Now You See It, Now You Don't!
TellzAll's subject for September is the Carpet Beater
Today, when your carpet is dirty, you simply roll out your vacuum, plug it into an electric outlet, and vacuum the floor to clean it. Have you ever wondered how people cleaned their carpets before vacuums and electricity?
Rugs and carpets have existed for thousands of years. Just like many people today, people of the past found rugs and carpets to be more comfortable to walk on than hard floors. Also rugs and carpets helped to provide warmth in homes by adding a layer of insulation on the floors. At first, it was usually only wealthier people who could afford large rugs or wall-to-wall carpet, because these items were made by hand and required a great deal of time and energy to make them. As steam or water-powered machines began to be invented that could make rugs and carpets, the price of rugs and carpets began to decline, allowing more people to be able to afford what were once luxury items.
Well, how did people clean their rugs and carpets before vacuums and electricity? Usually, people would take their rugs and carpets outside and hang them over a tree branch or a clothesline. They would then take a carpet or rug beater and literally beat the dirt out of the carpets and rugs. These carpet beaters were originally made of wood, but by the late nineteenth century, metal ones began to appear. Today, some carpet beaters are also made of plastic.
Most people only cleaned their carpets and rugs once or twice per year. With wall-to-wall carpet or larger rugs, people would first have to remove all of the furniture so that they could take up the carpet. Then, they would have to take the carpet outside and beat it. Usually, women and children were responsible for this physically-demanding job.
Be thankful that we now have electricity and vacuums, or you might have had to move all of that furniture and spend hours beating the rugs and carpets!
