The Vacuum Cleaner

A vacuum cleaner uses a spinning fan to create suction. The suction pulls dirt into a bag or bin inside the machine. Vacuums make cleaning much easier and faster. Before they existed, people had to beat rugs with sticks to clean them.

Who Made the First One

The first vacuum cleaner was invented in 1901 by Hubert Cecil Booth in England. It was huge and had to be pulled by a horse. Workers would bring long hoses inside through the windows. Later, smaller vacuums were made for homes.

An old-fashioned vacuum cleaner shown in a museum.
An old-fashioned vacuum cleaner shown in a museum. (Royalbroil / Wikimedia Commons)

Vacuums Today

Today vacuums come in many shapes and sizes. There are upright, handheld, and canister vacuums. Some robot vacuums can clean floors all by themselves. They use sensors to move around rooms without bumping into things.

Fun Facts

  • The first home vacuum weighed nearly 100 pounds.
  • Robot vacuums can find their own charging stations.
  • Some vacuums can clean up water as well as dirt.

Did You Know?

The inventor of the first vacuum tested his idea by sucking dust off a chair with his mouth through a handkerchief.