Carpeting is more than just a single item; it is, in fact, a system comprising the carpet itself, the carpet backing (often made of latex), the cushion, and a method of installation.

A carpet sweeper is a mechanical device for the cleaning of carpets in place. They were popular before the vacuum cleaner and have been largely superseded by them.

A carpet sweeper typically consists of a small box. The base of the box has rollers and brushes, connected by a belt or gears. There is also a container for dirt. The arrangement is such that when pushed along a floor the rollers turn and force the brushes to rotate. The brushes sweep dirt and dust from the floor into the container. Carpets sweepers would frequently have a height adjustment that enabled them to work on different lengths of carpet, or carpetless floors. The sweeper would usually have a long handle so that it could be pushed without bending over.

Patented by Melville R. Bissell of Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA, in 1876. Manufactured and sold starting in 1883.

Home from their lost adventure came the tattered Cavaliers...Grimly they came hobbling back to the desolation that had once been a land of grace and plenty. And with them came another invader...more cruel and vicious than any they had fought...the Carpetbagger.