The next VDTA/SDTA Convention & Show will be in
New Orleans, LA
February 27 - 29, 2012
at the Ernest Morial Convention Center

The Continuation of Air-Way

Innovative changes throughout the years

By TOM GASKO, Curator of the Vacuum Cleaner Museum at Tacony Manufacturing

In 1937, the United States was still in the middle of the Great Depression. Air-Way Electric Appliance Corporation of Toledo, OH, was one of the few vacuum cleaner manufacturers making it through “in the red” due to sales of disposable bags for their unique upright vacuums (over one and a half million were sold) as well as sales of their also-unique Twin Motor upright vacuum and their DirtMaster super deluxe model with twin fans. All Air-Way cleaners used patent-protected disposable dust containers, making their service departments profitable, even when their sales department numbers were down.

The company made a bold move in 1937 -- seeing the handwriting on the wall. Electrolux was firmly entrenched in the minds of the public with their three tank-type models and more manufacturers were exploring the idea of tank/canister style cleaners.

Air-Way introduced their very unique Model 55 "tank type" vacuum, which really wasn't a “tank type” at all, but neither was it a “canister' vacuum.” Standing over two feet high and looking much more like a fire hydrant than a vacuum cleaner, Air-Way's new cleaner was the first “hose type” cleaner to use a disposable bag. The machine was unique in that the hose was over eight feet long, the top hose connection to the vacuum swiveled (GE would later make that famous after stealing the idea.), and the customer was told to stand the cleaner in the middle of the rug. She could then clean the entire room without moving the vacuum -- working in a circle. There was also an “on board” attachment caddy, as well as the optional demother and sprayer attachments.

Since Air-Way had longer to work with the disposable bag than any other manufacturer, the inside of the cleaner was as unique as the outside. Inside was a GE-built motor with double fans, providing the highest suction power of any other hose type cleaner then sold. Air-Way added a filter after the motor to catch carbon brush dust and provide extremely clean exhaust air. To maximize the capacity of the bag and provide uninterrupted airflow as the bag filled, Air-Way added a “cage” for the bag to repose inside the cavity. With over 36,000 “holes” in the cage, it allowed the air to flow to parts of the bag unclogged with dust and allowed the machine to equalize pressure on the entire bag surface. In December of 1952, the day the Air-Way patent was up, Electrolux would steal the idea for the bag cage for their model LX. In 1937, Air-Way’s “selling” feature was stated as "Bringing Sanitation to the Nation" -- they were the first to use a “seal” for the disposable bag. The customer would moisten the bag seal and pl
ace it over the hole in the bag before removing the bag from the machine, effectively sealing in the dust, dirt, and more importantly, germs. Air-Way christened their new cleaner with a new name: the "Sanitizor."

Over the years, the Sanitizor changed slightly -- the first three models (55, 66, and 77) used the GE motor -- it wasn't until 1958 that "Sanitizor" went through any kind of change. Edward Lamb (the famous industrialist) bought Air-Way and stopped production in Toledo. He contracted with Eureka to not only redesign the machine but also for its manufacture. Wheels were added to the Sanitizor allowing it to roll along the floor (instead of the previous metal runners). Lamb Electric made the motor (which made the Sanitizor much more powerful) and the new "GermMaster" was introduced (the GermMaster dispensed Glycol through the exhaust -- “sanitizing” the air within a room). In 1968, with Air-Way again making their own machine -- Air-Way made another bold launch -- their first power nozzle for the Sanitizor. It wasn't "just" a power nozzle. Hamilton Beach built it for Air-Way out of their upright vacuum -- it was in fact the first Tandem Air design on any vacuum cleaner as it still used the suction fan of the upri
ght together with the suction fans from the Lamb Motor in the canister. Later, Eureka would make their 1400 series upright into a power nozzle for the Sanitizor, continuing the Tandem Air design. In 1972, Air-Way introduced their own power nozzle, which did not use a separate suction fan. All metal, the new "RugMaster" was low to the ground and very durable. Water-Matic, Fairfax, and Royal would purchase the Air-Way power nozzle, private labeled for their canister machines.

In 2000, the first radical change to the Sanitizor in almost 50 years occurred with the launch of the Signature Series Air-Way Centurion 2000 model. Gorgeous in black, chrome, and “purple haze” colors, the new Signature Series machine featured a new bag (28 layers of cellulose - which gave HEPA filtration), a new Cen-Tec power head with unique bristle rows, a new direct connect wand and hose handle, plus the first "Select-A-Flow" two-speed motor ever offered on an Air-Way -- together with the new Sentry safety light.

Retaining Air-Way's famous all-metal design, the Signature Series was the best machine ever offered to the American public by Air-Way.

Sadly, in 2008, Air-Way was forced to cease production as the rising cost of aluminum and steel made producing the cleaner in America too costly. Bags ARE still available for Air-Way canister cleaners from Air-Tec (an unrelated company started by a former Air-Way door to door salesman). Air-Tec's "Black Knight" model uses the new synthetic allergen bags -- and the collar and bag size is identical to that used on the Air-Way Sanitizor.

The Tacony Vacuum Museum has one of every model Air-Way has ever produced as well as the mechanical blueprints to their unique upright models. Who knows? One day the Air-Way Sanitary System (or the Sanitizor itself) may make a comeback on the market. After all, they were so far ahead of their time when they were on the market, the real future may still be ahead for them.

Reprinted from Floor Care Professional, December 2009