Vacuum Cleaners and Cleaning Tools

185. Principle Upon Which Vacuum Cleaner Works. The principle of a vacuum cleaner is that, thru suction, dust and dirt are drawn from the floor or other surfaces into some container. If the power of the cleaner is sufficient, it may pick up anything—but cleaners having a moderate amount of power are somewhat more discriminating. They do, however, remove the fine, greasy dirt that brooms, brushes and carpet sweepers fail to get. The coarser dirt and ravelings may be taken up by a carpet sweeper, with a brush, or picked up by hand. The brush is combined with the cleaner in many machines (Fig. 98).

186. Different Kinds of Vacuum Cleaners. There are cleaners with bellows, pumps or fans to draw in air and dirt. The ones with bellows in them work on the principle of a bellows which is reversed so that when the air is drawn in, it brings the dirt with it. The other kind works with a fan which draws or sucks air from the floor thru a nozzle into the machine. In the machine, the dust is filtered out of the air and collected in a pan.

The machines with fans in them are mostly power machines, as the fan must revolve very rapidly. The hand machines are mostly of the pump and bellows types. Some are combined with the carpet sweeper, making two machines in one. With this device once going over the floor is sufficient for removing both coarse and fine dirt. The hand machines do not have as much power of suction as the power machines, but they do very satisfactory work. They are more effective than a carpet sweeper in removing dirt, but they do not get as much of it as the stationary cleaner. Removing the sharp grit from rugs and carpets lengthens the life of them so that the more grit a cleaner can remove without tearing the carpet, the more valuable it is.

When the pump type is being used, the piston is drawn up, drawing with it air and the dirt which is present at the point from which the air comes. A cloth filters out the dust. The air escapes from the machine before the piston is lowered to draw in more air and dirt. If this were not true, the dust would be forced back as the piston was lowered.

187. Nozzle of Vacuum Cleaner. The nozzle, or point of entry of air into the machine, is an important part of a vacuum cleaner. This is constructed so that it fits the surface from which the dirt is to be drawn, insuring the drawing up of dust as well as air.

The dirt is drawn from only a few square inches of surface at one time. The thoroness and rapidity with which the dirt is removed depends upon the strength of the suction or the power of the machine. Thus, hand machines may have to be moved over a surface several times if it is very dirty in order to get all the dirt.

Plain solid nozzles work best on carpets and other surfaces of similar kind. They are not effective on hard floors, but this is not essential, as dirt can easily be removed from smooth surfaces with a brush.

188. Cautions in Using Vacuum Cleaners. The difficulties to be met with in vacuum cleaners are leaks. First of all, the machine must be fitted together perfectly; if not, the dust drawn into the machine escapes into the air of the room instead of into the collection pan or chamber.

Machines are made air-tight, but to be cleaned, they must be taken apart. In putting them together, the housekeeper must take pains to fit them together perfectly.

Never neglect to empty the dust chamber. Keep the machine properly oiled. A punctured bellows or a leaky dust strainer will cause dust to escape after being drawn into the machine. These have to be remedied with new parts. Some machines leak because of improper manipulation, such as a too-fast or too-jerky motion in operating them. The directions for each machine tell how to use it—such directions cannot be given here because they differ so much.

When the pan has become over-full of dirt, the machine will necessarily throw out dust as well as air. Letting the machine get over-full of dust may ruin the machine by making some part leak continuously.

189. Difference Between Hand and Power Cleaners. Power machines differ from hand ones in that they are run by motor power (Figs. 99 and 99-a). They may have larger collecting chambers and may be stationary in the cellar and connected to the rooms by long pipes (Fig. 100). They must likewise not be over-full of dust. They must be kept properly adjusted. As the operation of the mechanism shakes the machine, it may loosen screws and nuts, so they must be kept tightened. The motor must also be kept in order. The motors used for vacuum cleaners are the same as those used on other power devices. They may be small electric motors, forming a part of the machine, or large motors which operate several machines.

In any case, they must be given the same care as any other motor of the same type. (See Chapter XXXVIII.) If they become overheated, they will not work well. They must be kept lubricated to avoid friction, and they must be kept properly adjusted. Fig. 100-a shows a number of different attachments for vacuum cleaners.

190. Carpet Sweeper. A carpet sweeper is a combination of brush and dust pan. The advantage of this device is that the dust is gathered into the machine as the brush rotates, due to the action of the wheels on which the machine moves. The dust is collected into pans at each side of the brush; these are covered so that the dust does not fly into the air as much as otherwise would be the case (Fig. 101).

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Oil the sweeper regularly about once a month by putting one drop of oil on the ball bearing on the hub of each wheel. Failure to oil carpet sweepers causes them to wear out quickly, to squeak, and to run hard. More oil than is needed only gathers dust and gums the sweeper.

Empty the sweeper (Fig. 102) each time it is used, even during the sweeping if necessary. Don't fill it to overflowing. Always open the pans by pressing on the dump levers, not by taking hold of the pans. Don't let the brush get tangled with hair, ravelings, etc. Take it out occasionally and clean it (Figs. 103 and 103-a). Cut along between the spiral rows of bristles with a sharp knife or shears, and the ravelings and hairs can be picked or combed out easily without injuring the brush (Fig. 104). Never try to pull them off whole. Also remove any accumulation of dirt or ravelings which catch in the wheels or bearings. Don't let dirt collect in any part of the machine. Keep it clean. Good sweepers work best without extreme pressure on the handle. Never put oil, water or any liquid on the bristles. Don't keep a sweeper on a warm-air register—it takes the life out of the bristles.

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191. Mop Wringers. There are two kinds of mop wringers to attach to pails. One is made of two flat surfaces which, when pressed together with the mop between (Fig. 105), squeeze the water out of it, and the other is made of two wringer rollers which, when brought together by a lever after the mop is put between them, rotate as the mop is pulled upward and wring out the water (Fig. 106).

Questions for Part VII

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