Oh, I want one now...

I've been pining away for a Dyson, but now I'm wondering about Miele! Thanks a lot!

I too have the pet problem and just know that all the affordable vacs I've purchased are worth nada.

I was interested until I saw that the Miele Twist costs over $400! What's with all the super-expensive stuff all the time on Apartment Therapy? This would probably be a better entry for Penthouse Therapy. Can most apartment dwellers afford a $400 vacuum? Am I a total loser?

I can't live without my Roomba, and I've had it three weeks. I've never had a robot before. It really is amazing. And it cleans so well, it makes my apartment glow. A little brush on the side cleans edges and corners. I could never get my floor that clean on my own. (I have dark wood floors that show everything.)

@thegoldstate: AnnaMaria here. For us, the Miele was a worthwhile investment. Over the years, I'd spent a lot on cheaper vacuums that didn't get the job done well and didn't last. The Miele has a good track record and warranty. When you break it down as something that will last for years, it doesn't seem like such a preposterously expensive purchase. Believe me, I don't have money to burn!!!

When I first moved out on my own, my mother bought me an 80$ vacuum from target that was *amazing*. It had a hose and had great suction and I loved it.
Then I moved around a lot and left it with a previous house mate who needed a better vacuum.
Eventually I moved in with my present boyfriend who had a Roomba and there could not possibly be a more inefficient device. It made me cranky just thinking about having to vacuum. It makes me cranky thinking about it now. Don't waste your money on a Roomba.
Eventually I bought another of the same wonderful model my mother originally bought for me and cleaning isn't so much of a chore anymore.

We have a Miele canister. While we’ve been very happy with the performance over the years, we haven’t been completely satisfied with its durability. While it’s used regularly, we aren’t unusually rough with it. We’ve had to buy some replacements parts (new hose, new connector thingy, and I think a new door for the canister), the cost of which has not been insignificant. Then again, it’s our third vacuum, and the only one which could really handle our dog’s hair.

To the cost complaints: Sheesh. They aren’t recommending a $400 vacuum because it’s pretty; they are recommending it because it’s good. Sure, you can find one for under $100, and it may even fill your need. But a well-made and well-engineered vacuum will be expensive. And, for the record, a Dyson costs more.

Oh, but the weird cleaning product you can’t live without: Ours are dusting mits. It seems ridiculous to have a particular item just for dusting, but they really grab the dust and make it easy to dust with a baby in your arms or toddler hanging on you (or both). Machine wash/dry, and you’re ready for next time.

My favorite tool is a Rowenta iron:
Heats quickly, creates abundant steam and makes ironing my dress shirts in the morning a breeze.

Shark Navigator Upright Bagless Vacuum Cleaner, NV22L. Lighter and cheaper than dyson. you're welcome.

I agree with the folks concerned about the price. I would love to invest in a top-of-the-line appliance, but that is not going to happen any time soon. For $400, it will have to vaccum and pay all my bills for a month.

My Dyson Animal. It was recommended to me by a friend with pets and heinous allergies, and I swear it is one of the best investments I have ever made. The suction is so amazing that I even use it as a lint roller and a broom.

My T-Fal toaster has also stood the test of time (10 yrs) and I have gone through my fair share of toasters.

i will also give a shout out to Miele. we spent a shocking amount on a canister model--that was about a decade ago and it's still going strong. i was a bit horrified then at how much we spent on it, but it has been so worth it for our family of cat people.

I gritted my teeth and bought a Miele recently, too, when my 10+ year old cheapo vacuum finally bit the dust. Yes, I found the price rather shocking. I think it does clean better, and I've noticed I don't sneeze now when running the vacuum because of the HEPA filter. With pet allergies and two kitties, it has helped. I also really like those microfiber dusting cloths. I think they are something like $5 each at Target, but they really do suck up the dust on hard surfaces.

We have a Miele too. It's a canister type, which is best for wood floors. We have 3 dogs and it was a huge investment for us ($1,000), but it was more important for us to have this than to have a flat screen TV or other item that people seem to not be able to live without. As someone with allergies, a good vacuum is an absolute must.

"I would love to invest in a top-of-the-line appliance, but that is not going to happen any time soon. For $400, it will have to vaccum and pay all my bills for a month."

There are other ways to get quality appliances without paying cash...
...a few years back my vacuum cleaner died and I realized that I had sufficient credit card points for a new top-of-the-line bagless Bissel upright.

Less than a week later, the box showed up on my doorstep - and it didn't cost me a dime!

I love our Oreck XL vacuum cleaner. It's light weight, goes flat to get under things, and really sucks (in a great way).

I also think the Miele is fantastic and, having spent many dollars on cheaper vacuums and a higher priced Dyson, I can't wait to go back to Miele (my experience so far has been using one at a family home in Germany so can't wait to have one here).

For now, my favorite 'tool' is my KitchenAid stand mixer, and I do consider it an invaluable one because it saves my neck and shoulders from what I'd consider backbreaking labor (i.e., beating egg whites by hand for wedding cakes that are often 5 tiers high).

Reading this article was like reading the monologue I give at least monthly to my husband professing my love for the vacuum. I have also Miele-evangelized to strangers. We have a canister version on which we also spent a small fortune: we got the one from Williams-Sonoma that is in the ~$850 range, and it was made possible by the fact that we put ALL our Williams-Sonoma gift cards we received at our wedding towards it (and we still invested a few hundred of our own cash....we didn't need any more kitchen stuff anyway.) I was mainly inspired to get it after using my Mom's--she has the top-of-the-line ~$1100 one.

I am now thinking about saving up for the Miele stick vac.......these vacuums are worth the investment if you have pets or are allergic or are a clean nut or any combination thereof!

If you are thinking about getting one, take one for a test run somewhere--you will be hooked! And, it delivers about a million times more suction than other vacuums at half the decibel level.

my husband and i still say "i love this vacuum" when using our (yes, shockingly expensive) Miele canister. AND i have not had an asthma attack since we bought it. a bargain at twice the price.

We have had a Miele canister vacuum for about 6 yrs. It has been fantastic, I use it about 2-3 times a week with 3 little kiddies. It just sucks and sucks all that dirt and dust. My sister had a Dyson and on a recent visit offered to vacuum. She was so impressed with the Miele that she bought one and is giving away her Dyson. I seriously think Dyson is overrated. I also bought a slightly cheaper model Miele for my Mum and it works just as well. In Australia Miele are a lot cheaper than Dyson!

My dollar store, stainless steel slotted spoon.

Um, I don't have a favorite tool at my house, but my friend's mom has this awesome robot can opener thing. You just stick it to the top of the can, press a button, and it spins around, cutting the can around the edge (not the lid). It stops when the can is opened, the can is cut instead of the lid so the lid doesn't fall in and there are no sharp edges. It's the coolest thing.

we had to de-lead our 18th century home and the lead dust was much worse afterward... our state inspector told us to get a Miele, that it worked better than the pro vacuums the de-leaders used. we did, problem solved. that was 10 years ago, and we still have the same one.

I won't dispute the fact that top-quality things cost a lot, generally, and I definitely don't mind paying more for things that are better. Recommending the Miele to me, though, is like saying, "Hey, I've got a great wine recommendation for you: Dom Perignon." It definitely sounds like a great vacuum cleaner, though, but I can't afford it on my grad student salary. I do need a vacuum and sadly it's just going to have to be a much cheaper model.

@thegoldstate - I get where you're coming from. A commenter or two might have interpreted your earlier remark about the cost of the vacuum as b_tching and moaning, but I get it. Look, can I afford a $400+ vacuum? Sure. But do I want to shell out $400+ for a vacuum? Nope. And trust me, that Dyson DC26 vac looks mighty sexy (me wants). But I'm not suffering from crazy allergies. And yeah, the many MANY balls of cat hair are upsetting, but not $400+ worth upsetting. I'd rather spend that on a nice weekend in Napa.

Oh, and my favorite appliance is totally my Sanyo rice cooker. Love that emeffer somethin' fierce.

A method that's helpful for pet owners to possibly lengthen the life of your vacuum: Every other week before vacuuming, take a small, long handled shop broom (around $6 at home improvement stores) and move it lightly just across the surface of your carpet where your pets habitually hang out to pick up most of the pethair with its rather stiff, plastic (not wire) bristles. Be careful not to dig into the carpet, as of course, you don't want to break any of the carpet's fibers. Try it on an inconspicuous spot first ... but I wouldn't use this method on a shag, expensive or new carpet.

You get what you pay for, and I can totally relate to the love affair with the Miele brand.

We splurged several years ago on a Miele canister type vac and it's worth every penny.

Good old German engineering~ it's definitely like the BMW of vacs. This thing is lightweight, rolls around super easily on its revolving wheels that turn whichever way you do~ but the best thing is the suction power it has, I actually prefer it to our Sears upright which weighs a ton. Oh, and it's so quiet, it's not even as loud as a hair dryer. (Not kidding).

Their uprights must be great, but with having wood floors in our new home, the little red canister will do just fine. If you've got the money~ go for it.

OK~ that was my free advertising for the day!

The Miele is good, much better than Dyson. The best in my experience (we have messy kids and animals) is the Bosch.

Love love love the Miele, and yes, now I look forward to vacuuming, too! I bought the least expensive one, for about $400, and it was totally worth it.

My favorite household tool is the Swiffer a necessary tool if you have hard floors. And I found some microfiber cloths which attach to it by a company called Unger. I can't find the cloths again so I don't know what I am going to do if they wear out. :(

The household tool I can't do without is my Kitchenaid Superba dishwasher. I hate washing dishes and this dishwasher cleans dishes, pots and pans like no other. An adjustable height upper rack allows me to squeeze lots of stuff into both racks. I merely load the machine, no pre-rinsing, and select one of 6 cycles. The machine heats up the water to near boiling for wash and rinse, and while doing so produces enough steam that caked on, burnt on food, starts melting off the dishes. Then upper and lower spray arms blast the dirt off. A food grinder in the machine's base chews up any food chunks.

Unfortunately, this machine is unavailable except via Ebay or Craigslist. It was produced while Kitchenaid was a division of the commercial food machine manufacturer, Hobart. I don't think current Kitchenaid dishwashers, produced by Whirlpool, clean as well as this one. I've owned it for 15 years and have moved it three times since I bought it. Its performance and manufacture is so excellent, I may never need to replace it.

They were all gifts so I don't remember the brands but my good heavy pans and my quality knives. I do almost all of the cooking (my wife is learning...slowly), and I use these pretty much everyday.

I probably would get a top of the line vacuum cleaner if I had carpet.
Since I have wood floors and tile my cheap Hoover vacuum for hard floors along with the Bona dust mop works great.
I use old microfiber towels under the Bona tool to mop using diluted vinegar, I like these for mopping because they pull all the dirt up, absorb water and easy to rinse.. then I make a spray with EcoEver Floor soap with Linseed oil (very economical) one bottle last for two years and go over with the Bona dust mop..my floors are spotless and shiny.
I also use the spray with microfiber towels for baseboards and moldings..the EcoEver smells great too.

Ditto on the Roomba - gets the hardwood floors under my king bed completely dust free with no awkward reaching on my part.

I don't understand why Dysons are so popular when you can get a Miele for only a bit more depending on the model. Dysons may be good, but I've never heard anything but lavish praise for Mieles.

I love my Dyson - after having 3 inexpensive vacuums in a row die on us (border collie - we blame him, and yes, we brush him regularly), we figured we would probably SAVE money by buying one good vacuum that would last.

But the appliances I really love are my Bosch washer and dryer. Bought "slightly dinged" and so on sale, they have made my life better. Really, I have a better life!

Here in Canada the Dyson is no longer patented.I just bought a eureka that is the exact same thing.....marketed for pet hair.Works amazing.Priced much,much lower.Dyson's are coming down now too.

My fave appliance is my steam cleaner,I love having all my rugs and upholstery fresh.

My wife, HA

Just kidding.......

@thegoldstate: if you have allergies and pets, like I do, you would eat rice and beans for as long as necessary to allow you to save up the $400. This is a post asking about a household tool YOU can't live without -- I'd wager that everyone has one relatively expensive tool or appliance that they just HAVE to have, but that seems extravagant to others with different needs. Some people are happy with bare-bones, inexpensive, manual tools, but then have, love, and would never part with a $2K espresso machine or whatever. I'm fine with my $80 prepaid cell phone, but know plenty of people who are constantly swearing that they couldn't live without the new smartphone, with all its bells and whistles, every year or two. I thought it was the height of ridiculousness when my ex bought his electronic screwdriver (???), but I'll be darned if he doesn't still swear that it's the best thing ever. I still don't get it, but am saving up for a Miele to replace my crappy $140 Eureka. YMM, of course, V.

@theskip: boy, that's funny. And so fresh! Sexism you can totally get away with and can't possibly get flak for since it's only a joke, tee hee!

I have a Dyson Slim that I LOVE. I paid just over $200 for it on sale at Target---a return with no box. It is smaller than the regular Dysons and easier for me (as a small person) to use.

For much less money-- Swiffer dusters.

With these two products, I can actually clean my own house without dust allergies making me miserable for the rest of the day.

Just moved back stateside from Germany where I had a Miele vacuum. Before moving here, I sold everything electric because of the differences in voltage. I went shopping for a vacuum just last week and ended up buying another Miele. It was hard for me to spend so much for a vacuum because they are much cheaper in Germany, but I knew they worked well. BTW, I bought the upright version because they were cheaper than the canister ones.