Speaking of carpet sweepers, you refreshed one of my memories.
My grandmother once told me that her mother had a machine called a 'Whirlwind'. This apparently looked to all intents and purposes like a Hoover, but did not use electricity. Instead it had a friction-drive and gearing, to turn a fan to generate suction.
Apparently relatives were visiting my Great Grandmother, and were surprised that she didn't have a Hoover. She later got a Hoover 'Junior' 375.
