Until the early 1900s, the broom had been the cleaning implement of choice in both homes and facilities. And not unlike today, workers responsible for cleaning found themselves plagued with respiratory issues after inhaling airborne debris. In fact, asthma is what sparked one custodian in Ohio to take matters into his own hands.

According to a recent article on OZY.com, in 1907, that worker, James Murray Spangler, used an electric fan, a soapbox, a broom handle and one of his wife’s pillowcases to invent a “suction sweeper.” This became the precursor to the modern vacuum cleaner and helped launch what is nearly a $15 billion industry today.

By the late 19th century, a number of inventors were working on ways to simplify this cleaning task. Early on, most of the “carpet sweepers” dislodged dust by using compressed air to blow it off surfaces and into a receptacle, but that changed when an English engineer named Hubert Cecil Booth entered the picture. Instead of blowing air to push debris, he reversed the air flow to collect dust particles.

By the turn of the century, Booth’s industrial “vacuum cleaner” — a reportedly bulky, gas-powered machine that required horses for transport — was being used to suck up dust throughout London, including Buckingham Palace and the Crystal Palace.

The success of Booth’s vacuum resulted in a push for smaller, more versatile equipment. But no one forgot about Spangler’s first “suction sweeper.” It was powered electrically, it was smaller, lighter (due to a smaller motor) and easier to operate than others being developed. According to reports, the initial prototype, which used an electronic motor to power a fan and rotating brush inside a soapbox, sucked up dirt and dust and deposited it in an attached dust bag (the pillowcase). Spangler applied for the patent, quit his job and opened the Electric Suction Sweeper Company.

Over time, though, business struggled and Spangler’s health declined. Fortunately, help was on the horizon.

One satisfied and early adopter of the equipment was Spangler’s first cousin and the wife of a prominent leather goods manufacturer, Mrs. William H. Hoover. It was her glowing endorsement of the equipment, and a sluggish economy for leather, that lead W.H. Hoover to acquire Spangler’s royalties, guaranteeing the longevity of this technology.

Soon, what started as a one-room operation with a staff of 20 in Hoover’s leather goods factory would, thanks to Hoover’s innovative marketing and in-home demonstrations, convert Spangler’s invention into the market leader, and even turn “hoover” into a verb synonymous with his new product line.

To read more about this history, click here.
For additional history on the jan/san industry, check out this look back at the last 70 years.
Photos from the last 70 years of the industry are also available.