a $3.99 manual "vacuum cleaner"
For the household hygiene equipment for the habitat on wheels I take a pragmatic approach and select the simplest. I rejected a compact vacuum cleaner outright due to the extra weight, power consumption, and space it takes up. Instead I opted for the tried and true manual solutions. For the flooring is easily enough, I carry a high quality German hand brush and dust pan. Tatyana's synthetic flooring is one of many sensible Westfalia's design. It is hygienic, practical, and very easy to clean.
For camping, I leave the lower berth deployed most of the time. It serves as a bed as well as a raised flooring in which I used it in a tatami fashion. I always protect the upholstery with a cover, and for the lower berth I use a synthetic throw. It is easy to remove on the trip to shake off the dirt, or wash it in a coin laundry. For short trips I routinely clean it in my home washing machine.
While shopping in my neighborhood Korean grocery store I found this manual "vacuum machine" which was quite common 20 years ago when not everyone in the West own an electric vacuum cleaner. There were manual floor cleaners made out of this simple contraption.
The working principle of this device cannot be simpler. It consists of a rotating brush driven by a set of wheels on the ends. The brush pick up the dirt particles as it rotates. The particles are then deposited inside the device's particle trap from centripetal (centrifugal) force. It costs a mere $3.99 but I was reluctant to buy it skeptical of the effectiveness. I would re-examine and ponder on it 3 or 4 times when I shop in that store in the last couple of months but still I didn't buy it.
I went for a week long camping trip again and during the trip as usual I remove the throw to shake off the accumulated dirt (e.g. potato chip and bread crumbs and dirt tracked in with my feet). The thought of the contraption re-enter my mind. When I return home I went shopping there again as I have fallen in love with the young coconut and eating Korean barbecue. The store has incredible prices on all the ingredients and the staff is always courteous. Once again I ponder on this manual "vacuum cleaner" and decide to risk $3.99 even if it does not work.
Like many kitchen and household articles sold in this store, it is packaged all in Korean language intended for Korean domestic sales. As frequently the case, if there is no designation of country of origin it is likely made domestically in (south) Korea. It came in (Chinese) red and this light grey color.
top side - it measures about 8"L x 2"W x 1.75"H
I love it. I think I would get one for use around the house too. Like Martha used to say on her weekly TV show "it is a very good thing".
Is it easy to use and empty/clean afterwards?
ReplyDeleteDo you have to roll it fast to get the centrifugal effect to work?
Have you tested it on dog hair?
My parents had the bigger version for the floor when I was a kid.
I meen to remember the brushes on it was full of dog hair, probably the reason why it was hardly used.
Yes. When I was growing up this tool is quite common place. I saw street vendors showing them off.
ReplyDeleteI also remember fondly the one for the floor too. They work very well to sweep out a bit of dirt when taking out the vacuum cleaning would be killing a mosquito with a cannon.
For light soil it is quite effective and very easy to empty. While the case is plastic it does not seem to generate static electricity causing the dirt wanting to cling to to it.
You don't have to roll fast for it to work effective. It pick up hair well as long as the hair is not clinging to the hair of the fabric you try to clean.
Today most people would incline to grab the vacuum cleaner so this tool has fallen out of fashion.