The first upright vacuum cleaner was invented by a janitor in Canton, Ohio. James Spangler was extremely prone to allergies and he was sure that his cough and asthma attacks were caused by the carpet sweeper he used at work. To alleviate this problem, he created a very basic suction sweeper. His device was just a box fan, a broom handle, a tin soap box and pillow case to collect dust. Despite being primitive and hard to use, the device did actually work. Spangler’s cough and asthma attacks lessened. Spangler continued to refine his “suction sweeper” and eventually applied for a patent. On June 2, 1908, he received US Patent Number 889,823 for a Carpet Sweeper and Cleaner.
Spangler formed the Electric Suction Sweeper Company and began producing his machine. Production time was very slow though. With the help of his son and daughter, he was able to produce just 2-3 suction sweepers a week. One of these suctions sweepers was owned by his cousin, Susan Hoover. She was extremely impressed by the machine and told her husband W. H. “Boss” Hoover about the product.
At the time, Boss Hoover was the owner of a leather goods shop. With the introduction of the motor car, sales in saddles and other riding tack declined. Hoover saw a great business opportunity in the new device. He bought the patent from Spangler but kept him on as a partner. Hoover soon had six employees building about six vacuums a day in the corner of his shop.
At first, Hoover was hit with a lack of interest in his completely new and unfamiliar device. In order to generate sales, he placed an ad in the Saturday Evening Post for ten days of free use of his vacuum cleaner. The vacuums were not sent directly to the customer. Instead he chose reputable stores in each city to sell the vacuums. Store managers delivered and demonstrated the product for each potential customer. When the vacuum was sold, stores received a commission on the sale. Using this method, Hoover developed a nation network of dealers and also popularized the idea of the door-to-door vacuum cleaner salesman. In 1908, 372 of the first model of the vacuum cleaner were sold. By 1912, the product was being sold internationally.
Hoover’s research and development team were constantly working on improvements to the machine. In 1926, Hoover introduced the beater bar. Aided by strong suction, the metal bar gently tapped the carpet to loosen deeply embedded dirt, as a bristle brush rapidly swept dirt up and out of the carpet. Hoover also introduced many other first to the vacuum including the disposable bag, the self-propelled vacuum and the headlight.
Today, who in the United States could imagine cleaning the floors without an electric vacuum cleaner?