Try central vacuuming

Press, 21 April 1977, Page 14

Try central vacuuming

Have you ever thought of using a vacuum hose without there being any noise or machine in sight? How would you like to be able to lift a small trapdoor over a hole in the wail, hold an ashtray to it an have the ash and butts whisked away?

An American idea which apparently is no longer a rarity, in the United States at least, is a central vacuum system. This in principle is much like a central heating system. A single power unit is fitted in a garage or washhouse and tubes run to each room in the house with outlets in a wall covered with a hinged plate. To use the system a long hose of 24ft or 30ft is plugged into one of the wall outlets with a handpiece and a fitting attached as for a conventional vacuum cleaner. One model has a hose which is stored within the wall and it is simply pulled out when wanted for use. Some machines offer both wet and dry vacuuming. The water type has a cold water inlet to wash dirt down the drain or into a separate canister. Such units can also suck up water.

The dry models have 1 fllitre or larger receptacles for the vacuumed dirt so will need only occasional emptying. Built in vacuum cleaners are convenient and easy to use. There is no machine to get out of a cupboard or from under the bed, you don’t have to manoeuvre a machine down stairs or around corners and there is no electric cord to get tangled around furniture or feet. And a big advantage is that there is practically no noise as the machine that does all the work is remote from the working area. Floors, whether carpeted or hard-surfaced, require quite a lot of care and attention. Flooring manufacturers recommend frequent cleaning to avoid dirt being trampled into the surface and with a built-in vacuum system the job is likely to be done more often. With a wet-dry system you can sponge a floor, wipe it almost dry then suck up the excess water with the one tool. Water that has been allowed to spill from a tub or basin can be quickly removed.