Pocatello, Idaho, may be just a small city on Interstate 15, but it’s home to the must-see attraction, the Museum of Clean. And while you may not think of “clean” as being all that fascinating, there’s more to it than you might think.
Don Aslett, owner and developer of the museum, started his career with a cleaning business. After his highly successful book, Is There Life After Housework, he took his starter collection of clean artifacts and went out to collect even more!
What’s at the Museum of Clean?
The Museum of Clean is more than a collection of vacuum cleaners and washing machines and mops. Rather, the collection ranges through every topic related to clean from toilets to washboards to the space shuttle, Discovery’s, trash compactor!
Indeed, there’s more than you can imagine laid out in the 75,000 sq. ft., five-story brick building. The collection is organized into various collections including:
- Orchestra of Clean
- Vaccum collection
- Toilet collection
- Garden of Clean
- Kid planet and more
Rare Vacuum Finds in Aslett’s Clean Museum
Aslett describes some of the most fascinating finds in his museum as Holy Vacuum Grails. One, for example, is The Whirlwind, the world’s second vacuum cleaner patented by Ives McGaffey on June 8, 1869. Only three are known to exist in the world.
When was the first vacuum cleaner in the world patented?
The museum also has the Daniel Hess Carpet Sweeper patented in 1860. It’s the world’s first vacuum cleaner and the only one in existence!
Hess’s machine has bellows and roller brushes that generate vacuum, and in turn, suction. The bellows is attached to the wheels bellows expanded and contracted when the operator moved. When they contracted, they blew the dusty air into two cylinders with water filters. When the cylinders were full they were emptied and refilled to start over. Unfortunately, there’s no record that Hess’s vacuum was ever produced or sold.
Aslett considers this one of the Museum of Clean’s Holly Vacuum Grails.
When it comes to unique, though, you can’t beat the water pressure vacuum. How did it work? Water went in and out of a wooden “box” under pressure. This turned a huge fan wheel inside that created a suction.
But none of these has the impact of Puffing Billy! It was a cleaning machine in a horse-drawn wagon built in 1901 by Hubert Cecil Booth. In 1903, Booth cleaned the carpet in Westminster Abbey as they prepared for the coronation of Edward VII and Queen Alexandra.
Fast Fact: Royalty were so impressed that Booth's British Vacuum Cleaner Company earned the Royal Warrant of Appointment to His Majesty. And so the first vacuum-cleaning units were installed in Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle.
Linda’s Pick of the Exhibits
It’s always hard to pick my favourite exhibit in a great museum collection. And it was harder than usual in the Museum of Clean.
Big Don, the world’s largest janitor, was one of my favorites of course! Big Don was one of thousands of giant men, women, animals, and dinosaurs based on original Paul Bunyan molds by Bob Prewitt and later, built by the International Fiberglass Company. Indeed, Big Don is a 20-foot high piece of Americana artifacts called Muffler Men.
These giants were popular during the 1960s and 1970s.
Indeed, I was already familiar with the North Dakota landmark, the Big Chief, at the Chieftain Conference Center in Carrington. I’ve driven past it many times!
What was the role of Muffler Men?
Muffler Men were promotional items that could be seen and recognized from miles away. They were used to promote oil, tire, and restaurant industries!
And what’s life without a bit of the quirky? So, my second choice has to be the late 1800s private privvy of Elizabeth (Sissi) of Austria (Empress Consort of Austria and Queen consort of Hungary).
The quirky thing, though, is that Sissi always traveled with her private privvy. And she traveled a lot!
The privvy was bought in Germany at auction and included a porcelain bowl (handwashing) tin bucket underneath, and a hand pump to flush with water.
Linda’s Road Trip Tips
We visited the Museum of Clean on a fall roadtrip through West Yellowstone then on down through Idaho to Arches National Park in Utah. In Idaho, we also visited the Potato Museum on I-15 in Blackfoot.
We’d stopped to enjoy our Subway sandwiches earlier at the Interstate reststop, Blackfoot Rest Area, 35 miles north of Pocatello. This rest area is home to Hell’s Half Acre Lava Trail System with its lava tubes and caves. It’s a must-see for everyone interested in geology!
Who Should Visit the Museum of Clean?
There’s something for everyone at the Museum of Clean! From Kid Planet for the youngsters to your great-grandmother’s vacuum cleaner, there’s lots to keep visitors occupied.
As well as displays, there are a number of interactive exhibits designed to educate children on various aspects of cleanliness and hygiene. From recycling to making their beds and sweeping up, kids learn great life skills while having fun.
When you visit, do take time for a guided tour, which lasts about an hour. That’ll give you the inside story of the museum and its most unique artifacts. We were lucky to have Don Aslett take us through the collection. Plan on an additional few hours to visit if you’d like to read the history of each artifact.
The museum is five stories high, but does have an elevator and is ADA compliant. If you don’t have a portable wheelchair with you, there are some availble for use if one is needed.
How Do You Visit the Museum of Clean?
The Museum of Clean is located off I-15 in Idaho at 711 South 2nd Avenue in Pocatello.
Visit the Museum of Clean website for current details on admission costs and hours.
Keep up to date with what’s happening at the Don Aslett Museum of Clean Facebook page.
Visit virtually with this KTVB coverage of the Museum of Clean’s 70th Anniversary event on YouTube.
Plan your visit with Google Maps.
Discover More Technology Museums
- See the Surprising Museum of Clean in Idaho
The Museum of Clean is a must-see attraction when you’re traveling through Idaho on I-15! From the history of vacuums through to all kinds of cleaning tools and accessories, it’s a fascinating stop. - Hawaii Museum: Grueling Story of Growing Sugar Cane
There’s more to an historic sugar cane plantation than meets the eye! This museum curates the gruelling job of growing sugar cane – Hawaii’s biggest contributor to the economy for a century. - Rare Historic Farm Machines Museum in Manitoba
The Manitoba Agricultural Museum is on the Trans-Canada Hwy. It has over 500 pieces of vintage farm machinery and an open air museum.
Reference(s)
Gerlich, N. (n.d.). History of muffler men. Routemagazine.us. https://www.routemagazine.us/stories/american-giants
Made up in Britain. (n.d.). Vacuum cleaner. https://madeupinbritain.uk/Vacuum_cleaner
guide2museums.com 