"Owning a Nilfisk vacuum cleaner soon became a symbol of middle class life style..."

The very first Nilfisk, which was also the first electric vacuum cleaner in Europe, was introduced in 1910 – developed and patented by the Danish electro technician Peter Andersen Fisker. It weighed 17.5 kg and was quite expensive. An absolute luxury item – and a highly desired one at that, as wall-to-wall carpeting was becoming the new trend in stylish interior decoration.

Innovative thinking was slowed down in the turbulent years of the two world wars, but when life settled down after World War II, modern commodities came to be in great demand. Owning a Nilfisk vacuum cleaner soon became a symbol of middle class life style – almost like owning a car. You could even trade your old Nilfisk in as part of your purchase of a new model – a payment pattern that was set in motion to make it more accessible to the average consumer. The used vacs were given new coals and an overhaul inside and out and then resold as second-hand vacs, giving even more people a chance to acquire a Nilfisk.

For generations the name Nilfisk has been more or less synonymous with a vacuum cleaner. From grandmother to mother to daughter, the Nilfisk has been like an extra member of the family. All homes with respect for themselves had a Nilfisk, and for a great many years it kept to the original design. Even today the Nilfisk as it looked back then has an almost iconic status in Denmark, it is the vacuum cleaner.

Nilfisk has come a long way since 1910. The design has evolved and become compact and space-saving and highly promotive of the vacuum cleaner’s functional characteristics. The weight is greatly reduced, and today the Nilfisk product family has grown and expanded to other areas of the cleaning spectrum. Still based on the workings of the vacuum motor but with extended expert proficiencies like steaming, water suction, pressure cleaning, etc., today’s Nilfisk-Advance is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of professional cleaning equipment.