That’s right: many of us have been alive as long as the Black & Decker DustBuster vacuum, a cleaner that I remember fondly from my ill-spent youth. Remember the first models? The tan color scheme? The incessant whirring? The sad majesty of the dying DustBuster as its battery slowly drained over a pile of Cheerios or sawdust?
Say what you want about Dyson and his ilk: the DustBuster is the Hitachi Magic Wand of home cleaning devices, dedicated to performance, fun, and, most importantly, the improvement of our lives in general.
So hats off, Mr. DustBuster, we salute you. Best of all Black & Decker is offering us five DustBusters – of the modern variety – to five lucky readers.
To win please leave your fondest vacuuming story in comments. We’ll pick the five most poignant remembrances next Wednesday at noon ET. Do you remember lying on the floor listening to the vacuum and trying to hum in tune? Did you make a huge mess and then clean it up? Did you get something caught somewhere? Tell us, dear reader.
Photo Gallery by Picturesurf
I’m not sure if fondest is appropriate, but my most memorable vacuuming incident occurred when I was 7 and decided that it was really annoying that our dog was shedding all over the place. Our dog being a curious sort and probably having been spared exposure to the vacuum by my parents stuck right by me as I got the vacuum out and plugged it in and got the hose attachment. I put the hose up to her coat and flipped the switch. She immediately took off, or at least it would have been immediate had we not been on linoleum floors at the time, so instead she first did some keystone cops style flailing and falling until she found purchase and darted down the basement steps where she hid until being coaxed out by my brother. I was persona non grata with her for at least a couple weeks after that.
Oh the memories… The year was 1982. Unemployment was in the double digits, stagflation was going out of style and the dial on our TV had broken off so we used needle nose pliers to change the channel. Changing the channel without a dial is a lost art. With no numbers to reference, one had to count (without a slide-rule no less) the number of clicks or get stuck watching commercials until the next station ID. One day I lost count, perhaps because our new dual tape answering machine (what will they think of next) had answered a call, or maybe my fear of the war in the Falklands spreading to some place that mattered overwhelmed me… Whatever the case, I lost count of the clicks and found myself watching commercials so I could figure out what channel I was on.
And then it happened, I saw the solution to all my problems. The commercial featured a boy with the unfortunate name of “little mess” (because mishaps followed him everywhere). Name aside this kid had it all. He got to eat snacks on the couch while watching TV, he had a big sheepdog that followed him everywhere, played in sand that he tracked up the stairs with shag carpet that covered unsightly antique hardwood floors, carried a hockey stick that he used to knock over ashtrays, and he ate cupcakes while practicing piano. On top of all this, his mom was always smiling!
What was this kid’s secret? His mom had a Black & Decker Dustbuster of course!
The wheels started turning in my young imaginative mind that was not polluted by MTV (we didn’t have cable). The DustBuster was all that was holding me back from experiencing the fullness of life! First I had to get my mom a DustBuster. Next, I would ask my neighbors if their sheepdog could follow me through our house. After a game of hockey, I would carelessly knock over an ashtray (and since my parents were squares and didn’t allow smoking in the house that would be a really cool trick!). I would then trail sand up the stairs and finally enjoy a chocolate cupcake while I played piano.
After months of begging, my dad finally got my mom a DustBuster for Christmas. But my mom didn’t smile when I made a mess, we never got a dog, no one smoked in the house, I never played hockey, or learned to play the piano.
But I did learn to eat snacks on the couch and clean up without anyone knowing… for a week. The battery wasn’t the problem. The commercial taught me how to put it back in the really cool wall charger, but I really wish it had mentioned that you had to empty it every now and then. It doesn’t vacuum very well when it’s full of “munchies.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SVhndQElV0
(1:01 – 1:31)
Here is a video of one of my most memorable vacuum moments. My daughter Penelope and I were having a mother-daughter vacuuming moment:)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3eky1zHFIw
I don’t have any clever or creative stories for you (much less the time to write about them b/c I am a stay-at-home mom to 3 kids ages 3 and under…)
However, I can tell you that I do get tired of constantly sweeping up peas, goldfish, and chicken nugget crumbs. A dustbuster would certainly make my life a little easier.
Wonderful video.
This video rocks, they should get a DB in pink.
Like every hip homemaker in those days, I had a (3.6 V B&D) Dustbuster wall mounted in my kitchen to handle the inevitable accidents. With six children, it got plenty of use in the dining room.
My daughter Elizabeth had a morbid fear of spiders; whenever she discovered one her blood curdling shrieks could be heard by the neighbors. I would respond by trudging up the stairs to her bedroom, Dustbuster in hand, ready to dispatch the tresspasser.
After a while I tired of the adventure and a light bulb flashed. The next day I purchased another B&D Dustbuster, mounted it in her bedroom, showed her how, and never heard another scream.
Of course I still had to empty the machine; she would not allow it to remain in her room while it still contained the monster.
I remember my first buster, I got it the day I got my lisense in 1980, and my dad gave me his car, a 72 monti carlo, (loved that car).
I started off vacuuming the car some (batt. died), then washed it, vacuumed some more (batt died) waxed it, the finished vacuuming it out (batt died) I let it charge some more as I finished with the 2nd (or maybe the 3rd) coat of wax (no such thing as over doing it, lol) and took it and buster for a drive, me and buster made it back home, the car did not, at least I got to use buster for the next car,,
I got my first Dustbuster via an incentive program for waiters at a restaurant in Tysons Corner, VA.
The goal was to “upsell” as many drinks as you could. If someone asked for a Bloody Mary, you were expected to ask “Would you like that with Absolut Peppar?” If they said yes, you could hear the “ca-ching” of an extra buck fifty added to the bill. Pretty sleezy, but I ended up winning the Dust Buster.
I used it to vacuum my entire apartment numerous times. At about 250 square feet it wasn’t too difficult crawling around on my hands and knees sucking up ramen noodle powder.
I remember pushing the little cardboard door in and out and trying to not get my fingers stuck at the front of the thing.
I have always wished for a wet-vac Dustbuster for spilled bong water.
I remember watching my now-passed mom dustbusting the vacuum back around ‘84. She’d complain that she needed a smaller one to clean the dustbuster, while cleaning it with a cloth. I used to roll on the floor imagining a teeny tiny dustbuster, as small as a finger, cleaning the vacuum-cleaning Dustbuster. Ha. Good times.
When the origional DustBuster first came out we tried to pick up everything we could with it. I managed to suck up some really nasty stuff…and when fully charged leave some nasty hickies on passed out party goers. The Buster met its doom though when we tried to suck up spilt beer from my friends parents Mercedes, alas a shop vac it was not! I’d love a chance to see if the new DustBuster can stand up to my 1 year old daughter and the mess she leaves in her wake!
When my dog was a puppy and just learning the command “sit,” I had noticed he was napping in one room and I was in another–and the hose of our vacuum stretched from him to me. I picked up my end and started saying “Buck! Sit!” repeatedly. I’ve never seen a more confused animal. He recognized my voice and knew he should be sitting, but coming from the head of a vacuum was completely new. He obeyed and I started laughing which he heard and saw me. He then came running and did that puppy love thing.
He’s had cancer for a year now and died last weekend. He hasn’t been the same Buck all year and although it’s sad to see him go, it’s makes me happy to remember him as a younger, healthier dog.
When my oldest son was of High School age, he and three of his buddies would camp out in the back yard. One time, they had forgotten to get the flashlight from it’s charger near the back door.
One of the boys, knowing where the flashlight was kept, ran into the house and grabbed the unit from its charger. As he entered the tent, he turned on the flashlight, and the boys cracked up as the sound of the Dust Buster filled the tent.
I don’t have any poignant vacuuming memories other than it my my chore as a tween to do the vacuuming, and I hated it. My own dustbuster bit the dust a few years ago, and I miss it. It was great for vaccuming the stairs.
My mother was very “old school” in her cleaning approaches and scoffed at the idea of a DustBuster. I saw them at my friends’ houses while I was growing up and always thought they were really cool and handy and couldn’t understand why my mother was so down on them.
When I graduated from college in 1991 and moved out, guess what the very first electronic item I bought was? (No, not a Hitachi Magic Wand — but it’s too bad you aren’t giving one of those away because those stories would be pretty good, I think) It was a Black & Decker DustBuster! I remember spending way too much time trying to figure out where I should attach the charging the device — it came with handy screws so you could attach it to the side of a cupboard or wherever to make it even handier to reach.
That sucker was my vacuum cleaner for several years, truth be told. I couldn’t afford an actual vacuum and heck, I didn’t need one with my DustBuster. It was a lot of fun to chase the cats around my tiny apartment, they would shed as they ran away from it and I would suck up their fur as I went! Great exercise for both of us!
I came home for Christmas in 1980. I asked my Dad what he bought for Mom’s present and he answered with a proud smile “a DustBuster”. I told him that no woman dreams of receiving a vacuum cleaner for Christmas. He was certain that Mom would really appreciate it.
I asked Mom what she bought for Dad. Yes, it was a DustBuster. That marriage was meant to last the 53 years it did!
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The dog got it and sucked the cat up into it …
not sure if that’s an accurate memory, maybe a dream.
Anyway, it’s fond.
Our cat likes the Dustbuster. He’ll happily sit there while we vacuum off all the dust and debris he picks up outside. The “big” vacuum freaks him out, but I guess the Dustbuster is sufficiently non-threatening.
I remember buying a dustbuster at a garage sale that was Unopened (prob. given as a gift) I used it to clean for the next two years until the battery had had it ( a common problem) & taking it apart to see if I could replace the battery pack. I did, but the battery I replaced was just as worn as the original. Still, I liked it!
my story is short and certainly not fond.
when i moved here to puerto vallarta, mexico, about 2 years ago, i figured it waas time to retire my trusty dustbuster. i thought i would just buy a new model after 20+ years because there had probably been a number of improvements since then. so, i arrived here in PV and made my way to wal-mart, sam’s club, soriana, tio sam’s, etc. there were none to be had. i actually started yelling and carrying on in wal-mart’s parking lot! all because all i found was some sort of a second or fourth rate brand with a 10 foot cord. it died after 2 uses.
now, here i am sitting in possibly the dustiest city in north america with no dustbuster and so, no relief from the ‘polvo’.
since all i have are memories of effortless clean-ups, my tale is one of woe rather than one of fondness. i am too distraught to think fondly….wistfully, yes; fondly, no. sorry.
Yeah – I remember using em to relieve my pains – I use to stick it onto my back to create vacuum’s to increase blood flows and release pain :-) crazy idea!!!
As a child I was often told not to play with the box of pins (the colorful ones for bulletin boards) because I would put them all over the place as decoration and even made designs on the wall out of the punctured holes left from the pins. One day I knocked the box down and the pins were all over the floor. Feeling like a genius I grabbed the vacuum (the big massive one for carpet) and went to work rolling over the pins instead of using the vacuum arm. Turns out I was far from a genius (maybe of the sarcastic kind) because by completion the vacuum blew up a little bit. There I stood with a dead vacuum in one hand and an empty box of pins in the other. I put both items back in their places and prayed they went undetected. Every time one of my parents would walk by the hallway closet or the office cabinet my level of anxiety went haywire. Eventually the broken vacuum was discovered and upon further examination the pins colorfully ratted me out as the culprit. One of the most severe punishments I ever received as a child followed. So yeah, to hell with pins! Vacuums are cool though.
In a house with two dogs and two cats, you’d think we had a lot of pet hair in the house. Well, we do, but that’s not what killed our old vacuum three years ago. It was our first year in our house in Colorado and we had a beautiful live Christmas tree that we had decorated and celebrated around. Well, as with all good things, it came to an end. And we had to take the tree down and vacuum the carpet to pick up the needles. Well, evidently Christmas tree needles gummed up the works in the vacuum in such a way to render it totally useless. I even tried taking it apart to clean it, but no dice… Alas poor vacuum, we knew it well.
But we’d love a new Dustbuster. It would help a ton with the kitty litter tracked throughout the cat room. :)
During camp one summer, I bought a Dirt Devil cordless vac on visiting day to, well, clean my bunk with. I was the laughing stock of my division in the camp. (Since then, the vac has stopped working and sent on to the gadget expo hall in the sky.)
Never really had one … or actually seen one up close.
Leaving in an island kind of takes you away from the rest of the world. I have always visioned and seen how helpful it could be.
I remember when i was young ( i am not that old…. i am not even old ) i was watching that in the movies and was wondering that is nice and smart.
And as i growned ive seen how that could have come in handy. Never actualy ( my parents ) owned or cared to own one ( i doubt it if they know it exists ).
P.S – We do have them around here, i just never seen or know anyone that actually has one !
P.S.S – Would love to be the first one :D
My first internship: I was nervous, didn’t know how to tie a tie properly or that a belt needed to match your shoes. My boss asked me to print something before a meeting. Of course the printer failed to print anything but smudges on the white paper. Someone suggested taking out the toner and shaking it. Which I dutifully did…spraying toner across the floor, myself, and my boss’ boss’ shoes. I had to pull out an antique canister vacuum to try and clean up the mess….a dust-buster would have been nice.
Easily one of the lower points of my career to date.
Had a tan, short-battery-life model when I was growing up. My parents even used the mounting bracket and installed an outlet for it in our back hallway between the bedrooms and the bathroom. Until, one night, I kicked it off the wall in the dark. That was the end of the dust buster.
remembered the first time my daughter saw a vacuum cleaner being used. we had a huge Dert Devil and we it was turned on she freaked out and it took a while for her to get used to it. For a few month we used our small Black and Decker to clean spots or my wife took her out while I cleaned the house. Now she is 4 and when the vacuum is out she wont let us do it. She wants to clean the whole room all by herself.
My fondest vacuuming memory is actually a recent one. I was using an old vacuum to clean the ash from one of my fireplaces. It had been over 6 months since I had cleaned it and there was quite a lot to clean out. Little did I know, but mice had gotten into the old vacuum I used and they had eaten a hole in the vacuums filter. As soon as I started vacuuming a cloud filled the room as ash billowed from the vacuum’s exhaust. What should have been a 10 minute job took my daughter and I 3 hours to clean up! There was ash everywhere!
So, who won the contest? Entries were due Wednesday, right?! :)
Thanks for doing this. It’s been really fun reading everyone’s stories!
RE: “the DustBuster is the Hitachi Magic Wand of home cleaning devices”
Lol i’ve never heard of a comparison like that!