Canister vacuum cleaner for home use
Image Source
In the early 1800s, several inventors tried making various household equipments. Most of the work done then was by trial and error. The earliest electric cleaners worked on a different principle. They blew out air in order to dislodge the dust. This was not a very successful household appliance as the dust blew out all over the house.
A pneumatic vacuum cleaner, circa 1910
Image Source
In 1901, H C Booth, a Scot, came up with another idea. He felt that the cleaner would be more effective if it reversed the process. It would suck the air in instead of blowing it out. He lay down on the floor and began sucking through a handkerchief. To his delight the method worked. He set about perfecting his idea and built the first vacuum cleaner. Booth's original vacuum cleaner operated from the street by means of tubes running into the house.
A vacuum cleaner's motor turns a fan, which creates a partial, vacuum inside. The air inside rushes in, bringing the dust together with it. This is all sucked up through a tube into a bag. The dust is trapped here while the air escapes.
Some cleaners have a spinning brush, which loosens the dirt so that it can be picked up easily. The industrial vacuum cleaners are very powerful and can even suck up wood shavings, broken glass and even liquid.
