Directory

 The Kirby Story - A Man With Ideas

For over 90 years, the Kirby Company has dedicated itself to perfecting just one product – a home care system based on founder Jim Kirby’s first vacuum cleaner design. Developed and constructed with state-of-the-art technology, our newest model, the SENTRIA™ system, carries on our tradition of Quality, Reliability and Performance.

Best known for the home care system that bears his name, Jim Kirby was an inventor for most of his adult life. His goal in life was to reduce or eliminate drudgery wherever it existed. Over 200 patents and a host of products used today are a tribute to his success.

The first model he developed in 1906 employed water for dirt separation. After noticing the inconvenience of emptying dirty water, he began pursuing better ideas. In 1907, he developed a vacuum that pushed dirty air into a cloth bag that filtered out the dirt.

Jim continued improving his vacuum designs and began commercial production of his products after World War I. In 1925, the Vacuette Electric, with its removable floor nozzle and handle, became the forerunner of today’s multi-attachment model and was the birth of what was to become the world famous convertibility feature of the modern Kirby home care system.