before the vacuum cleaner was invented, people used brooms to clean their floors. The first vacuum cleaner was invented in 1860 by Daniel hess, but it was very heavy. One person had to move the base of the machine, and another person moved the part that picked up dirt and dust. Many people improved hass’s design, but vacuum cleaners were still expensive and heavy. In 1908, james spangler made an effective and less expensive vacuum cleaner. After that, people started buying them for their homes.