What Is a Carpet Sweeper?

A carpet sweeper is a household device for sweeping carpets (sometimes, even hard floors!) and is more convenient than a broom. It features revolving brushes and a dustpan.

Most carpet sweepers are manual, requiring forward momentum to turn the brush roll. Manual carpet sweepers don't need electricity or batteries; electrical carpet sweepers need electricity to power brush rolls.

Carpet sweepers are lightweight, operate quietly, and are affordable. They clean cat litter and pick up thread, dirt, and dust on rugs and carpets.

Carpet sweepers are good for daily/weekly quick-pass and work better on commercial or low-pile carpets.

Using carpet sweepers on a high-pile rug or carpet can cause it to lose plenty of dust, dirt, and debris.

Read on as I unpack more for you.

What Year Was the Carpet Sweeper Invented?

Melville R. Bissell invented and patented carpet sweepers in 1876. Bissell invented a carpet sweeper to keep their small crockery shop, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, clean of sawdust.

People saw and loved the carpet sweeper. Due to the high demand from people who saw Bissell and his wife Ann using the device, the couple started making carpet sweepers for sale.

In 1883, Bissell started selling carpet sweepers nationally and even internationally, even selling a sweeper to Queen Victoria of England.

The Bissell company continues to this day, as a family-owned American business, selling a wide variety of vacuum and carpet cleaners.

How Does a Carpet Sweeper Work?

A carpet sweeper has a handle attached to a small box with wheels/roller and a brush. The roller or brush mechanism features bristles for lifting dirt, dust, and hair from carpet surfaces. The brushes are connected to the wheels using a belt, rollers, or gears.

When you push a carpet sweeper to and from the floor, the wheels or rollers turn, forcing the brushes to rotate.

The rotating brushes lift dirt and other foreign materials from the carpet fibers and put them into the sweeper's container.

Carpet sweepers have an adjustable height to accommodate people of all heights and ages.

If you're tall, use the full height to avoid bending over. However, when kids, teenagers, or short people use the sweeper, remove some sticks from the handle to shorten it.

Once the dustpan for collecting dust/dirt/hair is full, carry your sweeper to the bin. Open the bin flaps and position your sweeper over it. Shake the dustpan to remove the waste, then close the bin's flaps.

What Are the Uses of Carpet Sweepers?

Carpet sweepers clean carpets. They were invented before vacuum cleaners, which have since replaced them in most homes and commercial facilities.

Most people still use carpet sweepers, which are small, highly portable, quiet, and suitable for small cleaning tasks or quick daily touch-ups such as cleaning crumbs from carpet surfaces.

Are Carpet Sweepers Effective?

Yes, carpet sweepers are effective in various situations:

• Cleaning low-pile carpets and rugs

• Quick clean-ups such as spills, dog dander, dust, dirt, and debris

• Cleaning small rooms

• Cleaning hospitals, hotels, or homes with infants as they're quiet, so they won't create a disturbance.

• The main body of the carpet sweeper is barely three inches tall, and its handle can extend fully horizontally, making it ideal for cleaning under appliances and furniture with little clearance.

• Its lightweight and compact size makes it ideal for kids or teenagers who love to help clean carpets. To shorten the main handle, just remove a stick or two.

• They're manual, so they're great options for those living off-grid. The electrical carpet sweepers don't use much power, either.

• Electric carpet sweepers are effective when users have mobility issues; the brushes always run even without pushing them.

Carpet sweepers won't be effective on high-pile carpets as they usually lose a lot of collected dust, debris, and dirt.

Carpet sweepers are also ineffective in thoroughly cleaning heavily soiled carpets. They lack suction power, which helps to pick up small dust or dirt particles trapped in the carpet fibers. For this reason, they are not ideal for people with dust/dirt-related allergies.

How to Use a Carpet Sweeper

Follow the manual guide for instructions on assembling your carpet sweeper based on its model. If, for example, you're using the electrical Fuller carpet sweeper model, it uses the electrostatic charge created by the hair bristle brush to pick up debris, dust, and other foreign particles from your carpet. It has no cords, batteries, or bags!

Here's how to use it.

• Use the handle to control the sweeper.

• Push the sweeper to and from repeatedly to collect the unwanted particles from the carpet.

• After successfully cleaning the carpet, empty the dual debris-collecting pans. Place the sweeper over a bin, press the ends of the dust pans, and flip them over so that the collected dust and debris fall into the bin.

• If pet dander gets on the roller or brushes, move the provided bristle brush and run it through the roller/brushes to remove it.

Does a Carpet Sweeper Work Better Than a Broom on Carpets?

Carpet sweepers work better than brooms on carpets because they don't push dirt, debris, dust, or pet hair away; they lift it from the carpet surfaces.

Broom sticks don't get into the carpet fibers to lift foreign particles; carpet sweepers have brushes that get into the low pile fibers of carpets to lift them. This means carpet sweepers leave less dirt and dust than brooms.

Carpet sweepers, especially electrical ones, clean faster than brooms. They allow you to clean a wider area in a shorter time, working less hard and making you less exhausted than when using a broom.

What Is the Difference Between a Vacuum Cleaner and a Carpet Sweeper?

Vacuum and carpet sweepers serve the same purpose: to clean carpets, but their effectiveness, design, and mode of operation are different.

Design: Carpet sweepers' brushes rotate fast, creating static that attracts clutter from carpet fibers, while vacuum cleaners use suction power for the same purpose.

Noise: Vacuum cleaners are loud when in operation, and carpet sweepers are quiet.

Size: Vacuum cleaners are bulky and heavy, making them unsuitable for cleaning under tables, beds, and chairs without moving them. Carpet sweepers are small, so they can clean under small furniture without moving it.

Limited Cleaning Power: Carpet sweepers can't thoroughly clean thick or heavily soiled carpets. Their lack of suction power makes them ineffective in effectively cleaning pet dander, fine particles, or embedded dirt on carpets. They're ideal for small messes, debris, and light soiling on commercial or low-pile carpets. Vacuum cleaners effectively clean all carpets because their powerful suction collects even small dirt and dust particles trapped within high—and low-pile carpet fibers.

Filtration: Carpet sweepers lack filtration, which traps dust particles and allergens; vacuum cleaners have HEPA filters or filtration systems. People with allergy problems should use vacuum cleaners.

Limited versatility: Vacuum cleaners have several attachments with different settings, making them suitable for cleaning various floor surfaces such as carpets, tiles, hardwood floors, and upholstery. Carpet sweepers are only ideal for cleaning lightly soiled low-pile and commercial carpets. Some can clean hardwood floors without causing damage.

Power consumption: Most carpet sweepers are manually operated or use batteries; even those requiring power don't consume as much as vacuum cleaners. On average, vacuum cleaners use 200 to 1200 watts in one hour.

Cost: Vacuum cleaners are powerful machines that do a better job than vacuum sweepers, making them more costly than carpet sweepers.

Portability: Carpet sweepers' small size and lightweight make them ideal for campers or other small areas and homes. Vacuum cleaners are heavy and bulky, not ideal for campers or people who have to clean multiple areas of a home, especially if they need to move a cleaner upstairs or downstairs.

Ease of maintenance: Carpet sweepers have simplified designs that make them easy to assemble, disassemble, maintain, and empty. Vacuum cleaners have filters or bags; thus, they need regular cleaning and maintenance, which may also incur a cost. A lack of proper care and maintenance could cause the vacuum cleaner to spit stuff back out.

Deep cleaning: Vacuum cleaners have steam cleaning options or rotating brushes for deep cleaning heavily soiled carpets or stubborn stains. Carpet sweepers only clean carpet surface-level dirt, dust, dander, and debris.

Power outlet: You don't need a power outlet or to drag power cords when using a cordless or manual carpet sweeper. Vacuum cleaners, however, need a power source; hence, they must be connected to one. You might want to switch outlets when working in a large room.

Can a Carpet Sweeper Replace a Vacuum?

Carpet sweepers cannot replace vacuum cleaners in deep cleaning jobs because they can only collect debris, dander, crumbs, dirt, and dust.

Carpet sweepers should only replace vacuum cleaners when doing light, quick carpet cleaning jobs.

Since carpet sweepers are only suitable for light cleaning tasks, you still need a vacuum cleaner for deep cleaning.

FAQs

Who Invented the Carpet Sweeper in 1876?

Melville R. Bissell invented the carpet sweeper in 1876. After Bissel died in 1889, his wife Anna became the CEO, also becoming the first female American CEO.

Do Carpet Sweepers Work on Rugs?

Carpet sweepers work on rugs because they use bristles and brushes to lift dirt, dander, and dust without exerting excessive force.

They're not good on shaggy vintage boucherouite rugs; only use them on low-pile office and home rugs.

Do Carpet Sweepers Pick Up Hair?

Carpet sweepers effortlessly pick up hair on the carpet's and rug's surface.

They pick up hair with a rolling boar's brush, which lifts it from the fibers when the sweeper moves back and forth.

With or without a vacuum cleaner and a carpet sweeper, you'll still need professional deep cleaning once or twice yearly to remove stained or heavily soiled carpet, remove deeply embedded particles, and help your carpet last longer.

That's where Zerorez® comes in. Our carpet cleaning company based in the U.S. offers unmatched carpet cleaning services nationwide.

Contact us for carpet cleaning services. We also offer other services which you can schedule at any time.

Call us NOW!