The first vacuum cleaner to go on sale to the public was the “Whirlwind”, back in 1869. The devices were manually powered until the arrival of the first motor-powered unit at the turn of the 20th century. Now it’s almost impossible to imagine cleaning a floor without one, but there’s still plenty of variation in their abilities. The latest vacuum cleaners have suction so strong they’ve been accused of damaging carpets. Some robotic models, such as the iRobot Roomba, will even do the job all by themselves.
There are several common types of vacuum cleaner. Upright vacuum cleaners house their suction mechanism and store their bags in a slim column, often made of plastic. The bottom of the appliance hinges so that the brushes are always in contact with the floor. Prices begin at about 40 USD.
The simplest vacuum cleaners are typically of the canister variety, in which the motor and bag are held in a small, often round unit. The suction head is then attached via a flexible hose, allowing the user to lift the head off the ground in order to clean awkward areas. Canister vacuum cleaners can be bought from around 50 USD.
Conventional vacuum cleaners use a bag to filter dust and dirt out of the flow of air. “Dyson” vacuum cleaners, on the other hand, use what’s known as the cyclone effect. The device causes the flow of air to spin so that a centrifugal force acts on the air and the dirt particles. Their different weights mean they move at different speeds in these conditions, and therefore separate out. No filter is needed, so you save money on buying new bags. But bear in mind that full-sized Dyson models begin at about 400 USD.