Let's talk history of equipment for dusting rugs - Portable push/pull units

[T Monahan]

Some past history of portable push/pull rug dusters:

Some of these past well-known ‘mini-dusters’ included ones built and sold by the Hild Floor Machine Company in Chicago. They were built and sold during the mid 1900s.

The mid 1990s saw a small company, Tri-State Carpet Cleaners, making a portable rug duster of similar design. Their version came out of Shreveport, LA. Tri-State comprehended the grid concept for better efficiency while dusting.

Both companies, for whatever reason, no longer manufacture these machines. Some of these units have stood the test of time and are still in use. Likely their existence continues due to being so well made and maintained.

In recent times, there has been an interest in manufacturing such devices with evolutionary modifications.

The resurgence of area rug production and sales, and the continued trend for home decorating to cover hard surfaces with accenting area rugs, is creating a bigger market to dust and clean area rugs.

Typically, these smaller push/pull machines come in several styles and design.

Inherent in the design of current machines, like their older predecessors, is a rotating shaft with straps that beat the rug as it is rolled over the rug.

The operator determines the time spent on the process by his or her subjective visual analysis.

Steven Roberts and Clark Lancaster produced such a machine in 2005, and named it the RugBadger.

Of interest are the following dialogue and dates of inquiries on the Cleanfax message board:

Original Post
Subject: rug beater
Posted By steve ribbs on 10/23/2001 at 3:22:36 PM

i saw an ad for a portable rug beater in cleanfax a couple of years ago.. anybody know the company or does anyone have any experience with one of these machines?
thanx

Responses:

RE: rug beater: JEREMIAH JOHNSON: 10/24/2001 5:48:17 PM
don't beat the rugs... clean em

RE: rug beater: steve ribbs: 10/24/2001 9:24:18 PM
seriously..please forward me any info you may have on this portable unit, about the size of an upright vac i believe.

RE: rug beater: Bryan O'Haleck: 10/25/2001 1:01:19 AM
No longer in production. The guys that have these usually guard them as if they were gold.
I have experimented with an oscillating pad sander, (no pad - just the steel plate) and found it shakes the dirt out of the rug very well. The only drawback is finding a way to keep the rug in place while you move the sander over the back of the rug.

RE: rug beater: steve ribbs: 10/25/2001 12:38:52 PM
thanx for the info.. do you remember the name of the unit or the name of the company?
steve

RE: rug beater: Keith Collins: 10/25/2001 11:59:20 PM
Steve,
The company you're looking for is:
Portable Rug Duster
Tri State Carpet Cleaners
500 W. 62nd St., Shreveport,
La 71106
Ph#318-868-0529
This address and number was good up until 3 years ago. Not sure if it's current now.
And yes, we chain that thing up every night. We don't ever want to lose it.
Keith


Original Post
Subject: rug washing equipment
Posted By robin ribbs on 7/19/2004 at 11:17:48 PM

Im looking for rug washing equipment to set up a plant.
Anyone know where i can get some?
I hear that there is a guy in calgary canada with some new and used wringers and drying towers.
Does anyone know him or know how to find him? I think his name is greg turcotte.
Thanks
Robin Ribbs

Responses:

RE: rug washing equipment: Tony wheelwright: 7/20/2004 2:27:19 AM
http://www.arearugcleaning.com/
Check out the amazing pictures on "rug dusting"
by some genius, shown on this site, Robin......

RE: rug washing equipment: Samuel Zarcone: 7/20/2004 6:47:00 AM
Clean Fax or ICS had some used equipment such as this for sale.

RE: rug washing equipment: robin ribbs: 7/20/2004 5:23:15 PM
Wow.
Thanks for the website address Tony. This guy has a great site and has new and used equipment. If you havent already seen his site take a look, very impressive. Apparantly he just started making belt dusters so im looking forward to seeing what he has.

robin
Original Post
Subject: rug beater
Posted By steve ribbs on 10/23/2001 at 3:22:36 PM

i saw an ad for a portable rug beater in cleanfax a couple of years ago.. anybody know the company or does anyone have any experience with one of these machines?
thanx

Responses:

RE: rug beater: JEREMIAH JOHNSON: 10/24/2001 5:48:17 PM
don't beat the rugs... clean em

RE: rug beater: steve ribbs: 10/24/2001 9:24:18 PM
seriously..please forward me any info you may have on this portable unit, about the size of an upright vac i believe.

RE: rug beater: Bryan O'Haleck: 10/25/2001 1:01:19 AM
No longer in production. The guys that have these usually guard them as if they were gold.
I have experimented with an oscillating pad sander, (no pad - just the steel plate) and found it shakes the dirt out of the rug very well. The only drawback is finding a way to keep the rug in place while you move the sander over the back of the rug.

RE: rug beater: steve ribbs: 10/25/2001 12:38:52 PM
thanx for the info.. do you remember the name of the unit or the name of the company?
steve

RE: rug beater: Keith Collins: 10/25/2001 11:59:20 PM
Steve,
The company you're looking for is:
Portable Rug Duster
Tri State Carpet Cleaners
500 W. 62nd St., Shreveport,
La 71106
Ph#318-868-0529
This address and number was good up until 3 years ago. Not sure if it's current now.
And yes, we chain that thing up every night. We don't ever want to lose it.
Keith

Centrum Force® evolved its version of a duster by the innovation of rollers, not wheels, in early 2007. They also made other improvements. It is known as the Wolverine Rug Duster.

Here are some pictures of the machines that came through the years:

 

[The Great Oz]

The one on the top left looks like John Watson's "Miss Hildy." Now there's a guy that could loan the IICRC some museum pieces.

 

[Mikey P]

like that stupid hat?

 

[Desk Jockey]

That top one has to a Hild, I recognize the motor from their Pile Lifters.

 

[T Monahan]

The one on the top left looks like John Watson's "Miss Hildy." Now there's a guy that could loan the IICRC some museum pieces.

Actually it is Deep Eddys in Austin Texas.

 

[rhyde]

There's a hild rug duster in town I've been trying to buy for some time now the owners just doesn't want to part with it

 

[T Monahan]

To my knowledge, the Hild was the first to provide a protable electric rug duster. Tri-State introduced the metal grids in their Cleanfax display ads. This sort of thing challenges the truth in advertising by some on this topic. This begs the question: Why one one do so?

 

[roro]

I sent a copy of a video tape of the Tri-State machine to the "some" or "one" for their "museum".
roro

 

[T Monahan]

Ross,

Did Tri-State sales reach Wellington? Is there really a museum?

 

[roro]

Ross,

Did Tri-State sales reach Wellington? Is there really a museum?

I got a video of the equipment in use after seeing an ad in a trade magazine. I spoke with the guys who had taken over the carpet cleaning side of the business and they told me that sadly the guy who was manufacturing them had become really ill and so the machines would no longer be produced. We liked the concept so tinkered around with building our own by converting a lawn aerating machine but it was too light to perform adequately.
Some years later I bought a Badger and was told by Dusty that he would like to have the video for his museum so I had a copy made and sent off. I wonder whether Dusty has considered another income stream - guided tours of his museum
roro.

 

[T Monahan]

Call this one a "Cross Over". A version for 2012.

The picture was furnished by Matt Cole. It is his machine.

(Obviously, the 'roller and bracket kit' was sold by a vendor to improve the machine's performance)