Why don't Barber Shops and Hair Salons typically use vacuums?

[completenutt]

I've always been transfixed, even as a kid, by the Barber or Hair Stylist going around sweeping up customers' fallen hair into a dirt pan and then tossing it in the trash.


 


I recently bought a very rough looking but perfectly working Model AE, and I think it would be an awesome Christmas gift for my super- Straight barber and his brother who both own the shop.


 


They're Latino gangsta looking.. in their late 20s or early 30s, complete with tats all over, even their neck, and tight braids along their heads, or dreads, or other kinda creative/scary looking hair!  They change it up.  Very aggressive looking men!  But, they are the nicest guys, both have families and kids, and they do an amazing job on cutting and styling.  Really!


 


Customer base is all over the charts, from guys like me, to Rapper type guys, to business men.  Typical L.A. mixed up group all chillin' and getting groomed together.  Very fun.


 


I actually think this rough condition AE would fit in perfectly with their late 19th century barber chairs and general vintage décor.  Kinda looks along the lines of a weapon, so I think they'd like that aesthetic!  Very masculine and bold looking machine in it's current condtion.  I'll get them a 10' hose so they don't have to wheel it around the shop too much, and would hopefully find it convenient to use.


 


But, I wonder if there is a reason why Barber's usually just sweep up hair and then have to put it into a container... it would be so much easier to just suck it up!  Would the slightly damp hair mess up the machine?  I think it would just dry quickly in the bag like it would on the floor.  Besides, they'd have to change the bag daily.. maybe that's it.. the bag cost would be high with the quantity of hair vacuumed daily.


 


Hmm.

 

[dysonman1]

When my husband worked in LA and West Hollywood as a stylist, two of the salons (very high end) had central vacuums with "vac pans" so they would sweep the hair toward the intake, which was at each station. No trash can and did the job beautifully.

His stories of the folks in California who were his customers are hilarious. One man, a lawyer, wanted him to cut, color, and style not only his wife's hair, but his mistress's hair as well. But they couldn't be scheduled on the same day. I was amazed to learn that people actually paid him $250 for a cut, color, and styling. The fact that he taught other stylists how to professionally color hair using Paul Mitchell products might be way he got so much money for his time. Also, they serve wine, beer, and mixed drinks at the salons in LA that he worked in.

 

[luxflairguy]

In my youth all the barber shops my family used has vacuums! The childhood barber had an Airway between the chairs. First Airway I'd ever seen. After that there was a Eureka Rotomatic and then believe it or not a Hoover Portable!
Today, the salon I go to has a VacuMaid barbershop system...way to go!

 

[huskyvacs]

GreatClips here uses some kind of central vacuum job. They sweep it across the floor, press a pedal, sweep it into a flap under the cabinets, and it's gone.

 

[kirbyclassiciii]

Were there any barbershops out there that had used a Kirby Heritage with the special Turbo Groomer clipper accessory?

~Ben

 

[crazykirbydude]

I've been to a Great Clips that had a particularly nasty Bissell PowerForce Bagless. The barber shop that I regularly patronize has a jury-rigged central vac system. It's basically a Ridgid wet dry vac in the back with pipes running to all of the hair cutting stations. They have these special hair clippers that have a suction port on them, so it immediately sucks up all of the hair. The only problem is that the wet dry vacs wear out extremely quickly. The entire corner of the room is completely covered floor to ceiling in black carbon dust from the many deceased wet dry vacs. They buy a huge 25 gallon Ridgid wet dry vacuum every six months because the brushes wear out so quickly from constant use. Now they just have a growing pile of dead vacs in the back.

 

[tolivac]

The barber I shop I go to has a barber vacuum made by a barber.Its simply a screen filter that catches the hair as the barber vacuums it from you.then the machine can be used aas a blower by flipping a switch-as he flips the switch he put the hose into the trash to catch the hair vacuumed in the screen filter and it doesn't blow around the place.The machines are no longer made.Would think the Lux vacuum would fill with hair quickly and you would go thru MANY bags in the course of the day.There is a Great Clips in my area-don't use it.Looks like in the picture.Would like to see their vacuum system.

 

[panasonicvac]

Mine doesn't because

She doesn't mind sweeping up after every client she would do, maybe one every while she would use her blue Sanitaire S3681D canister to clean all surfaces in her shop. I remember my first barber shop that I used to go to had a Shop Vac Hang Up that he would use often, he also had a red Kenmore Powerpath upright which was made by Panasonic and I think an old Bissell sweeper that he would use to clean the waiting room carpets in his shop. And there is one shop that I used to go to that has a Vacumaid central vacuum and a yellow Stinger wet dry vac which I don't know if they still have or not but I never saw them use any of those two besides just sweeping the floor.

 

[weltron]

Mine does. In each of the barbers booths, they have one of those handheld Shop Vacs, and they will use it to suck any loose hairs off of the person who just got their hair cut. For the floor, I think they will still use a broom though.