Commonly known as a rug or carpet
beater, this cleaning tool was also known for being in the hand of parents
disciplining naughty children. Without a doubt this would leave quite a mark!
It may even have been worse than a traditional spanking. Although maybe handy
when it came to reprimanding children, rug beaters weren’t actually invented
for that purpose. Like their name suggests, rug beaters were invented to beat
rugs.
Once
rugs and carpets became popular in homes there had to be a method for cleaning
these massive amounts of fabric, as the cost of vacuums was much too expensive
and brooms didn’t always cut it, rug beaters were soon put to use. Carpets and
rugs would be draped over a railing or clothes line outside, and an unlucky
someone got to beat the fabric with a rug beater. The intricate design of the
head of the rug beater almost makes you cringe at the thought of beating it
against something, yet the holey designs allowed for the dust and dirt to leave
the fabric without harming the carpet or rug.
Rug
beaters were very popular up until the 20th century when carpet
sweepers and vacuum cleaners became more affordable. The rug beater in our
collection is made of rattan – a type of palm tree that has stems with a
diameter of 2-5 cm. Rattan is solid, and along with its small diameter, it is an
ideal choice for these beaters. Our rug beater was donated sometime in the
early 1970s – the donor is unknown, though, and therefore we cannot be certain
where it was used, but it seems to be in fairly good condition so perhaps it
wasn’t used all that often.
Check out these old catalogues with
beaters and sweepers advertised – prices sure have changed! http://www.rugbeaters.org/bingham.html
http://www.rugbeaters.org/worthington.html
http://www.objectlessons.org/work-and-innovation-victorians/carpet-beaters-victorian-original/s64/a1003/
http://www.rugbeaters.org/pictures.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carpet_sweeper
