I know some people have a good reason to be a little blue at this time of year, but even Henry, our vacuum cleaner seems to be down in the dumps! I’m not so sure what’s wrong with him, but he certainly doesn’t look like the smiley-faced character he was when he first came to live with us.
Too Much Ash
I wondered if he’s having too much ash from the fire. It would certainly make me grumpy faced if I had a mouthful of that stuff. However, being Winter, we have to have the wood burner on almost 24/7 to keep warm. Then, of course, there’s always more dust this time of year because of the fire, I’m sure he must be feeling the strain.
Happy Henry
Before ‘Happy Henry’ moved in with us, we had a vacuum cleaner which was an engagement present from my parents back in 1982! We moved here in 2017, so that’s 35 years of vacuum love before one day in 2020, it blew up! Again, I was cleaning out the wood burner and although this vacuum had no smiley face, you could tell from the sound it was making, he didn’t have long left before going to vacuum heaven. Sure enough, a few splutters and a huge bang and he was gone.
Chimney Sweep
We chose Henry because our local chimney sweep has one and he swears it is the best thing for cleaning out any leftover ash from the wood burner. Of course, he has the happy smiley face, but it’s covered in soot, like a coal miner at the end of his shift. I’ve never seen it with a grumpy face. That’s what you call a vacuum that’s happy with its work.
Happy Sweepy Uppy
I hope January hasn’t left you feeling too gloomy. I also can’t believe I’ve written a whole post about a vacuum cleaner! Here’s to a happy Henry in the future and if you are interested in the history of this smiling dust shifter, there’s a whole website about it with the link below. Happy, smiling sweepy uppy to you.
The history of the Henry vacuum cleaner:
Wow, 35 years! You got your money’s worth out of Henry even though he was a gift! Boom! ????????????
Thanks John, but that was the vacuum cleaner we had before Henry. 🙂
Silly old sod… Reminds me on Aqualung by Jethro Tull.
Wonderful songs ????????????????
Thank you, Vickie. 🙂
Your posts are hilarious!
Thank you very much, your words are appreciated. 🙂
Hello dear friend,
My sincere condolences for the loss of Henry … 🙂
Thank you, Walter. 🙂
Maybe it’s also the cold weather. My devices aren’t happy either! I hope Henry gets his smile back.
Thank you, Yeti, I’m sure he will when the warm weather arrives. 🙂
Ha, I can’t imagine seeing a vacuum cleaner blow up! And actually, I’m not sure I’d want to!!
It’s not very pleasant. I think the motor jammed with old age and dust and the electric part tried to keep turning and then just went bang! Thank you, Shelia. 🙂
Robert also has a beloved, but nameless, vacuum from the dark ages. 🙂 Best of health to you and Henry!
Thank you, Cheryl. It’s strange how some of the vacuum’s can last for years. 🙂
They certainly don’t make vacuums like they used to. Nor much else, for that matter. I recently retired an electric can opener that was a wedding present back in 1965!
Wow, that means the can opener was 57!! Incredible. Thank you for commenting. 🙂
Aww, poor Henry. I think we all feel a little bit like that these days. Here’s to a happier February for us all!
Thank you, Lorna. I agree, here’s to a happier February. 🙂
Perhaps a good cleaning and a little rest would put Henry in a better mood…
Thank you, Julie. It will definitely put a smile back on his face. 🙂
We also heat with wood, and I understand your issues, and “feel your pain” I’d suggest taking Henry apart and giving the filters a good blowing out with an air hose if you have access to one, or buying new filters for it. I’ve temporarily got back to manual cleaning after frustration with the available vacuums on the market.
Thank you, Lou. When the summer arrives, both the fire and Henry will get a thorough taking apart and cleaning. 🙂
eSpares can bring back smiles to Henry. Hope he gets well soon.
I’m sure he’ll be smiling again after a good spring clean come the time. Thank you, Peter. 🙂
Poor Henry! I would be grumpy, too, if I had to clean up leftover ash from a wood burner 🙁
Thank you, Rosaliene, he’ll be feeling much better when Spring time arrives and I give him a good cleaning. 🙂
Great post.
Thank you. 🙂
Poor Henry. I’m sure he’ll start smiling again after a good clean out and some new (or freshly washed) filters. We are on our sixth & seventh vaccum cleaners (one for upstairs, one for downstairs). Upstairs, my husband uses one that steers with a ball, which I can’t get on with; downstairs I have a new low energy one – lightweight and easy to move around, but I’m not convinced the suction is up to the job. Despite repeated requests, THIS is the one my husband uses to clean the ash from our woodburner and it is definitely in need of a good clear out.
Thank you, Eileen. You are right, he will be, come the Springtime. 🙂
Love this. I do hope Henry cheers up soon. Just let him know that spring is on the way! 🙂
Thank you, Libby. He will be as right as rain as soon as Spring arrives. I’ve told him it’s not far away now. 🙂
I prefer an upright vacuum cleaner for the general cleaning.
I like the sound of Henry, I would like him for my stove. I empty the ashes into the bin every other day, and I sweep the hearth, but a vacuum cleaner capable of vacuuming the ashes without affecting the motor would make it a less messier job. 🙂
Thank you, Sue. I can’t promise it won’t damage the motor, but it’s the same vacuum that the chimney sweep uses here. If it lasts half as long as the last vacuum then we will be happy. ????
As you approach your autumnal years, you seem to collect vacuums. So far we have heavyweight for downstairs, a lightweight for the bedrooms and a hand-held for the stairs and car.
Thank you. We live in a strange house and although it has four floors, there are no more than 6 steps between each floor, so Henry does the job admirably. Perhaps he is feeling the strain. 🙂
Poor Henry. Still smiling through it all. Sounds like a solid premise for a children’s book.
Thank you, Joseph. Now there’s an idea. 🙂
change the filter and get some rest. even Henry needs a rest. Cute Trev! ????
Thank you, Cindy. I will give him some TLC soon. ????