Here’s What 3 People Told Us After They Tried Custom-Fitted Vacuums

Your home isn’t the same as everyone else’s, so why would you clean it as if it were? That’s the idea behind Miele’s HomeCare Collection. These aren’t just top-of-the-line vacuums; they’re top-of-the-line vacuums with features customized to fit your particular cleaning needs. To see what difference this sort of customization really makes in people’s homes, we matched three different Apartment Therapy staffers with a model (and attachments) from the collection chosen to suit their unique living situations.

When you’re ready to find your own match, the HomeCare Collection is sold exclusively by Miele dealers. When you visit a local dealer, you’ll get a personalized consultation to determine which vacuum is the right one for you and for your home. But first, here’s what our staffers had to say…

Her home: 1-bedroom apartment
Who lives there: Daniela, her boyfriend Daniel, and Milo the French bulldog
Her vacuum: Miele Compact C1 Turbo Team + HEPA Filter

We’d never say it to their adorable faces, but cleaning pet hair is often a losing battle that we’re resigned to just put up with. Our hope was to give Daniela (and Milo) a vacuum that would give them an edge in the fight for a clean home. The small but mighty Compact C1 is perfect for their small but cozy NYC apartment with hardwood floors and area rugs. When paired with a HEPA filter, the vacuum keeps dander and dust at bay. (Miele vacuums filter more than 99.9% of all fine dust particles and allergens, so the room air is actually cleaner after vacuuming than before.) Here’s what Daniela reported back:

I’ve been on the hunt for a new vacuum for a while that wasn’t too bulky but was still powerful enough to clean up NYC dust and pet hair. I was surprised by how lightweight this one was, making it easy to carry with me around the apartment. It’s not too loud compared to other vacuums yet it gets the job done. I enjoyed the upholstery tool that gets hidden pet hair out of my couch cushions, as well as the Turbo Brush floorhead for my low-pile rugs in the living room and bedroom. The vacuum did a really great job at cleaning up Milo’s hairs that get stuck on almost every surface of my home, especially my kilim rug—which he is very fond of.

—Daniela

Her home: 1-bedroom apartment
Who lives there: Leandra, her husband Sammy, and baby Eden (8 months)
Her vacuum: Miele Complete C3 HomeCare + SEB 217-3

Eden is excellent at making her presence known in Leandra’s home, both in terms of her big personality and her big trail of crumbs. The Complete C3 HomeCare is sleek in design and can be customized by choosing between three different electric floorheads. For Leandra, we thought the mid-size electro brush—the SEB 217-3—would be perfect for vacuuming up crumbs, hair, and dirt. We also thought the silent motor would be helpful for a home with a small child. Here’s what Leandra thought:

My 8-month-old is crawling now and wants to examine everything. Oh, and she makes a huge mess. So she’s basically the reason we have messy floors—and also the reason I want clean floors. Watching the vacuum suck up every crumb in every crevice instantly eased my anxiety! Not only does my home look instantly better, but I’m not worried about Eden eating suspect crumbs. I’d never even thought of vacuuming my couch and the upholstery tool is amazing, everything in my apartment looks newer! I think the crevice nozzle and I are going to be best friends.

—Leandra

His home: 2-bedroom apartment
Who lives there: Henry, his fiancée Zaira, their son Solomon (2.5 years), and his cat
His vacuum: Miele Complete C3 HomeCare+

Henry told us that he and Zaira vacuum their floors—a mix of various carpet piles and hardwood—every few days. So, it was our hope that the conveniences of Miele’s premium model would make vacuuming a little less cumbersome. All its controls are located on the handle, and the automatic suction control function makes it easy to vacuum different surfaces. And the bagged system with a HEPA filter is a crucial combo for anyone who suffers from allergies. This is how it went down:

As my fiancée put it, “This is like driving a Ferrari!” I was most excited about the flexible nozzle, and it didn’t disappoint. Our sofa is very low to the ground, as well as heavy, and vacuuming under it properly used to be a multi-person job. We’re also really happy about it being a bag vacuum so that none of the dust escapes when emptying it.

It was fantastic for the cat hair, both on the furniture and also strewn everywhere around the house. The first thing we did was vacuum under the kitchen table, and it only took a few seconds.

—Henry

Think a Miele might be right for you? Visit an authorized HomeCare dealer to get personalized recommendations and find the HomeCare vacuum that’s perfect for your home and your needs.