Central vacuum systems are generally quieter, more powerful and not as cumbersome as portable vacuums. The motor typically is mounted in the garage. Homeowners attach hoses to vacuum inlets throughout the house.
These systems also eliminate the re-circulation of dirty air inside living areas - allergens and dust don't whirl within the home as they do when using conventional vacuum cleaners.
It's a great invention, right?
Gary Drivstuen didn't think so the day he walked into his home and nearly tripped over the vacuum hose connected to the wall. Lucky for him he did.
The serial entrepreneur flashed to the pneumatic tubes at the bank, the ones that suck up money when he made a drive-up deposit. That near-trip led to the mother of makeovers. At least, a makeover his mother might have loved.
Drivstuen developed the vacuum Hide-A-Hose, which retracts into the wall when a job is done.
"Our system solves the problem of what to do with the hose when you are finished vacuuming," said son Rod Drivstuen.
The Drivstuens pushed into existence an idea that was nearly killed after it first failed to grab attention at a vacuum cleaner trade show.
Dejected, the elder Drivstuen almost gave up. But his son talked him into displaying at a local home show. Their prototype was rough, but it did retreat back into the wall.
When consumers saw their demonstration, "the looks on their faces was all the market research we needed to continue moving forward," Rod Drivstuen says.
They decided to market the vacuum themselves.
Hide-A-Hose recently formed partnerships with H-P Products, Cyclo Vac and Tip Top Parts. The company has installed more than 500 systems in the Seattle area and moved into a 3,000-square-foot warehouse in Monroe, Wash.
A new, improved vacuum design recently debuted.
All of this because Gary Drivstuen almost stumbled.
