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Vacuum Cleaners

A vacuum cleaner helps a householder pick up dirt/dust from a carpet floor using a suction pump that produces vacuum. Just about every home with carpeted floors now owns a vacuum cleaner because it's really the only effective way to thoroughly clean a carpet floor quickly. The vacuum cleaner took off as a mass market device once a patented brush design was sold to Hoover corporation in 1908. They soon started manufacturing the design alongside some other household goods, and soon became a very wealthy company from making and selling the initial invention. Hoover soon established a base in the UK, and so dominated the market that the word 'vacuum cleaners' was replaced by 'hoover'. People did not say they vacuumed the carpet, but that they had 'hoovered the carpet'. Only recent developments has altered the dominance of hoover, when James Dyson started launching his cyclone cleaner for the first time. Dyson's cyclonic cleaners soon became the best selling vacuum cleaner brand and a must have domestic appliance. Even though they cost twice the amount of a normal cleaner the big advantage of Dyson's cyclonic cleaners was that they did not require the use of bags: instead they included a detachable collection vessel which could be easily emptied. The only part that must be regularly cleaned or replaced is the filter, this ensures that the vacuum cleaner continues to perform efficiently. The price of cyclone models has also decreased since Dyson's launch in the late 1990's, because several other companies including Hoover have launched cyclone models alongside their conventional cleaners.

The performance of a vacuum cleaner is measured by a few parameters:

• airflow - by cubic feet per minute (CFM)
  
• air speed - miles per hour (mph)
  
• suction - inches of pascals (Pa)

Consumer vacuum cleaners also come in three main configurations:

• Upright - the bag/collection vassel is mounted on the handle.
  
• Cylinder - the motor and bag in a separate canister unit.
  
• Hand-held - popular for cleaning up smaller areas.