14
Aug/09
11

How Did People Clean Rugs Before Vacuums?

I’m watching Pride and Prejudice and all the rooms have hardwood floors with large rugs. How did they get them clean? It seems strange they would have dragged them outside to beat them twice a week.

Comments (11) Trackbacks (0)
  1. eskie lover
    6:54 am on August 14th, 2009

    We beat them. My Papa literally would drag them out in the yard, hang them over a line and we beat them with brooms and sticks. We didn’t do it during the winter months, however.

  2. ruthie
    8:07 am on August 14th, 2009

    Beat the rugs

  3. Tigger
    8:45 am on August 14th, 2009

    That’s about what they did though, Patsy: They didn’t have washing machines either, after all.
    They would about have to drag those huge rugs out, hang them up, and beat them with these very large latticed paddles.

  4. hopflowe
    1:46 pm on August 14th, 2009

    Brooms and beating them outside.

  5. i like monkeys
    5:09 pm on August 14th, 2009

    hang em on a line and beat them. Like bad little children.

  6. Viva La Eire!
    8:59 pm on August 14th, 2009

    hhm, i have no idea!
    but i do know that the early vacuums were so incredibly huge that they wouldn’t fit in your house! they would have to out a hose through your window and vacuum with that! and it was so expensive that only very rich people could have it done!

  7. Stacy's Mom
    10:26 pm on August 14th, 2009

    Yep, they beat them.

  8. Will L
    3:47 am on August 15th, 2009

    ok check this out… its a story… i was a typical teenager calling in the paper for a job.. i got tricked into a salesman job selling kirby sweepers (the first sweeper company ever invented in like 1912 something like that) but this guy kirby had a sick mom and they didnt even have rugs then maybe to the rich but his mom wasnt so he designed something to pick up the dirt cuz his mom stayed in a hospital (supposed to be the cleanest places out back then) but he took a bellow and some wheels and a bag and wah lah the birth of the sweeper. but yes they would have to hang them up and beat them with a stick or broom. back then there was rugs not carpets if u follow me but yea thats about all

  9. Esmereld
    8:03 am on August 15th, 2009

    Well, they beat them and it didn’t happen twice a week.

  10. mshonnie
    9:33 am on August 15th, 2009

    Well, believe it or believe it not thats all they did back then

  11. John R
    1:17 pm on August 15th, 2009

    There actually was a heavy wire framed tool with a wooden handle that was made to beat rugs. It was about 3 feet long and 18 inches wide. Now they would be a collectors item.

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