Howdy Mike,
Who wants to clean their shake-out vacuum bag? Obviously people who wanted to keep the vacuum. You are also talking of a time when vacuums were expected to last. Most people were aware that if you wanted something around for a while, you took care of it. The task wasn't pleasant but neither was diaper washing -- also a common practice at the time.
Venson
Hi Venson:
You, like me, remember these days well. Generally, the woman of the house set aside one day a week for a specific household chore. Like washing clothes, by hand, on Monday. Baking bread/desserts on Tuesday. Oven cleaning on Wednesday. Housecleaning on Thursday. Grocery shopping which included a visit to the butcher on Friday, and so on. Vacuuming was not a daily task. Emptying the bag after each use was not as uncommon as it may sound in today's terms.
My grandmother, her soul rest in peace, had a straight suction Eureka upright from 1915 with all the attachments. When she instructed the family members to vacuum, it always included a PS: Don't forget to empty the bag. And she demonstrated the instructions you so eloquently cited/sited. Tho, she was no higher than 5 foot, all obeyed. I recently donated that vacuum away, still in original working condition with the same cloth bag [never washed even by hand]. I was forced several years back to replace the cord. The inner wiring insulation dried out.
Carmine D.
