Kōrero: Washing, cleaning and personal hygiene

American Melville Bissell invented the carpet sweeper in 1876, and they soon made their way into New Zealand homes. Prior to this, dirt and dust was removed by hand with brooms, a difficult, often unsuccessful task. Carpet sweepers were propelled by hand and rolling brushes picked up the detritus, which was stored in a separate, removable compartment. Later, carpet sweepers were largely replaced by electric vacuum cleaners, though they are still available. This is a Ewbank Success carpet sweeper manufactured in Britain.