A carpet sweeper is a mechanical device for the cleaning of

carpet A carpet is a textile floor covering typically consisting of an upper layer of Pile (textile), pile attached to a backing. The pile was traditionally made from wool, but since the 20th century synthetic fiber, synthetic fibres such as polyprop ...

s. They were popular before the introduction of the

vacuum cleaner A vacuum cleaner, also known simply as a vacuum, is a device that uses suction, and often agitation, in order to remove dirt and other debris from carpets, hard floors, and other surfaces. The dirt is collected into a dust bag or a plastic bin. ...

and have been largely superseded by them. However, they continue to be used in many home and commercial applications because they are lightweight and quiet, enabling users to quickly clean small messes up from the floor without disturbing patrons, patients, babies and pets, and because they do not require electricity to operate.

Operation

A carpet sweeper typically consists of a small box. The base of the box has wheels and brushes, connected by a belt or gears or rollers. There is also a container for dirt. The arrangement is such that, when pushed along a floor, the rollers/wheels turn and force the brushes to rotate. The brushes sweep dirt and dust from the floor into the container. Carpet sweepers frequently have a height adjustment that enables them to work on different lengths of carpet, or bare floors. The sweeper usually has a long handle so that it can be pushed without bending over.

Design

The design was patented by Melville R. Bissell of

Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids is the largest city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, United States. With a population of 198,917 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 200,117 in 2024, Grand Rapids is the List of municipalities ...

, United States, in 1876. Bissell began selling carpet sweepers in 1883. They became popular in the UK after the first

Ewbank Ewbank is a brand of cleaning products founded in the United Kingdom in 1864. Originally owned by Entwisle and Kenyon Ltd, then by Earlex Ltd. History In 1864, Ewbank was founded in Accrington, Lancashire, by John Ramsbottom and George Hacking. ...

model went on sale in 1889.Gantz, Carroll (2012) ''The Vacuum Cleaner: A History'', McFarland and Co Inc, , p. 33 New powered versions were designed at the beginning of the 21st century with rechargeable batteries and an

electric motor An electric motor is a machine that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. Most electric motors operate through the interaction between the motor's magnetic field and electric current in a electromagnetic coil, wire winding to gene ...

to spin the rollers and brushes.

Modern usage

Carpet sweepers are still available commercially. In addition, their legacy lives on in floor cleaning robots that have limited

suction power Airwatt or air watt is a unit of measurement that represents the true suction power of vacuum cleaners. It is calculated by multiplying the airflow (in cubic metres per second) by the suction pressure (in pascals). This measurement reflects the e ...

and rely on sweeping to collect larger bits of debris from the floor. While some research models of robotic vacuums only rely on vacuum motors, models on the market such as Roomba or bObsweep invariably combine suction and sweeping. Thursday, 11 March 2021

In popular culture

A very early appearance in film occurs in the 1914

Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is considered o ...

film '' Laughing Gas'', where Chaplin uses a sweeper to clean the waiting-room floor of a dentist.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carpet Sweeper Cleaning tools Floors American inventions