This article is from: CantonRep.com | The Canton Repository | Canton, Stark County & Northeast Ohio News, Community Events & Classifieds Read on.... NORTH CANTON It's likely that James Murray Spangler didn't know how he would change the lives of many when he sought to alleviate his asthma in 1907. Not only did the machine Spangler invented to help sweep floors in a downtown Canton department store change lives, but it also changed the decor of homes. His invention became the base for a business that began 100 years ago Aug. 8 — the Hoover Co. And the name Hoover became synonymous with sweepers, so much so that in England, vacuuming still is called "hoovering." One of the biggest benefits for the "electric suction sweeper" was health. Spangler invented the machine for his own, and Hoover capitalized on that. Their advertisements included babies, and touted that they would be crawling on cleaner floors and breathing in less dust if their moms used the machine, said Ann Haines, operations coordinator of the Hoover Historical Center. BACKBREAKING WORK Hoover sweepers also did a more efficient and better job of cleaning, getting dirt from deeper in the carpet. And when Hoover engineers discovered that the machine's vibration loosened dirt, they moved the wheels behind the agitator, Haines said. It was healthier for the homemaker, too, because she wasn't standing next to a hanging rug, beating clouds of dust from it. More than that, using a sweeper eliminated the need for the rug to be rolled up and taken outside. Cleaning "wasn't backbreaking work like it was before," Haines said. That also translated into convenience because people didn't have to wait for good weather to clean the rug. "It was not only easier, it took less time," Haines said. And cutting down on the housewife's time cleaning, "She could expand her social life." And because of that ease, it's also likely that the electric sweeper was responsible for bigger rugs and wall-to-wall carpet, "because they didn't have to worry about rolling it up," she said. THE BUSINESS OF CLEANING Spangler got some financing and produced a sweeper in 1907, when he also applied for a patent. After his patent was granted in June 1908, Spangler realized he needed more money to market his invention and met with William "Boss" Hoover. On Aug. 8, 1908, The Electric Suction Sweeper Co. was reorganized with "Boss" Hoover as president and treasurer, his son, H.W. was secretary and general manager, and Spangler was superintendent. It took 15 years for the company to produce a million cleaners, but only four to produce its second million and four more to make its third million in 1931. In 1908, Hoover sold 372 cleaners. Twenty years later, it sold more than 250,000. Figures weren't available, but Clifford Wood, former vice president of the extinct Vacuum Cleaner Manufacturers Association, said nationally, sales of all brands of cleaners probably peaked about 1980. That peak was due to the growth of carpet sales. "Vacuum cleaner sales correlated with carpeting sales very closely," said Wood. As the popularity of carpeting declined, so did sweeper sales. Carpeting used to account for about 75 percent of all floor coverings, but wood flooring, laminates and other surfaces have taken a large part of the market, Wood said. The iconic Hoover plant here missed the company's 100th anniversary by less than a year. The plant ceased production in September 2007 after the company was purchase by TTI Floor Care North America of Glenwillow, Ohio. The company is part of Hong Kong-based Techtronic Industries. It also makes the Royal, Dirt Devil, Regina and Vax floor care appliances, and continues to employ 150 at its Stark County Distribution Center and bag assembly plant in downtown Canton. carpet cleaning forum, carpet cleaner forum, prochem, jondon, carpet cleaning
