Tag Archives: cleaning

“Are you still using the wearying, old-fashioned, unclean method?”

"I'm fine."
“I’m fine.”
Magazine ad for Torrington Cleaners /  National Sweeper Co. found in the May 1917 issue of The Designer
Magazine ad for Torrington Cleaners /  National Sweeper Co. found in the May 1917 issue of The Designer

Fun facts:

Some of Torrington’s other carpet sweeper model names were Utility, Paragon and Peerless. And under the National name, the Royal Duchess!

Torrington, Connecticut, was once a major part of the Underground Railroad.

I’m still working on what the heck they mean by “laying the dust” but I think it has something to do with sprinkling water on stuff so dust doesn’t get in the air.

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Chicks dig it.

Found in a 1903 issue of Life magazine.

Odds and ends:

A portière (mentioned at the bottom of the ad) is a hanging curtain placed over a door or doorway. I am not sure if a beaded curtain officially qualifies as a portière, but why not, eh?

Online, I found a couple of variations of the Lewando’s mother cat delicately and lovingly hanging the chicks up to dry, and when in color, each of the clothespinned chicks is a different color. Probably because of their dyeing services, but maybe just because it’s cute. Dye hard.

“Cleansing” sounds much more elegant and thorough than “cleaning”. You can probably charge more for it.

Sometimes Lewando’s has an apostrophe, and sometimes Lewandos doesn’t have an apostrophe. Lewando does what Lewando wants.

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