A 

vacuum cleaner, also known simply as a vacuum or a hoover, is a device that causes suction in
order to remove debris from floors, upholstery, draperies, and other surfaces. It is generally
electrically driven.
The debris is collected by either a dustbag or a cyclone for later disposal. Vacuum cleaners, which
are used in homes as well as in industry, exist in a variety of sizes and models—small battery-
powered hand-held devices, wheeled canister models for home use, domestic central vacuum
cleaners, huge stationary industrial appliances that can handle several hundred litres of dust before
being emptied, and self-propelled vacuum trucks for recovery of large spills or removal of
contaminated soil. Specialized shop vacuums can be used to suck up both dust and liquids.

Although vacuum cleaner and the short form vacuum are neutral names, in some countries (UK,
Ireland, USA) hoover is used instead as a genericized trademark, and as a verb. The name comes
from the Hoover Company, one of the first and more influential companies in the development of the
device. In New Zealand, particularly the Southland region, it is sometimes called a lux, likewise a
genericized trademark and used as a verb.[1][2] The device is also sometimes called
a sweeper although the same term also refers to a carpet sweeper, a similar invention.
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.
Vacuum cleaner technology is simple: create a low-pressure system that forces (not
sucks, because sucking does not exist- but that is for another time) air into a tube where
dust and small debris can be picked up and stored. In essence, a fan connected to a tube.
If the technology has not changed that much, how come they are so expensive?

Instructables has a slightly different design but they are both essentially the same. The
following is a brief outline of the procedure for building one of these for yourself!

So what do you need to make your own

vacuum cleaner?
Like any DIY project, it is best to start with a list of components. These ones are common
for any household so you probably won't have to search for too long in order to find
them.

Dirt storage compartment is the most important part of vacuum cleaners so its best we
start with it. So obviously, an empty plastic bottle (keep the cap) would be great for
the beginning. Try to get a small plastic bottle too, something like a small vaseline
container would be grand (make sure it's empty). Some sharp cutting tools would be great
too, scissors are great but a Stanley knife would also do. You'll also need to get your
hands on a deodorant bottle, first aid cloth and a 12v DC motor and a ballpoint pen refill.
You'll also want to gather together a glue gun and a small bending pipe for the nozzle.

Grab a hammer, drill, hacksaw, and nail whilst you're at it! You may want to collect some
other materials to "beautify" the final product but that's not essential. Some marker pens
will also be useful, so grab some of those bad boys. Oh, and a metal ruler will be
invaluable. A soldering rod or heated needle or electric drill will also be needed later on.

You could also grab some cardboard or polystyrene for the handle and the feet later on if
you want.

First step to making your mini vacuum cleaner

First, you'll want to cut the plastic bottle and the deodorant can. The bottle will be used
both as the body and the bag while deodorant will be used for the fan. Cut the plastic
bottle in half, this should be fairly easy. For those who are children of Blue Peter, this
should be second nature to you. Next, take the deodorant bottle and cut off the top and
bottom to produce a nice flat sheet of metal. You might want to use a hacksaw for this.
Got all that? Great; on to the next stage.

Making the fan

Let's make the fan now shall we? Take the nice flat sheet you obtained from the
deodorant bottle. Take the previously cut plastic bottle and sketch around the open
circumference with a maker. Now cut the marked bit out of the metal sheet to make a
nice round metal disc. Take your metal ruler and draw two sets of perpendicular lines to
divide the disk into eight equal segments meeting at the center.

Take your trusty hammer and put the nail right through the center of the disk. Now cut
along, not all the way to the center! Leave a little room away from the hole. This will
produce eight "wings" connected by a small segment of the disk. Now twist the wings in
the same direction to produce your very own fan blades! Well done you! It should look
something like this.
Powering the fan
Now it's time to assemble your fan and motor! Exciting. Take your 12v DC motor and
attach the ballpoint pen refill onto the rotating rod on the motor and press to tighten. Cut
the excess off around 10 mm past the rod. Take your beautifully crafted fan blades and
slide over the pen refill attached to the motor. Fire up the glue gun and apply hot glue to
provide extra strength around the joint. Your fan is now ready to rumble! It should
resemble something akin to the following image below.
Now let's get back to the main assembly. Mark out a circle around the base of the plastic
bottle to fit the DC motor through snuggly. Use a heated needle or soldering rod or drill
to make a series of small holes around the bottle's base to allow the exhaust air to escape.
It should resemble a sieve when finished.

Now you have some choices. You can either wire the motor and add a cap to cover the
wiring which you then glue inside the base of the bottle or cut out the central circle you
made for the DC motor to fit into the bottle. Once complete, you can now glue the motor
into place, making sure the fan blades are inside the bottle! The vacuum is certainly
starting to take shape!
Now take the first aid cloth and place it over the open part of the top section of the ex-
plastic bottle. Trim around the edge of the bottle leaving about 10mm excess. This will
form a basic filter for the cleaner. You could mount this on a handmade ring of wire that
will be removable or tape the excess to the outside of the bottle using double sided sticky
plastic tape. Now connect your front assembly into the open section of the base with
motor and fan. Secure the seal with some more sticky plastic tape to form a nice airtight
seal.
Making the nozzle for your vacuum cleaner
Now we're cooking with gas! The main assembly is now complete, good work. Now it's
time for the business end of the vacuum cleaner, apart from the motor of course. The
nozzle and suction pipe! Take the bottle cap from the previous bottle and make a large
hole in the center big enough to accommodate the bendy plastic tube you made sure you
acquired before beginning this build. Glue in place. Now grab yourself the small plastic
bottle, a small vaseline one will do, make a similar hole in the base and glue it to the
other end of the pipe to make the nozzle.
Bringing it all together
Let's bring it all together now shall we "peeps"? Screw the bottle cap end onto the top of
the main body and hey presto it's more or less complete! Now you can beautify your
machine and add a handle. Decorate to your very own design and make the handle from
cardboard or polystyrene (you can even try wood!) Now glue or tape it to the main body.
You could add feet in the same fashion to the bottom if needed.
Finally, wire up the motor and attach to a plug assembly to connect it to the mains. Plug it
in and away you go, your very own hand-made vacuum cleaner! Good times! Depending
on which options you went for to empty either take the top off or simply take off the
nozzle and tube. Now, you will finally have a proper help when cleaning your home.

Vacuums such as this are not hard to maintain; you don't have to change bags, filters,
repair them nor do they use water. All you have to do is remove the dirt and possibly dry
it. It doesn't require to much power and it's easy to carry around by hand which means
you are free to use it to clean kitchen, garden, floor, carpet and other parts of your house.
However, one of the best things is that it doesn't cost much money. Today, appliances are
so expensive and spend so much energy. People order products that work briefly and
barely address the problem.

Have in mind that this tool is not ideal, but at least you can toss this one at any time
without feeling regret.