Vacuum cleaner
The vacuum cleaner evolved from the carpet sweeper via manual vacuum cleaners. The first manual models, using bellows, were developed in the 1860s, and the first motorized designs appeared at the turn of the 20th century, with the first decade being the boom decade.
Spray-and-vac cleaning
The first spray-and-vac system was developed by inventor Robert S. Robinson in 1997. A US Patent was issued in 2001, and the technology has since been licensed by other manufacturers of cleaning equipment. A number of manufacturers in the cleaning industry now produce and market spray-and-vac systems or systems that are similar, and approximately 40,000-50,000 units have been sold worldwide Some systems are battery operated; others do not have vacuuming capabilities however they are still classified under this product category.