administrator, Author at Cleanhire

How a collection of 300 vacuum cleaners are proving to be a headache for Steve

Modern Day Cylinder Vacuum — **A modern day cylinder vacuum cleaner.** Image by Cheshmeh Studio (via Shutterstock).

Many moons ago, we looked at the Vacuum Cleaner Museum in Heanor, Derbyshire. The visitor attraction is undoubtedly the place to go to if you love your vacuum cleaners. Claiming to have the third largest collection of vacuum cleaners in the United Kingdom is Steve Cook. The 38-year-old from Swindon has 300 items in his collection.

He has been interested in vacuum cleaners since he was a child. One day, his father, a school caretaker at the time, brought home a Hoover Constellation vacuum cleaner. Steve had a bash at trying to repair the dome-shaped cleaner. Though his attempt at electrical repairs was unsuccessful, it became the first of many additions to his collection.

The rarest model in his collection of 300 vacuum cleaners is the Hoover Powerdrive. Released in the mid-1970s, few models were manufactured. A halfway house between a Hoover Junior and a Hoover Turbopower vacuum cleaner, it cost the equivalent of £600 in today’s money. Steve has spent over £10,000 on vacuum cleaners in the last thirty years. One of his finds include a Moulinex Major – purchased for the princely sum of £2.00 at a carboot sale in Peterborough.

Courtesy of The London Economist blog, here’s what Steve Cook has to say about his collection in video form.

We wonder how he manages his to keep his floor clean, or find enough space for them. His 300 vacuum cleaners are almost taking over his one bedroom flat. So much so that he has stored some of his collection in a lock-up garage.

Clean Hire, 03 March 2017.

How eight Mumbai teenagers created a new approach to train cleaning

Mumbai Train Line — **Thanks to eight teenagers**, the daily commute to Mumbai could be cleaner. Image by Albert Bonjoch (via Shutterstock).

It’s a late Saturday afternoon aboard the Liverpool Lime Street train to Wigan North Western. After its return journey, the train’s next stop will be Allerton depot, where it will be cleaned for the next shift. It is strewn with litter from doorway to fold-up table. With bits of newspaper and drinks cans sharing the third carriage with St. Helens Central bound passengers. These days could be over, thanks to eight Mumbai teenagers who have created a novel approach to train cleaning.

Their invention hasn’t only impressed engineers; it has been seen by India’s railway minister, Suresh Prabhu. The teenagers, aged 12 to 14 years old, have invented a system where rubbish can be deposited through a vent. Their system has split vents in each compartment of the coach. With a foot pedal, passengers can deposit their waste into the vents. Then the refuse would be sucked up by a system similar to a vacuum cleaner. Having attracted the interest of India’s railway minister, it aims to make train cleaning easier.

The rubbish is sucked in with the vacuum system, where it is collected in waste chambers underneath the coach. Each coach will have three waste collection chambers. The students estimated that each passenger generates five litres of waste. For example, a British Rail Mark III coach (74 standard class seats) would potentially carry 370 litres of waste – slightly more than a small wheelie bin.

In the UK, our trains tend to have litter bins beside the doors. Our use of saloon style carriages rather than compartments could make installation difficult. Installing a similar system where most carriages have airline seating would make for tighter legroom (which is no good for tall passengers). On a diesel multiple unit (such as those seen on the Wigan Wallgate to Southport route) this would mean less space for its underfloor engines.
Clean Hire, 22 February 2017.

Tefal takes on the vacuum cleaner market alongside Dyson with a new bagless cleaner

Non Stick Frying Pan — **A Non-Stick Frying Pan:** one of Tefal’s best known product lines. Image by Family Business (via Shutterstock).

Tefal: what is the first thing you think of when you hear the name Tefal? The first thing that springs to mind is cheese toasties. Teasmades and kettles. Anything to do with cheese and bacon or both, or chips. The brand name is a portmanteau of the first three letters of Teflon and the first two letters of the Aluminium. But vacuum cleaners???

We have learned from the Which? Magazine website how Tefal’s creation will give James Dyson and Co. a run for their money. As with Britain’s market leading manufacturer of cyclonic vacuum cleaners, Tefal’s models are bagless. It is claimed their models have powerful suction capabilities, capturing 99.98% of dust.

Their most powerful cleaner, the Tefal Air Force Extreme TY8865HO has a 6200 rpm motor with a delta shaped brush head, headlights, and a lithium battery. It is a lightweight rechargeable cordless cleaner with a powerful motor, a bit like a Jack Russell Terrier at full tilt. After charging, the vacuum cleaner is operational for five minutes shy of an hour. The recommended selling price for the 25 volt cordless vacuum cleaner is £270.

Should every home have one?

There has been favourable reviews for Tefal’s entry into the high powered world of vacuum cleaner manufacturing and design. We like the sleek slimline looks and think the Air Force Extreme range are a useful sidearm for your home. Get one for the stairs: there’s no need to worry about the hose or tripping over the flex.

The Tefal Air Force Extreme range of vacuum cleaners are readily available from most electrical shops and online retailers. Please note that some models come under the Rowenta name.

Clean Hire, 15 February 2017.

How to get to know your Tennant M20 scrubber sweeper through this training video

We at Clean Hire are fans of the Tennant M20 scrubber sweeper. There is not a single word we could hold against that incredible hulk of a machine. We love how it makes light work of the mightiest forecourts and warehouses.

Us telling you about how good it is isn’t enough. You may be the proud owner or hirer of the Tennant M20 and wish to brush up your skills with the scrubber and sweeper. For your very eyes is the official training video by Tennant themselves.

More M20 Action

As a Brucie Bonus, here’s some more footage of the M20 in action. This clip below has some serious Tennant thrash (turn the volume right up if you like this kind of thing).

Clean Hire, 03 February 2017.

What not to flush down the toilet

Thou Shalt Not Flush Toilet... image by Ewais (via Shutterstock). — **Thou Shalt Not Flush Thy Paper Towels, Ear Buds or Condoms…** Public toilets image by Ewais (via Shutterstock).

You may have come across Water UK’s Poo, Pee and Paper campaign in the last two years. If you thought the Poo, Pee and Paper campaign was a call to make the most of your public conveniences, think again. It highlights the three things you should flush down the lavatory. Which, in other words, concerns one’s bodily functions and toilet tissue. Continue reading “Thou Shalt Not Flush Down Thy Lavatory…”

How Winbot’s robotic window cleaner has worse compatibility issues than Windows Vista ever did

Terraced house windows image by Jozef Sowa (via Shutterstock). — **No Ladders Required:** With these terraced houses, windows can be easily cleaned with Ecovacs’ robotic window cleaners. Or is this easier said than done? Image by Jozef Sowa (via Shutterstock).

Window cleaning can be a tedious job and a dangerous one. Especially if you clean your own windows. We at Clean Hire recommend hiring professional window cleaners to do your double glazing, entrance doors and the like. What if you wish to clean your house windows? You could always use high pressure water jets or the bucket and Windolene. Continue reading “Winbot’s Windows Compatibility Issues”

How Roomba-esque driverless scrubber sweepers could revolutionise the way we clean industrial premises

Driverless industrial cleaner — Imagine seeing one of these, in driverless form. Image by LizavetaS (via Shutterstock).

Over the last fifty years, automation has led to the arrival of driverless trains, cars, and robotic vacuum cleaners. The most famous one of the latter is the Roomba which has become a de facto standard for the automated vacuum cleaner niche. Shortly before Christmas, Nilfisk have launched an industrial equivalent to the Roomba. Enter the Advance Liberty A50 autonomous scrubber.

The A50 is the first of a new generation of autonomous industrial cleaners. This is Nilfisk’s entry into the driverless cleaner market. Like the Roomba, it uses cameras, lasers, and robotic sensors to negotiate floors and edges. Unlike the Roomba, you can switch between automatic and manual controls. Whether you wish to take control or have a rest, the Advance Liberty A50 allows for both options. This video demonstrates its uses in both guises.

The driverless cleaner was tested at the ISSA/INTERCLEAN North American Tradeshow and Conference. This took place on the 26 – 28 October 2016 at McCormick Place, in Chicago.

Joint Venture

The Advance Liberty A50 is a joint venture between Nilfisk and Carnegie Robotics LLC. Nilfisk are a leading name in the design and manufacture of industrial cleaning products. The driverless scrubber sweeper is the first product to be launched under the company’s Horizon Program.

Carnegie Robotics LLC specialise in the creation of advanced robotic sensors and platforms for a number of applications. These include agriculture, defence, and extractive industries.

Would you want a driverless sweeper scrubber?

One major selling point is its ability to switch from automatic to manual modes. Where industrial premises need to be cleaned overnight, the Advance Liberty A50’s automatic mode comes into its own.

Would we buy one? Its dual modes make for maximum flexibility, so it could be a possible “yes”.

Has a Truro doctor designed the world’s smallest bagless vacuum cleaner?

Smallest vacuum cleaner image

Could a Truro doctor be the first person in the Guinness Book of Records to hold the record for having the world’s smallest vacuum cleaner? For many people, a vacuum cleaner is small enough to manoeuvre around the house. Our industrial vacuum cleaners can be used in warehouses and on airport terminals. According to the Plymouth Herald, Doctor Toby Bateson may have set a precedent.

A Dyson clone for a dolls house?

Toby’s cleaner is 2.8 cm tall, about the same size as an eraser. Owing to its small size, you handle what is probably the world’s smallest vacuum cleaner in the same way as a rubber. You hold onto the cylindrical cleaner with your fingertips and place it on the area you wish to clean. This video clip shows you how it picks up dust.

For the time being, it has limited uses. Mr. Bateson is seen using the vacuum cleaner to pick up sawdust. It could be a good tool for picking up bits of pencil erasers. There is potential for his design for add-ons. A dainty little brush attachment and a slim extension hose could be good. The accessory pack, if one was to be considered, would take up more room than its cylindrical section.

Instead of being a quirky desktop toy, there is potential for serious uses. The world’s smallest vacuum cleaner could be used for blowing dust off electronic components. As to whether Mr. Bateson has developed a Dyson clone for a dolls house, he is almost there. Except, dolls houses tend to be the preserve of hobbyists with cash to burn rather than as a young child’s plaything.

Would we buy one?

Should Dr. Bateson’s miniature marvel hit the shelves, we think it could be a good stocking filler. We hope he succeeds.

Clean Hire, 05 December 2016.

Some straightforward tips on getting the better of leaf fall season

Autumn leaves image by Moomusician (via Shutterstock).

To many of us, this is autumn. In rail speak, autumn is known as The Leaf Fall Season. We have all heard about the ‘leaves on the line’ comment for the best part of three decades. From St. Helens Junction to Georgemas Junction, or Liverpool Lime Street to Birchwood and Selly Oak, it’s the bane of railways. As a consequence, the leaf fall season has an effect on timetables. Continue reading “The Leaf Fall Season: Infographic”

Leicester City Council head supports ban on chewing gum in city centre

Spat Out Chewing Gum — **Yuk:** A spat out piece of chewing gum. Even worse on the pavement. Image by Sasha Gromov (via Shutterstock).

From St. Helens to St. Austell, there is one scourge of the streets that is more annoying than dog poop. Worse than half eaten takeaways plonked on the floor. They are an absolute pain in the rear end, because the best of industrial vacuum cleaners can struggle with this material. We are referring to chewing gum and bubble gum.

Continue reading “Should We Ban Chewing Gum From The Streets?”