The Last of the Collection (For the Time Being)

Here are the two machines remaining in my possession that have yet to be featured in this blog.

First up, the Electrolux Golden Jubilee, or 50th Jubilee, however you choose to put it, Model 1205J. This was released in 1974 to celebrate the first 50 years of (American) Electrolux*, in gold with beige trim. My model is in all-original condition, albeit with a dent in the side that occurred during shipping. In my (humble) opinion, this is the gaudiest machine Electrolux ever made, but hey, it was a 50th/Golden anniversary model, so what can you do? I do happen to have an original power nozzle for this machine, but I couldn't be arsed to dig it out...its in solid (silver) aluminum, not in gold as you might expect. I don't have the original hose or attachments for this one.

Full view, with dent:

50th Jubilee logo:

Front panel, with check bag light, automatic shutoff selector, and switch:

I'm not an aficionado of the American Electroluxes, but I do know that this basic body style (with a few modifications over the years) was used, more or less, from 1968 - 1984 (or thereabouts).

Next, this gigantic, heavy old beast of a Canadian Electrolux shampooer/polisher, the BX-10. I got this along with the GE polisher (featured elsewhere in this blog), and, I daresay I've used this thing for actual polishing once. That being said, its in decent condition, except for the end where the cord plugs into the machine and part of the 'T' handle, and I do have an original set of brushes for it. This machine, by the way, would have been the accompanying shampooer/polisher for the ZB/Z 88 vacuum cleaner, and I believe it was released over the run of both the first and second versions of the latter. As far as I know, the shampoo tank was a slightly later addition in the run of this machine; when it first came out, it was intended solely as a bare floor cleaner.

Closeup of logo. I believe this is the original Electrolux logo, used when the company started up, sometime in the 1910's or 1920's.

A pic of the BX-10 and GE on the day I got them:

*I'm reasonably sure that Electrolux Canada started up in 1932.

The Rug Doctor is On Call

I recently rented a Rug Doctor carpet cleaner to clean the living/dining room, as well as my sister's sofas. I must say, I'm impressed by the performance of these machines, and their ease of use. They really do make carpet and upholstery look almost new again, and the amount of brown water poured out from the recovery tank is astonishing, not to mention disgusting. Imagine spending all that time with that amount of dirt in your carpet and upholstery!

After giving the carpets a good working over, I connected an old Electrolux floor brush to the end of two wands, and ran it over the carpet, as if I was vacuuming it, to fluff it up a bit, and finally, after several hours of drying, I used the floor brush on the Shop Vac to pick up any leftover residue and/or surface moisture. As a final step, the morning after the cleaning, I gave the carpet a full-on Epic 3500-ing.

The Shop Vac. Not an Electrolux, but still a vital member of the household cleaning team. I've used this fellow for every dirty job imaginable, from unclogging sinks and vacuuming wet front porches in the winter, to clearing the front steps (in summer) from rocks and gardening debris. Oddly enough, I never use it in the car, unless the floors and/or mats happen to be wet. I always use one or another of the Aerus/Electroluxes.

Epic 3500. Possibly my favorite among the uprights I have, due to its near flawless, all-original cosmetic condition and excellent running condition.

Mind you, the results after all of this labor are not perfect. The carpet is a relatively old one, and has had and will continue to have a lot of traffic and spills, but it does look fresher and "fluffier".

Really, the Rug Doctor does such an impressive job that I'm half tempted to buy one.