Keepers of hygienic homes and hotel rooms turn to this purveyor of easy-to-tote cleaning equipment.

by Contributor

In Short
Perhaps best known for its popular "bowling ball vacuum" (a high-suction canister model that can lift a 16-pound bowling ball off the ground), this New Orleans-based company has been producing industrial-strength, yet lightweight, vacuum cleaners since the 1960s. The early Oreck models, designed to ease the heavy lifting of hotel housekeepers, were sold only commercially. Now, there are more than 440 domestic retail locations peddling the clean-living tools, which range from traditional upright cleaners to compact canisters, carpet steamers and air purifiers.