Reproduction vacuum bag material

Hello Damien,

There's no single right answer. It all depends on the function of the fabric cloth-bag.

For example, early Kirby and Hoover bags were the only barrier holding dust and dirt inside. They had to be thick enough to be robust, porous enough to allow air through, yet fine enough to hold back small dust particles. Cotton and silk were the only real choices back then. There were no nylons and polyester.

For fabric bags containing a disposable paper-bag liner, the only criteria is that it allows air to pass freely. The paper bag is doing all the dust trapping.

I looked into making my own cloth bags and purchased several meters of different fabrics.
Go for denims, corduroy, tapestries, and velvets..
Apparel (clothing) weight.
Hold them up and gauge how much light they allow through.
Hold the fabric to your mouth and blow through it. Does is allow air to flow, or restrict airflow?
Avoid plastic-backed fabrics and anything that's too elastic and stretchy. Definitely not Spandex�

Make sure the nap/pile/weave of the fabric goes vertically, straight up and down in-line with the vacuum. Otherwise it will look all wonky.

Consider the zip. Plastic, colour-coded to match fabric, or metal? A fine-toothed zip is best. Not too fine or it'll snag.

Then there's the issue of fastening to the emptor. Circular spring? Jubilee Clip? Sewn onto plastic collar?

If you want an embroidered logo, ask your embroidery shop which fabrics they can handle. They're often limited in the fabrics their machines can cope with.


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Post# 466605 10/4/2023 at 10:53 (225 days old) by 2011hoover700 (owosso michigan)
Checkrate/Likes Hi my local fabric shop is closing down come January so I need to know what material to look for online when making a reproduction vacuum cleaner bag. Thanks.

Post# 466615 , Reply# 1 10/4/2023 at 20:52 (225 days old) by Rowdy141 (United Kingdom)
Checkrate/Likes 3 Hello Damien, There's no single right answer. It all depends on the function of the fabric cloth-bag. For example, early Kirby and Hoover bags were the only barrier holding dust and dirt inside. They had to be thick enough to be robust, porous enough to allow air through, yet fine enough to hold back small dust particles. Cotton and silk were the only real choices back then. There were no nylons and polyester. For fabric bags containing a disposable paper-bag liner, the only criteria is that it allows air to pass freely. The paper bag is doing all the dust trapping. I looked into making my own cloth bags and purchased several meters of different fabrics. Go for denims, corduroy, tapestries, and velvets.. Apparel (clothing) weight. Hold them up and gauge how much light they allow through. Hold the fabric to your mouth and blow through it. Does is allow air to flow, or restrict airflow? Avoid plastic-backed fabrics and anything that's too elastic and stretchy. Definitely not Spandex� Make sure the nap/pile/weave of the fabric goes vertically, straight up and down in-line with the vacuum. Otherwise it will look all wonky. Consider the zip. Plastic, colour-coded to match fabric, or metal? A fine-toothed zip is best. Not too fine or it'll snag. Then there's the issue of fastening to the emptor. Circular spring? Jubilee Clip? Sewn onto plastic collar? If you want an embroidered logo, ask your embroidery shop which fabrics they can handle. They're often limited in the fabrics their machines can cope with.