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If you have arachnophobia, I recommend taking a U-turn here.

Today I visited one of the local thrift stores and discovered in, rather ironically, a corner I walked by countless times on previous visits, this little vacuum. Clearly, it had been stored in the corner for ages and had become a place many spiders once called home. For $4.75, I just couldn’t resist adding Broom Vac #4 to my collection.

Until today, I thought I’d experienced the whole spectrum: the rusty, the scuffed and scratched, the pet-smelling, the cigarette-stinking, the greasy, the sun-faded, the paint-covered, the water-damaged, and the carpet fresh-filled. It seems there is one more category: the spider-infested! Fortunately, spiders absolutely do not bother me, so cleaning up this vacuum will not pose a problem for me.

Underneath all of the grime and perished arachnids, there is a really nice DD Broom Vac. All it needs is a bit of cleaning and a brush roll, of which I have a spare.

Stay tuned for post-refurb pictures.

 

Spiders and more spiders! Some of these appear to be dead Brown Recluse spiders, judging by their skinny legs, large thorax, and skinny abdomen. They are quite common in my region, and even I have respect for the because they are quite poisonous. Thankfully, all but one were dead. My Dyson DC34 has since made quick work of all of them.

 

 

Wow! Wishing you good luck in restoring this!

~Ben

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So did you use your 'spidey sense' to find that deal? Sorry, couldn't resist, especially after the loss of Stan Lee earlier this week.

 

Today I opened it up and discovered, not to my surprise, another load of spiders!

The chassis halves have been thoroughly washed now and are drying. I have a collection of spare Broom Vac parts, so I think I’ll go ahead and change out a few of the more worn components like the base plate, belt door (see the crumbling gasket in my original post), and the outer bag. It’ll be shining like new before too long!

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@Barry—I had no idea that spiders molt! After doing a bit of googling, I think you are right. Some of these look like spider molts.

@Ben—Thanks! Hopefully the rest of the resto will be smooth sailing.

@Edgar—My spidey sense must not be very good. I had to walk by this one numerous times before I noticed it!

 

Oh those are not brown recluse. Those are running crab spiders. Have them here in Indiana in the rural parts. They are characterized by their widely-spaced front legs.

My Hoover 700 I have not cleaned up yet has a section of shedded snake skin stuck in the bottom of it. It came from down south in a barn.

 

Great find by the way! The best finds are the ones nobody else is willing to clean up. With all that filth it reminds me of my Kirby G4 which was sitting in a damp basement for who knows how many years.

 

I can’t complain about the way this one turned out! I did end up replacing the bottom plate, belt door, and the bag, but only because I liked this pattern better. The unit also needed one of my spare brush rolls.

It runs like a top, now!

Pro tip: Kenmore “O” and Panisonic upright bags fit the Broom Vacs perfectly. Use the HEPA bags for maximum airflow and filtration. I think some of the Tacony and Miele bags will fit, too.

 

Aside from the blue and black units, I now have one of each bag pattern produced.

 

 

Great collection!

 

@Barry @huskyvacs Thank you!