CHAPTER IV.Other Renovators.

The renovator which is next in importance to the carpet renovator is that used for cleaning bare floors. The earliest form of this renovator was the oscillating floor type introduced by Mr. Kenney. This was a modification of the narrow-slot carpet renovator introduced by him. The body of same was curved and supported on two small wheels or rollers, with the intention of bringing the cleaning slot close to the surface cleaned without its touching same, as indicated inFig. 24.

FIG. 24. EARLY TYPE OF BARE FLOOR RENOVATOR.FIG. 25. LATER TYPE OF BARE FLOOR RENOVATOR.

FIG. 24. EARLY TYPE OF BARE FLOOR RENOVATOR.

FIG. 25. LATER TYPE OF BARE FLOOR RENOVATOR.

This form of renovator was found to be impracticable for the reason that any change in the angle with which the stem or tube connecting the body of the renovator with the handle in relation to the surface cleaned tended to make its action ineffective. If the angle were made less the distance between the cleaning slot and the floor was increased, allowing the air to enter the cleaning slot without coming in contact with the surface to be cleaned, or, if the angle were made greater, it would cause the face of the renovator to strike and damage the surface of the floor.

The wheels or rollers on which this renovator was mounted,being so small, were subject to rapid wear both on their faces and in their bearings, and when these wheels were slightly worn the renovator was practically useless. On account of the above defects this form of renovator was abandoned shortly after its introduction.

The next form of renovator to be tried was a modification of the ordinary soft bristle brush, such as had been in general use for cleaning hard wood floors. The bristles were arranged around the edges of the cleaning slot, in the body, which was shaped similar to the slot in the carpet renovator. Rubber or leather curtains or skirting, extending nearly to the ends of the bristles, was placed inside of these bristles in order to cause the air in entering the body of the renovator to come into intimate contact with the surface to be cleaned. The general form of this type is shown inFig. 25.

FIG. 26. ANOTHER TYPE OF BARE FLOOR RENOVATOR.

This form of renovator, while more efficient than the oscillating floor type, still had its faults in that it had a tendency to push the dirt along the floor in front of it, much the same as the floor brush from which it was copied was designed to do. Also, there was too much tendency for the air to pass into the body of the renovator without coming into intimate contact with the surface to be cleaned. While this type of floor renovator or a slight modification thereof is still inuse by several manufacturers today, it never has and never will be an effective bare floor cleaner.

A modification of this type of bare floor renovator, in which the bristles have been shortened and made thicker, the skirting or flaps placed on the outside and the stem provided with a swivel joint, is shown inFig. 26. Such an arrangement is an improvement over the former type as, owing to its wider and shorter mass of bristles, there is less tendency for the air to pass into the body of the renovator without coming into intimate contact with the surface cleaned. It is still prone to push its dirt before it and is far from being a perfect bare floor cleaner.

FIG. 27. BARE FLOOR RENOVATOR WITH FELT CLEANING SURFACE.

The next modification in the bare floor renovator was the abandoning of the bristle brush in favor of a cleaning surface composed of felt as shown inFig. 27. In this form of renovator the air entering the body of the same must pass either between the felt and the surface cleaned or through the felt itself, and this air quantity is small. Since this renovator has a wider cleaning slot than the Type A carpet renovator, and, as it is used with the same vacuum producer, hose and pipe lines, a considerable degree of vacuum will be produced under same, especially when operated on polished floors, where the conditions are nearly the same as we observed with Type A carpet renovator operated on linoleum. With the wider slot, the effort to move these renovators becomes too great for easy operation. This trouble can be overcome by using a soft grade of felt which permits sufficient air to pass through its open pores to reduce the vacuum under same and permit easy operation. Unfortunately, this felt is subject to rapid wear when operated on surfaces as hard as floors and its use hasbeen abandoned in favor of a harder felt. Openings are left in the felt to permit the passage of sufficient air to reduce the vacuum in the renovator to working limits. These slots have taken many forms. In one form the felt was placed in alternate X and diamond shapes, glued to the face with small open spaces between them, as illustrated inFig. 28. However, as these small pieces must be held in place by glue, they are easily broken loose and the efficiency of the renovator impaired.

FIG. 28. BARE FLOOR RENOVATOR WITH UNUSUAL FORM OF SLOT.

Another method, which has now become standard, is to open the ends of the renovator sufficiently to permit easy operation. This method produces high velocities at these end openings which are very effective in cleaning close to walls and in corners, where large quantities of dust always lodge and are removed with difficulty without these open slots.

The wear on these felt faced renovators was found to be so rapid that hard felt or composition rubber strips, placed so that the wear comes on the edges of the same, have been substituted. The felt or rubber was screwed on to the outside of a metal shell and projected sufficiently below the face of the metal to permit considerable wearing off of same before the surface of the metal came in contact with the surface cleaned. When this occurs, the felt strips can readily be replaced with new ones. The ends are left open about ¹⁄₂ in. to form an inrush for the entering air. Such a type is shown inFig. 29.

FIG. 29. BARE FLOOR RENOVATOR WITH HARD FELT OR COMPOSITION RUBBER STRIPS.

This renovator, in either of the above-described forms, is a great improvement over the bristle brush in that the air passinginto the body of the renovator must come into intimate contact with the surfaces cleaned, but it still has the disadvantage of tending to push the dirt before it.

A modification of the above-described renovators has been introduced, in which the wearing surface of the renovator, which is covered with felt, is rounded as shown inFig. 30. With this form of bare floor renovator, the air passing into same is not only brought into intimate contact with the surface cleaned but the dust is also crowded under the curved surface of the renovator as the same is pushed over the floor and thus brought directly into the path of the air current.

FIG. 30. BARE FLOOR RENOVATOR WITH ROUNDED WEARING SURFACE.

The last named type is by far the most effective for cleaning either polished or unpolished floors. It must be provided, however, with inrush slots in order to prevent its sticking and preventing easy operation. When operated with hose pipe and a vacuum producer necessary to produce 2 in. of vacuum in Type A carpet renovators, at least 30 cu. ft. of air must be permitted to pass the renovator. When operated with systems adapted to produce 4¹⁄₂ in. of vacuum in Type A carpet renovators, at least 70 cu. ft. of air must pass the renovator in order to permit easy operation.

This increase in the air quantity without change in the degree of vacuum in the case of these renovators, is not without increase in efficiency, as in the case of the carpet renovators, because large quantities of dust and also small litter are met with much more frequently on bare floors than on carpets. With the increase in the volume of air passing, it is possible to pick up much heavier articles than with the smaller quantity. It is also possible to pull dust out of deep cracks orfrom surfaces which are not in contact with the renovator face, such as the spaces between the slats of floors of trolley cars. This would not be possible with the small air quantity. The use of the larger quantity of air prohibits the use of small-sized hose and pipe and, therefore, larger articles can be conveyed through them. Where a large amount of bare floor must be rapidly cleaned the use of the larger air quantity is recommended.

FIG. 30a. THE TUEC SCHOOL TOOL.

A renovator (Fig. 30a) of unusual interest has recently been developed by The United Electric Company, known as the Tuec school tool. This is a bare floor tool open at both ends. It is made telescopic and is mounted on three wheels fitted with spring-actuated guide rails which are adjustable to the exact distance between the legs of school desks. A turbine motor, operated by the air passing through the renovator, is arranged to drive two of the wheels by means of worm gear and clutch.

In operation the tool is placed opposite the front of a row of desks. The clutch engaged on the turbine propels the tool through the space between the desk legs to the rear of the room. When the tool strikes the wall at the rear of the room, the clutch is disengaged and it is pulled back by drawing in the hose. The spring-actuated guides cause the cleaning slot to lengthen when passing between the desk legs thereby cleaning these spaces. The tool is then sent up the aisle, the wheels being set so that it hugs the left side of the aisle when going up and the right side when pulled back. The use of this form of tool should result in considerable saving of time in cleaning school rooms. Unfortunately, it cannot be operated where pedestal stools are used.

For use in cleaning walls, ceilings, and other flat surfaces of similar character, the bristle brush is practically the only form of renovator used.

Rubber skirting cannot be used on these brushes as it is too harsh for the easily-marred surfaces encountered by this renovator, and cotton flannel or a very soft grade of felt takes the place thereof. This change in the material used for skirting results in a greater short-circuiting of the air into the cleaner without coming into intimate contact with the surface cleaned than occurs when used with rubber or hard felt on bare floors.

As the material to be removed from surfaces of this character is very light dust, which has simply settled on the surface and is not ground in, it is very easy to dislodge. When a bristle brush, with a small volume of air passing through same, is used to remove this material, a greater portion thereof is pushed off the projections and other points of lodgment and falls to the floor from whence it must be removed by a second operation, using a floor renovator. In fact, the use of an ordinary bristle brush, followed by the use of a floor renovator, will give almost as good results as the use of a bristle wall brush with a small quantity of air passing. However, with a large quantity of air passing into the renovator, this light surface dust will all be picked up by the rapidly-moving air current and effective cleaning can be accomplished without the renovator coming into direct contact with the surface to be cleaned.

The author considers that a different form of renovator is necessary to effectively clean walls, ceilings and similar flat surfaces, with a small quantity of air passing and would recommend the use of some form of renovator having a cleaning face composed of cotton flannel or some other soft substance which could be moved over the surface cleaned, in intimate contact therewith and without damage thereto. With the soft, open fibre of the substance necessary to be used as a working surface, sufficient air would enter the renovator without resorting to the use of inrush slots or openings and much better results would be obtained. No such renovator has been designed for this purpose to date, for what reason the author does not know, and until some such renovator is produced a large volume of air will be necessary for cleaning this kind of surfaces.

FIG. 31. ROUND BRISTLE BRUSH FOR CARVED OR OTHER RELIEF WORK.

An illustration of this defect in the wall brush was brought to the author’s attention recently in watching a gang of laborers cleaning the walls in the U. S. Treasury Building. They had at their disposal a portable cleaner of the most efficient type, but in lieu of using the wall brush provided with same, they were rubbing off the walls with a cloth mop which had been soaked in oil, then air-dried, known as the “dustless duster.” This was mounted on the end of a pole. The workmen frequently cleaned this duster with the vacuum cleaner hose without any renovator attached thereto. This cleaner,with brush in use, passed approximately 30 cu. ft. of free air per minute. It is evident that these laborers had learned by experience that it was practically useless to try to remove dust from the walls by the direct application of the wall brush to surfaces and were undoubtedly accomplishing much better results in the roundabout way they had of necessity adopted.

When carved or other relief work is encountered, the round bristle brush, with extra long bristles and cotton flannel skirting, is nearly universally used. This type of renovator is shown inFig. 31.

Owing to the irregularity of such surfaces, intimate contact therewith cannot be obtained and practically no results will be had unless there is a large quantity of air passing through the renovator. When a large quantity of air is available, nearly as good results in cleaning this character of surface can be obtained by the use of the straight rubber-tipped corner cleaner, with a round opening about ³⁄₄ in. in diameter, as illustrated inFig. 32. A very high velocity will be obtained through this renovator which will pull the dust out of inaccessible places. This form of cleaner is also very effective for cleaning the corners of rooms, where the floor and walls intersect,veritable dust catchers that they are, the cleaning of which is fully as important as it is difficult. Pigeon holes and other small compartments in safes, desks and similar furniture can be easily cleaned with this little renovator by simply introducing it into the front of such compartment.

FIG. 32. RUBBER-TIPPED CORNER CLEANER FOR USE ON CARVED OR OTHER RELIEF WORK.

FIG. 33. EARLY TYPE OF UPHOLSTERY RENOVATOR.

To be effective, this renovator must pass approximately 55 cu. ft. of air per minute and will require a vacuum within the renovator of approximately 3¹⁄₂ in. of mercury. Where only a small quantity of air is available, the author considers that it is better to make use of compressed air to blow the dust out of relief work, pigeon holes, and other inaccessible places and subsequently pick this dust up with other forms of renovators after it has found lodgment at more accessible points.

The cleaner which has met with the most disastrous results to the surfaces cleaned is the furniture or upholstery renovator. This has nearly always taken the form of a small carpet renovator. The type of upholstery renovator used for many years by the Sanitary Devices Manufacturing Company is illustrated inFig. 33. This renovator had an inrush slot in the center, separated from a cleaning slot on each side by a partition extending to within ¹⁄₃₂ in. of the working face of the renovator. It had the hose connected into one end which was extended to form a handle. With this cleaning tool it was considered impossible to obtain a high vacuum within the renovator, as the inrush slots were supposed to act as vacuum breakers. However, as the surface of the upholstery is not firmly attached to the furniture it could be drawn up into the cleaner, closing the space under the partitions and permitting a high vacuum to be obtained. This caused the renovator tostick, but, owing to the narrow slot on each side of the inrush, the fabric was not caught.

Other manufacturers used a renovator with a single slot, in some cases as wide as ¹⁄₄ in., and instances are on record where the coverings of the furniture have been drawn up through the cleaning slot into the renovator and wedged so tightly that it was necessary to cut the covering from the furniture in order to release the renovator. To overcome this difficulty one manufacturer constructed the renovator in two pieces, secured together with screws, so that, in case the renovator became caught, it could be taken apart to release the fabric.

Many manufacturers have attempted to overcome this destructive tendency of the straight-slot upholstery renovator by inserting partitions on the cleaning face of the renovator, thus dividing the cleaning slot into a number of small slots the area of each not being sufficiently large to permit the drawing in of the fabric. These cleaners have followed two general forms, one having narrow slots running lengthwise of the cleaner, as illustrated inFig. 34. This form reduces the destructive tendency to a great extent, but does not entirely prevent drawing the fabric into the renovator. If the partitions across the renovator be continuous, as indicated by the sketch, there will be a portion of the renovator which will not do any cleaning. Another form uses short slots, sufficiently inclined for the top of one slot to overlap the bottom of its neighbor, as shown inFig. 35. This form of renovator is effective throughout its entire length and the small area of each slot makes it practically impossible to draw the fabric into the cleaning slot. It is considered by the author to be superior to the former type, especially when cleaning lace curtains or silk hangings or any other very light fabric.

FIG. 34. UPHOLSTERY RENOVATOR WITH NARROW SLOTS TO PREVENT DAMAGE TO FURNITURE.

However, if the exhauster be of such characteristics and the hose and pipe lines be so proportioned that there is practicallya constant vacuum in the renovator, regardless of the quantity of air passing, and provided this vacuum is not allowed to exceed 5 or 6 in. of mercury, no disastrous effects will be experienced in cleaning light-weight fabrics with a straight-slot renovator having a cleaning slot not over ¹⁄₄ in. wide. The use of this type, in connection with a system having the above-described characteristics, is recommended whenever rapid cleaning is desired.

Upholstery renovators make the most serviceable clothing cleaners, while a small type of bristle brush, not over 4 in. long and not over ³⁄₄ in. wide, makes the most serviceable hat brush.

FIG. 35. ANOTHER TYPE OF UPHOLSTERY RENOVATOR WITH SHORT SLOTS.

An important form of renovator is that used for cleaning between the sections and behind heating radiators. A piece of tubing, flattened at its outer end, is by far the most effective device for this purpose. This renovator, in connection with the hat brush tool, makes the two best renovators for use in the library, effective cleaning being possible with not more than 20 cu. ft. of air per minute, but much faster work can be done with larger quantities.

FIG. 36. HAND BRUSH TYPE OF RENOVATOR.

Another form of renovator sometimes furnished is the small hand brush. This is a bristle brush, approximately 8 in. long and 2 in. wide, with the hose connection made into one end of same, as illustrated inFig. 36. This renovator is useful for cleaning wooden furniture, shelves, tables, and other horizontal surfaces at about hand height, but, owing to the tendency of the air to short circuit in its way to the body of the renovator, it will not do effective work with small quantities of air.

Many manufacturers have produced a special renovator for cleaning stairs. This has nearly always taken the form of a bristle brush, approximately 4 in. square. When renovators are rigidly attached to their stems, this form of renovator is convenient and almost a necessity. However, when swivel joints are provided, the ordinary carpet or bare floor renovators are fully as convenient, and, being larger, are more rapid cleaners, and the stair renovator is unnecessary.

In isolated cases, where unusual cleaning is necessary, such as the removal of cork dust from the floors of a cork factory, picking up telegraph forms from the floors of stock exchanges, picking up wrapping papers in watch factories, etc., special forms of renovators, with large openings and large capacities for air exhaustion, become necessary. These appliances have generally taken the form similar to the carpet renovator, but with much wider slots, the forward edges of which are raised slightly above the surface of the floor when the renovator is in operation. These renovators, being of no use for any other purpose than that for which they are specially designed, and requiring quantities of air in excess of those usually provided for ordinary types of renovators, may be considered simply as special appliances and do not form a part of the outfit required to be furnished with an ordinary cleaning system.

Another class of cleaning which requires a special system and special appliances is the renovation of furs. Furs must never be brushed, as it tends to mat the hair and produce an effect opposite to renovation. The only agent suitable for renovating furs is compressed air and the form of renovator best suited for this work is a straight nozzle, flattened at the end with a slot approximately 4 in. long and not over ¹⁄₃₂ in. wide, from which the air escapes in a thin sheet. When held at such an angle that the air will impinge on the skin under the hair, a thorough renovation of the fur is possible.

For the renovation of pillows a hollow needle, with small openings along its sides, supplied with compressed air, produces the best results. The needle is thrust through the cover into the mass of feathers, the air tending to loosen up the matted feathers and to leave them in practically the same condition as when the pillow was first filled.

As the arrangement of the air removal system, to permit it being reversed from exhaustion to compression, complicates the outfit and adds to its first cost, and as cleaning of this character is required only at rare intervals, these renovators may also be considered as special and need not be included in the average equipment.

The author considers that the renovator equipment for a system in which from 20 to 30 cu. ft. of air per minute is exhausted for each renovator in operation, and which the author classes as a “small volume” system, should contain the following renovators in each “set” furnished:

One carpet renovator with cleaning slot ¹⁄₄ in. by 12 in. long.

One bare floor renovator 12 in. long, with curved felt-covered face.

One wall renovator 12 in. long, with cotton flannel and curved face.

One upholstery renovator with slot ¹⁄₄ in. by 4 in.

One corner cleaner.

One radiator cleaner.

In addition, one or more hat brushes should be included with each installation.

The renovator equipment for a system in which 70 cu. ft. of air per minute is exhausted for each renovator in operation, which the author classes as a “large volume” system, should contain the following renovators in each “set” furnished:

One carpet renovator, with slot ¹⁄₄ in. by 15 in.

One bare floor renovator 15 in. long, with curved felt-covered face.

One wall brush, with skirted bristles 12 in. long and 2 in. wide.

One hand brush, with hose connection at end, 8 in. long and 2 in. wide.

One 4-in. round brush for relief work.

One upholstery renovator.

One corner cleaner.

One radiator tool.

At least one hat brush with each system.

The number of sets of renovators to be furnished should naturally be at least equal to the number of sweepers whichthe plant will handle, and in all buildings, except residences, there should be one set of renovators for each floor of the building. This will be ample, except in exceedingly large buildings.

The wearing face of any renovator should never be made of soft metal, such as brass or aluminum, as the action of the dust passing the face of the renovator, where the velocity is always the highest in the system, will roughen these parts and cause undue wear on the surfaces cleaned. Stamped steel is undoubtedly the best material for wearing surface and cast-iron ranks next. These are the only materials which should be permitted.

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