The Washington times., 1922-07-10
NEEDS SHOULD
GUIDE BUYERS
. OF SWEEPERS
Type and Age Of Rugs Is Fac
tor in Selection of
Cleaner.

Which cleaner shall I buy?" is a
question which is constantly being
asked, and one which the Electrical
Editor cannot in fairness answer
definitely, because there are many
good cleaners and much depends
upon conditions in the individual
homes. The type and age of the
carpets and rugs Is a factor in the
selection OF an electric vacuum
cleaner; personal preference must be
considered: and the size OF the house
and amount of cleaning necessary
also enters In to the problem.
The old and true saying that II
Is easier to keep clean than to make
clean suggests that a light. easily
handled cleaner is preferable; on the
other hand. a home into which sew.
eral active growing boys are con.
stantly tracking mud and grit re.
quires a machine which have power
and cleaning ability. Some people
are convinced that a machine with
brush Is absolutely essential,
while others have an exaggerated
idea Of the wearing effect which a
brush has upon their fine rugs, and
so prefer a machine which cleans by
air alone. 1t Is. as all housekeepers
knew, a yexed problem and one
which. finally, each must solve for
herself.
Not q New Problem.
Nor Ia it a new problem. Woven
floor coverings have been in use
for almost 5000 years, II we are 10
believe the savants who have been
"a 4. ~
For all those years, generations Of
housekeepers have been trying to
find the best way of keeping tn cir
carpets and rugs free from dirt and
preserve them from the wear which
follows when sharp grit becomes i'm
bedded in them. We moderns have
Undoubtedly evolved the laborless
way of cleaning, but in the small
details OF cleaner designs we are
still undecided.
Perhaps the most common error
that exists regarding rugs is that
concerning the Oriental type. Most
of us think that because an Oriental
rug Is soft that II is loose and weak.
Quite the contrary Is true. Oriental
rugs are so closely woven that dirt
penetrates them with the greatest
difficulty, so that daily cleaning with
a good electric cleaner will prevent
grit ever getting to the base OF the
pile where II cuts the threads and
results in what we know as wear.
Ingram, on the contrary, allows dirt
to shift through quite readily. TIE
now fashionable chenille is the hard
est to keep clean without vacuum
cleaner. Its thick long pile absorbs
a most astonishing quantity OF litter
and grit, and even after the surface
appears to have been cleaned the
foundation will be filled with dirt.
All these various characteristics OF
carpets are factor in the selection
Of a cleaner, and in purchasing. one
should see a demonstration upon the
sort OF carpets the cleaner will bc
used upon in actual service.
Stunts" Prove Nothing.
And speaking Of demonstrations,
let US warn the reader against
stunt" demonstrations. Remember
that cleaners are purchased for the
purpose Of quickly. easily and thor
oughly removing dirt from floors
and for no other purpose. When a
salesman attempts to demonstrate
the power Of his machine by some
| lTIChy bluHl hdo iO ICia-
ton to practical cleaning, It Is well
to remind him of this fundamental
| fact.
or course, there are certain tests,
as for example the water lift test
in a U tube, which scientifically
D. owes certain facts regarding sue
ton; on the other hand, to demon.
strate suction by placing a piece
Of paper or card against the noz.
zle while the machine is running Is
falacious because the pull" In the
latter case Ia due partly to atmos'
peheric pressure and (roughly speak.
ing). varies in relation with the size
of the nozzle opening. In other
words, a machine with a nozzle open
ing of ten square inches will have
talf as much pull against piece
Of cardboard as the identical same
machine with a nozzle opening OF
twenty square inches. The sales
men who resort to stunt" demon
strations are not to be condemned
as fakirs; they may simply be ig
norant of the laws Of science which