The first devices used to clean rugs were carpet beaters. However, these units did little more than disperse the dirt into a different location. The first non-electric vacuum cleaner to use suction as a means of cleaning carpets was called the “Whirlwind,” and was developed in 1869 by the American Carpet Cleaning Company. The suction device was powered by a hand crank. Many years later, James Murray Spangler, a janitor from Ohio, received a patent for his “Electric Suction Sweeper,” which was the first to use a cloth filter bag and attachments. He sold an early model to his cousin, Mrs. William H. Hoover. |
