't remember what kind of vacuums my neighbors had when I was growing up and I don't know any of my present neighbors well enough to have ever been inside any of their houses, much less see their vacuum cleaners.

The one exception when I was a kid was the time I saw our next door neighbors' Electrolux 1205 in their living room. I don't know why I was in there because that part of the house was normally off limits to us kids and I was by myself. Maybe we were playing hide and seek. I did remember that machine a few years later, after we had moved to another neighborhood. One Saturday, Dad dragged an identical Electrolux 1205 into the garage that he had nabbed off of a neighbor's trash pile and I recognized it immediately for what it was. The hose was clogged up with carpet fibers and once we got it unclogged, we used it a little bit but it never had particularly good suction. For whatever reason, I still had a soft spot for it.

It was only after discovering this site many years later—and believing that machine to have been disposed of when my parents moved to a different city in the late '90s—that I learned the truth about woven hoses and subsequently discovered that 1205 languishing in their attic, covered in 20 years of dust and its handle broken off. After bringing it home and testing it, I discovered it worked just as well as my other 1205 and I then had the fun of running it with vinyl hose and a power nozzle for the very first time. I ultimately got a replacement handle on the cheap and now it's the Electrolux canister I most frequently reach for.

 

[caligula]

Wow does that hit home.

I was a kid of the 1950's so there were a number of vacuums sold by demonstration only. Basically there were two brands, Electrolux, and Kirby, with a Hoover here and there. I'd say the Electrolux's out numbered the Kirby's 5 to one.

I knew what everybody had because my stock phrase was "what kind of vacuum cleaner do you have?" The answer was usually "an Electrolux," and upon investigation I knew most were the model XXX, or if I was lucky, a LX. Fact was I knew what every one of my friends mother, grandmother, aunt, and in some cases older, married sister had. And I was famous for opening the door to the cleaning closet and having a look.

 

[gottahaveahoove]

Oue tenant

had a Hoover 28, replaced it with a 1070 Convertible, a Hoover Connie. Next door had a Hoover 63, replaced with a blue ranger. Opposite side of our house had a GE Upright, Eureka canister, red shop vac, later got a Hoover 1076. 2 doors up had a Royal, then Hoover Convertible. Across the street had a Hoover Convertible, replaced with a Fantom. 2 doors down had Hoover 707 AND an Electrolux tank.Others had a Hoover Portable, Convertible 70, 719, Ranger, Dial A Matic, another neighbor had a Hoover 1070. A lot on my street had Hoovers. A lawyer had a Kirby.. I'd see him cleaning the Mercedes w/ the tools.

 

[nilfiskga70]

I cut my teeth learning to vacuum with an Electrolux Z90 as a small kid. I remember being scared of it when the motor armature shorted, resulting in an impressive firework display under the white cover. A service man called and I eagerly watched him strip down the motor/fan assy, fitting a new motor to the old fans and stators. While the Z90 was out of commission, we borrowed the next door neighbour's pink/red Z65. When I was 10, the Z90 gave up again, we borrowed a brown Z345 to keep us going till the new Nilfisk GA70 was bought in July 1976 - that vac is mine now, running but needs a resto as the commutator is badly worn from use and the accessories are not original.

 

[watsonw]

1976 nilfisk GA79

...had fisker and neilson introduced the circular exhaust diffuser and three way combination floor/carpet nozzle by 1976?

I bought my GS80 in Feb 1992, just as well as not long after the new types were introduced; I think the TOTL model was called the 'king'.

The company were still producing machines with very distinct features for about ten years after all the other manufacturers has ceased producing completely serviceable/repairable machines.

 

[ocscott3085]

Neighborhood vacuums

Not sure how to organize this since I moved when I was 8 in 1988.

In my first neighborhood we lived in a gigantic cul-de-sac from the time I was born until we moved.  My parents had an Electrolux Olympia from the year I was born and a Sears Best Powermate canister from 1981.  The Olympia spent more time in the shop than it did at my parents house.  My mom bought it because her best friend/next door neighbor (my god mother), insisted she buy an Electrolux after she got her Olympia model too.  She later on ended up buying a Discovery II upright around 1988 when they were briefly in the big box stores. The house on the other side of us had a Kenmore MOL Powermate.  My friend next to them had a lower-end mint green Hoover Celebrity with powermatic nozzle but no headlight.  The rest of the court was a sea of Kenmore Powermate canisters. 

 
My parents built a new house in a much more upscale neighborhood around 1988 and almost every house had either a Nutone or a Hoover central vacuum.  Not sure why it was one or the other but that seemed to be the trend.  We had the Nutone.  My siblings and I used it because for kids, it was like being a fireman with the long hose lol.  My mom swore it was worth its weight and gold but still insisted on a portable vacuum on ever level.  The 1981 Kenmore Powermate ended up in the basement.  My parents bought a Kenmore Powermate 4.5HP grey swivel mount canister with the controls on the handle and that was used on the main level.  The Olympia briefly lived upstairs for the bedrooms but was qucikly replaced with a Hoover Spirit 4.0HP black canister with the Quadraflex Powermatic.  My mom loved how lightweight it was in comparison to her Kenmore canisters. In our new cul de sac, my next door neighbors had a MOL Kenmore Powermate swivel-mount canister.  Next door to them was a Hoover Convertible and Electrolux Discovery upright.  The next house had the Hoover Concept 2 with the hand vac on board and the house directly across from us had a maroon Hoover Spirit 3.1 with Quadraflex Powermatic.  My other friends in different parts of the same neighborhood all had pretty nice machines too.  Hoover Dimension 1000's, TOL Celebrity with 2 speed agitators, Kirby's and Electroluxes.  As we moved into the late 90's most of these machines were all being replaced with Miele's and Simplicity's as these were what the local vac shop was pushing.  In hindsight, very few of my friends/neighbors used their central vacs.

 

[jake1234]

Interesting topic

My neighbours have had quite a few over the years, and I know really well what models they had because when they bought a new one I always took the old one! I am really close to lots of my neighbours aswell so I have been inside their houses quite a lot, more than an average neighbour. I will attach some photos of the machines my neighbours had but first I will just give the make and models. The people directly next to me on the right had a Turbopower Junior soft bag and a vax 2000. When the Turbopower junior broke (I didnt get that unfortunatly) they changed it to a Electrolux 'The Boss' Z2274 bagged upright. When that gave out (I didnt get that either unfortunatly) they bought a morphy richards ultralite 73309 bagged upright, and a vax 6131 to go with it, (I presume they changed from the vax 2000 as it didnt have a pump and the 6131 did) they had these for a few years and then they changed again (they have had quite a few vacuum cleaners) to an Electrolux Vitesse Pet Lover Bagless Upright which I dont know the model of. I took the morphy richards, the vax 2000 when they got rid of that and also the vax 6131 as there was nothing wrong with any of them. When the vitesse started overheating due to its shocking design they gave it to me and I scrapped it as it was just an awful machine that was too far gone anyway. They replaced the vitesse with a Hoover Globe Bagless upright, another awful one they only had for a short period of time before giving it me to scrap. They then replaced the Globe with a lightweight Hoover Hurricane that they only had for about 3 months because they hated it, they gave it to me and I sold it on cheaply. After that they got a royal senior red stick vac that they liked they had this about 3 years before giving it to me as they said it was broken, it turned out to just be blocked so thats in my collection now. What she has now is quite interesting. She said to me all the modern vacuums are rubbish and would I sell her a refurbished Hoover Turbopower Junior Soft Bag!!! So thats exactly what I did, and she is now made up with it as coincidentally it is the same model as the one she had originally years ago! So she has done the full circle really before going right back to what works best, she likes having bags aswell as she isnt a fan of bagless (sensible women) now can you beileve thats all one neighbour! I bet none of you can beat that! Ha! Anyway, my neighbour to the left of me is quite new and when she moved in she had a dyson DC07 Animal and then later changed to a Dyson DC25. Directly opposite me have a DC25 aswell and thats all I know about them because they have had it since they moved in 4 years ago. The people before they moved in had a Dyson DC01 right up until they moved out. One of my other neighbours had a dyson DC01 aswell but she changed to a V10 stick so I took the 01. Further up the road has a henry and they always have as far as I know. Further down the road have two, a 2013 red and white Hoover purepower bagged upright and also a black Panasonic Bagged Upright from about 2009. Model MCE-3002 I think. Opposite me but 1 had a hoover senior 652 in pink, the early deluxe model. She had that in service right up until 2019 when she changed to a Hoover Enigma Bagged Upright (basically a purepower in black and silver) so yeah thats it. Sorry this is so long but its my first neighbours fault for going through all them machines haha! Anyway I will post some pictures now.

Jake

 

[jake1234]

In order pictures of my closest neighbours machines

I put the Turbopower Junior again at the end because she is back to that now.

 

[jake1234]

My other neighbour

Then for one of my neighbours this...

 

[jake1234]

Hoover

Turned into this!

 

[jake1234]

And my other neighbour has these two

 

[jake1234]

I almost forgot!

But the corner house used to have a green Hoover Purepower U3330 which they gave me but I dont know what they have now though.

 

[jake1234]

And one of my neighbours had this

 

[nilfiskga70]

(Reply to Watsonw)
Yes, the new GA70 we bought in 1976 came with the 3-way nozzle - when I worked at the Nilfisk service centre, we were able to order spares for them, mainly wear items like the rubber 'bumper', the brush strip (I used old ones bent into a curve for cleaning the motor fans), the swivel tube which slips on to the steel extension tube and parts for the latching mechanism. Our new cleaner had the plastic triangular tote for the accessories and a comprehensive set of tools. It cost the princely sum of £70 then. The diffuser was the one piece grey plastic cap which uncovered a port that you could plug the hose into to blow out any blockages. The early models also had a hose attachment to the exhaust, the cap was a silvery colour with grey plastic 'beads' around its circumference. A later cap covered the full width of the motor top and held a blue circular cloth, but had the disadvantage of being unable to plug in the hose. Enjoy your GS80 - the 800W GSD/GST motor was a good unit, superceded by the 1000W GM series which came out in 1989. I am going to put together a few hints and tips for anyone stripping and rebuilding Nilfisk motors, they are straightforward but still a few pitfalls if not careful. I would also advise anyone with a GA series machine to store the original mains lead carefully and get a non-original lead or a made-up one for their 'daily driving'- they frequently go open circuit at the motor end and new leads are unobtainable. A common bodge was to use the ceramic-ended female connector that fitted old irons, the pins were round, but they worked with the slanted GA motor's inlet pins. GS/GM motors could use an ordinary IEC female ended connector.

 

[watsonw]

Hints on stripping down and rebuilding GA70s

…… I would greatly welcome!!!

Thank-you in anticipation Gary,

Walter.

 

[KirbyCollector01]

Me being born in 2001.

Growing up in the 2000s & 2010s. There were not too many exciting vacuums around me, but there were a few cool machines here and there.

My family and I have lived in the same house (and still do) ever since before I was born. I am 18 and will probably live here for at least five more years or so. Anyway, here is what I remember from when I was little, to now.

My next door neighbors. They had a green Eureka Enviro Vac (bagged victory style machine) with the back saver handle. I remember it as long as I can even remember. They had it until around 2006 when I saw it on a trash pile at the curb one morning. That was replaced with a black & grey Eureka Optima style machine. They had that from 2006-2010 or so. Then when that broke, they got a Bissell Powerforce bagged. That lasted two years. After that, they started their long steak of getting new Bissells once or twice a year. They have had many Powerforce Helixs and Cleanviews, etc. They are rough on their vacuums and buy very cheap things usually. They’re nice people though.

The house on the corner two houses down. They have had a Kirby G3 the whole time we have been here. The neighborhood was built in 1990, so that Kirby must’ve been here since the very beginning.

The house next to that, has has three owners in our time here. The first owners had a Kirby Ultimate G. They moved out around 2007. The second owners had a grey Hoover Decade 80 and an Oreck XL Upright. They didn’t pay their bills on time and got foreclosed on in 2015. The house remained empty for two years. In 2017, the current owners moved in. They have a Shark Rotator and a bagged Dirt Devil Upright with a foldable handle (from the early 2000s).

A few house down and across the street. When I was little, they had a Kirby Heritage II Legend & a G3 for a long time. They moved out a few years ago. The neighbors that live there now have a Riccar Vibrance, and a Dyson Canister.

The neighbor across the street at a diagonal right had a 1970s Sears Kenmore when I was little. Around 2012 or so, she added a Bissell Powerforce as a second vacuum. That was chucked only two years later. Around 2016 or 17, that Kenmore broke and in its place is a Kenmore Elite Upright that she still has now.

Directly across the street, the couple that lived there had a Kirby G5 and a Eureka Mighty Mite canister. The G5 was traded out for a Kirby Sentria. They had a baby and moved out in 2015. The Kirby Sentria, they took with them, but they left the Mighty Mite in the garage. The lady who owns the house now, still has the Eureka Mighty Mite, and a Shark Rotator Lift Away.

The house across the street at a diagonal left. The elderly couple that lives there has had a Kirby G4 80th Anniversary Edition ever since I can remember. That is used on the main level. They alway have a second vacuum for the upstairs. When I was little, they had a Hoover Windtunnel Self Propelled for their upstairs. Around 2010 or so, that broke and was replaced with a cheaper Hoover that only lasted a few years. Currently they have a Riccar Supralite for the upstairs.

The house on the corner across the street. The original owners had a Eureka The Boss 1934A upright and an Electrolux Renaissance. Around 2014 or 15, the 1934A was replaced with a Sanitare Blue Line model upright. In 2018, they moved out. The people who now live there have a Dyson DC65 and some sort of handvac (I saw it from a distance but couldn’t tell what it was).

The house behind us has had atleast four or five different owners in our time living here. When I was little, the people there had a Fantom Fury and some old 1990s stick vac. Right before they moved out, that Fantom was replaced with a Dyson DC07. The next owners had that giant Hoover Z (whatever that monstrosity was called). The next neighbors after that had an Aerus Lux Guardian Ultra, and a Dirt Devil 103 Handvac. The neighbors after that (the ones before the current neighbors) had a Hoover Tempo and a Miele Canister. They moved out this past January of 2020. The neighbors that just moved in there have a Kirby Sentria II.

To finish it off, my house. (((Excluding my vacuum collection))). When it comes to the daily driver/regular vacuum for the house. My parents started off with a 1998 Hoover Sprint upright that they got as a wedding gift. We had that until November 2009, when the motor started to burn up. We had no vacuum for four months. Finally, in March 2010, we got a new vacuum. A Bissell Healthy Home cyclonic bagless upright. It actually did great for a while, but then the cheapness of it took it’s toll quickly. The so called “lifetime belt” went bad and would squeal a lot. The lightbulb went out. The Turbo brush literally fell apart in my hand as I was using it (that wasn’t too pleasant). The power button started having electrical problems and would spark sometimes when powering on. It became a nightmare to use. So in 2013, we got a Kirby Sentria II new from a Kirby in Home Demonstration. I had already amassed a small collection of Kirbys at that point. One of them, I sacrificed and traded it in so my parents didn’t have to pay so much for it. That is still our regular house machine to this day. We also have a Dirt Devil Bagless Handvac that works great on stairs, and an Oreck Buster B canister that we got in 2005. As well as a Rigid ShopVac my dad has had since the 90s.

 

[marks_here]

In our subdivision of 6 long streets only 2 homes had central vacuums a green Black and Decker & the last street on the corner had a beige Beam which they didn't use because it was clogged in the attic somewhere. The majority of vacuums were Hoover, Electrolux, Eureka, Kenmore, and Kirby. There were only a handful of GE, 2 Sunbeam and only one of Compact, Rainbow and a Whirlpool before Oreck. I could tell when the lady was using the Black and Decker because it was so loud even with the garage door closed.

 

[lesinutah]

Wow

You can tell I got into liking vacuums late.
Growing up in a split town house. The wall seperated them. She had a Hoover decade 80 that I'm not sure if it got the dents or the wall hot the dents. She was a drunk and she played demolition derby with the wall.
The other neighbor had a grey orreck. Her husband died I think she has a Bissell bagless.
The hot neighbor who liked to wear shorty shorts had a Panasonic cannister. It was really a struggle it seemed that way. I think she knew I watched and liked the attention.
The end of the block had some electrolux. I'm guessing the super j. They later had a Kenmore upright.
The middie corner House had a Kirby omega and a heritage 2. The heritage was for the house and Omega for the garage. It would be like a four car garage. He had a train layout that was 4 pieces of plywood. He had weird green carpet. Nobody touched his omega I think it was a family vacuum. He still lives there too. The omega is still there but I think a ultimate g is the other vacuum.
My grandmother had an orreck and a Kirby classic 3. My grandpa hated the orreck as he would have to use the classic 3 to pick up what the orreck missed.my grandma died of a heat attack. I went to their house after and i think the orreck was gone as fast as he could get it out.
Les