Who likes a find with a back story?

[SeboLady369]

I love bringing home a new (to me) vacuum and finding there is not only the owners manual, but the original receipts and any information about the life of the machine. I am that way with cars too, but that's beside the point. Who else loves this? Any cool stories of your own?

 

[bnsd60m9200]

you in the HEB/ irving area? there are a few other collectors close by you! im in flower mound..

 

[SeboLady369]

Yep

Yes I do haha it's getting more and more cramped around here.

 

[marks_here]

Oh yeah

I got a rainbow e2 gold 2 speed, filthy and it held a big surprise after I opened it up...I contracted MRSA from it, was in the hospital for 2 weeks fighting for my life, almost put on life support, an operation every other day, 168 internal stitches, 68 external stitches & 1 gigantic scar on the left side of my chest. In the description on Ebay they said it was hardly used...LOL it was rode hard & literally put away wet!

 

[SeboLady369]

That's intense!

Holy jeez! We are always cautious when I bring one home no matter where it's from. Good to see you made it through!

The most interesting thing I have seen come out of a vacuum was from a Kirby (I think) and when we took the bag off the unit, sitting there was (what we think) a diamond. It's awfully big to be real, and we never got it checked out, but it was still awesome! We still have it, and I would love to have a piece of jewelry made with it.

 

[marks_here]

I thought I was cautious too, I guess I wasn't LOL but I'm still here even more cautious now...I wear an asbestos suit, you never know what someone has vacuumed up!

 

[super-sweeper]

Where on earth are you finding asbestos suits, Mark? Don't let OSHA see this thread!!!!


 


That's scary! I've never had any near-death experiences like that, although once I had a water pump explode its water tank thing a few feet away from me, I should get a tetnis shot with the work I do! Thinking back,I got cut on a Rug-Renovator once, if I stained the rug I would at-least be able to clean it up! That certain Renovator was just trouble, the first time it was I was up until midnight shampooing rugs because the belt fell off and I had done the entire room with no scrubbing! The second I cut myself on it, and then the sleeve bearings decided to snap in half, while I was shampooing carpets at church!I threw that Heritage I Renovator into it's box and shelfed it, hello Classic Rug-Renovator! 

 

[marks_here]

The Suit was a barn find here..LOL. .. .. .among other creepy crawlies

 

[cb123]

That was definitely not a pot of gold you found in that Rainbow. Man, that sounded like some really nasty bacteria in that black water! I'm glad you pulled thru. I guess it just about gave you septicemia, MAN, MAN, MAN!!!

 

[marks_here]

Calem, I was minutes away from that..I had no idea what was going on, all I know is that a lot of people where coming in the room & they were keeping quiet about what was going on.

 

[super-sweeper]

How was there still water in that basin? Did you take it from a sale, the trash, or was it even shipped that way? I was in my abandoned dream house once, the one with the power still on, the refrigerator was still keeping itself cold! I unplugged it because I don't want my dream house turning to ash, and I didn't DARE open that fridge! But hopefully that day will come, when I own that house and that fridge, and I open the fridge in the yard after 13-20 years of keeping itself cold with nobody to chill things for, and while wearing a rubber hazmat suit!! 

 


Mark, consider changing your asbestos suit for a hazmat suit! 40-year old potty water in a rainbow is a grade 482 biohazard!!

[this post was last edited: 7/30/2014-01:25]

 

[marks_here]

It wasn't from the water, when I took it apart to clean the inside by the motor, it was all dusty & I don't think they used water in it so I sprayed the inside to clean it, it was clean, with the filter off the back I turned it on & something shout out of the exhaust port right into my lower side of my stomach, I didn't think anything of it until I pulled it out which was a piece of metal then all hell started for 2 days it wouldn't stop bleeding it wasn't a deep cut at all. Felt sick, running a fever, going through big bandages every 2 hours. Finally went to the dr. He looked at it, got me admitted to the hospital & at the end of the started the operations

 

[super-sweeper]

That is terrible! I'll make that a BULLET-PROOF  hazmat suit! I'm glad that today you can 'lol' about the incident, it goes to show that people who like Kirbys tend to be built like them too, indestructible!

 

 

[marks_here]

Yes so you never know what you're going to be getting into just by opening up something...

 

[super-sweeper]

VBS- vacuum bomb squad! 

 


Ok,I have a backstory with my Kirby 511!


 


It was years ago, I was attending a summer camp at a church with a friend. Somehow,I forget how, an older lady (not elderly but not going to the disco nightly anymore!) Found out my interest in vacuum cleaners. She told me she had her mothers' Kirby vacuum cleaner. She gave me her phone number.


 


Time passed,I never heard back from Mrs.Sandy (her name). Until one day my grandmother was taking me on a surprise and random trip. We pulled into a driveway, and at the garage was nothing more than a Kirby model 511 in tan! Refurbished in 2001. The hose was rigged from pool hose, it had a upholstery nozzle from a Classic III, the original 511 wand and mummified dusting brush. It was tarnished and the bag was replaced with tan, but it was my first 500 series Kirby, and it was amazing. Mrs.Sandy still used an older Eureka F&G upright, along with a central vac. Oh! But the 511 did come with the original Handi-Butler and Miracle Head!

 

[vintagevaclover]

I do. My 516 thrift shoppe find came with the owners manual, multiple receipts, and several other things.

 

[electrolux137]

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What an awful story, Mark. MRSA is nothing to mess with. I have, in my dotage, become far more cautious when handling old vacuum cleaners. I always wear a respirator mask, goggles and gloves for the initial handling/inspection. And I'm careful not to let any clouds of dust spew out when taking a machine apart.

Also, after a friend had an infestation of bed bugs a couple years ago, that's another worry I keep in mind. It's entirely possible that someone with bed bugs could vacuum up some of them. {{{*SHUDDER!!!*}}}

Then there's the possibility of fleas, ticks, roaches.......

You just NEVER know what kind of filth is in there![this post was last edited: 7/30/2014-03:01]

 

[fan-of-fans]

I will start being more careful. I always throw old bags away immediately and remove as much dust as possible before working on a vacuum. I also prefer to wash all of the parts with hot soapy water before using a vacuum in the house. I try to leave them in the garage until then, but once in a while they come in before being totally clean. I really try to avoid bringing dirty vacuums inside though.

 

[tig21er]

Mark,

God was with you having a good Dr. and people that took care of you. I learned to be wary of other people's cleaners when I cleaned a Dyson and was down sick a whole week. What ever I had the doctor said I was lucky to have gotten better not knowing what was in the dust and dirt.