Miele feedback thread. Non-testers: Share your tips on living with allergies or what makes your perfect vacuum cleaner – Miele S8 Silence Plus EcoLine Allergy to be won! NOW CLOSED

[MichelleMumsnet]

This thread is for the 10 Mumsnetters who tried either the Miele S8 Silence Plus EcoLine Allergy or the Miele S8 Silence Solution.

Here’s what Miele say, “Build quality and efficiency have always been at the forefront of our vacuum cleaner design, with improving your lifestyle at home as our goal. Our Hyclean dustbags are an important functionality of the Miele vacuum cleaner being the most effective way of keeping dust and dirt from re-entering your home. Each bag is made from a special kind of fleece that gives you nine layers of filtration designed to capture even the smallest of particles and its automatic hygiene shutter ensuring dust and bacteria is not expelled back into the air when you dispose of it, making it perfect for allergy sufferers.

Built with allergy sufferers in mind, the S8 Silence Solution and the S8 Silence Plus EcoLine Allergy detailed in this thread both feature our new HEPA 13 filter designed to remove up to 99.999% of particles* from the air making them perfect for all allergy sufferers including dust, pollen and asthma.

With all of these key features combined, the Miele vacuum cleaner system facilitates the capture of the smallest allergens that are not visible to the naked eye, such as bed bugs, dust mite and dust mite faeces that typically cause irritation.

(*according to IEC 60312)”

Non-testers: If you or any of your family have any allergies, what tips do you have to make living with allergies a bit easier, be they inside or outside the home? If you, or any of your family, don’t have any allergies tell us about what would make your perfect vacuum cleaner. What does your vacuum cleaner not do which you think it should? Whatever it is, tell us about it!

Everyone who adds their comments will be entered into a prize draw where one Mumsnetter will win a Miele S8 Silence Plus EcoLine Allergy.

Testers: Thanks for testing out one of the Miele vacuum cleaners. Please answer the questions below to give us your feedback. Of course, feel free to add any other comments you may have as well.

Q1. Which Miele vacuum cleaner did you try, the S8 Silence Plus EcoLine Allergy or the S8 Silence Solution? What was your overall impression?
Q2. How effective did you think the vacuum cleaner was in helping to prevent allergic reactions in the home?
Q3. How quiet or noisy did you find the vacuum cleaner? Would you be happy to vacuum clean while someone in your home was asleep without being afraid of waking them up, or not?
Q4. Would you recommend the Miele vacuum cleaner which you tried to friends or family? If so, why? If not, why not?

Please also post a review of your Miele in the review section of Mumsnet here.

Thanks,

MNHQ

[BoffinMum]

Miele S8 Silence Plus EcoLine Allergy

Box opening post here:
The Miele Silence Plus s8390 Vacuum Cleaner Box Opening. Oh Yes.


Q1. Which Miele vacuum cleaner did you try, the S8 Silence Plus EcoLine Allergy or the S8 Silence Solution? What was your overall impression?

This is a well designed vacuum that really impressed me. It's attractively designed and relatively simple to use, even for someone with arthritis. The height adjustable function means that DH (5'11'') and DC4 (age 5) were easily able to take turns with the thing. It coped well with different surfaces including lino, wood and carpet. The cable is very long which helps simplify vacuuming, and it gives a lot of suck, IYSWIM. Congratulations to Miele.

Q2. How effective did you think the vacuum cleaner was in helping to prevent allergic reactions in the home?

I am not sure because the pollen for my allergy is only just coming out, but I think there has been some impact.

Q3. How quiet or noisy did you find the vacuum cleaner? Would you be happy to vacuum clean while someone in your home was asleep without being afraid of waking them up, or not?

It is so quiet I didn't trust its suction at first, as I have been conditioned into associating dramatic engine noise with powerful performance. I think in my house you could vacuum the downstairs without people upstairs waking, but in a small flat it would depend on how deeply people slept. It would be an ideal vacuum to buy if you had a small child who was afraid of them, as it is probably significantly less scary.

Q4. Would you recommend the Miele vacuum cleaner which you tried to friends or family? If so, why? If not, why not?

Yes, because this is a robust and attractively designed piece of kit that will deal with everything a family throws at it. Wattage has been reduced in this design meaning (presumably) reduced power consumption, and the reduced noise is a bonus. Plus they last 20 years, so worth saving up for.

[tinypumpkin]

Just to say that I picked this up about half an hour ago so will come back to this and post my thoughts once I had had a proper vacuum. It looks great and is much quieter on first try. I have not yet put it through its paces though properly!

[ouryve]

Non-tester, here.

The thing that we find helps the most is being careful about opening windows when there's a high pollen count. We find it more effective to keep the house cool by closing curtains in south facing rooms, so the heat doesn't build up. If we do open windows, then we close them around tea time, as the pollen and dust starts to settle.

My own personal worst allergy is to print - particularly magazines and newspapers. I can't emphasise how much electronic media has improved my life, in this respect

[telsa]

Non-tester: I am still seeking the perfect vacuum cleaner that is very small - to fit into our tiny home - but with a high bag capacity. It should be wireless (do these exist?) or at least have a fantastic retractable wire. The hose part should be retractable. It should have easily changeable attachments for carpets, stairs, sofas, sofa edges. It should also divert anything solid (lost gold rings sucked up) into a separate area for retrieval. None of this should be too hard. Professor Branestawm get on it!

[mjmooseface]

telsa There are such things as wireless vacuums!!! They can be a bit pricey and some only run for 10 minutes on a full charge!! I've seen one that can last for half an hour tho. Wireless and silent is the perfect vacuum for me! lol

[HopefulHamster]

Got mine today! Very excited as my dust allergy is a real pain at the moment (am pregnant and can't take anything), so this could make a real difference. Will probably review after weekend - parents are coming to visit so I definitely need to do a thorough vacuum :)

[Ramblings]

Shower every night to remove all pollen, grass etc from the body, pay particular attention to the face.

If you know you will be doing something that aggravates allergies then take antihistamines in advance!

I really wanted to review this vac due to v bad allergies in our household so I'm reading the reviews with real interest!

[CheeseTMouse]

Non tester: my perfect vacuum cleaner would be nice and light so I am not getting it round the house and amazing suction to get at the variety of food that my baby seems to have mushed into the floor.

My Henry is very friendly but I have lost count of the number of times I have clonked and damaged the skirting boards with him.

[DoItTooJulia]

Non tester: I suffer from hayfever and I want a vacuum that can cope with every surface. I'd like it to be super quiet and super effective. I buy loads of vacuums but still haven't found the perfect one....send me Miele, please? Maybe then I can stop my incessant search for the perfect one!

[Khaly]

Non tester- I have a Dyson which is bagless and I have to get my husband to empty it as my eyes stream and nose runs when emptying it. I would definitely recommend a bagged vacuum for those with allergies

[CheeseStrawWars]

Non tester with friends allergic to cat hair - I've been told it's better to do a vacuum some time before they arrive, rather than just before they're due, as that way any hairs stirred up by the process have time to settle. Obviously it would be ideal if the vacuum was so good it got all those pesky hairs! A vacuum which can get long cat hairs off carpet without making a mountain out of a molehill about it would be great.

[rootypig]

Non tester. My worst allergy is hayfever, severe enough as a child to leave the country. Top tip is about trying to prevent pollen covering everything in your home: windows closed, sadly; don't dry your clothes outside; change your clothes and shower when you come in for the day.

Take your anti histamine last thing at night, so that you're not already having a flare up when you wake in the morning. Keep eye drops in the fridge for the most relief.

Dealing with the allergy itself: coffee seems to check the sneezing and eye watering somewhat, and nothing beats a basin of ice cold water to plunge your face into!

Dust allergy - all you can do is stay on top of it, and always clean with a very damp, almost wet cloth, so it's not being swirled up into the air. We have hard floors, which show up all the dirt - exhausting, but ultimately beneficial I think.

Eczema - DH and DD have. A good friend with it told me to drink as much water as I could hold when I got it around my eyes, that helped! and wash at 60% with liquid (dissolves and therefore rinses more easily) that is free from fragrance and other irritants. Ecover and Surcare both work for us.

[addictedtosugar]

Non tester: I really like the clear dust collectors we have in many modern hoovers - its a very visual way of saying when you need to empty, but I seem to be able to fill the dust collector on just one hoover of the house. A MASSIVE dust collection capacity, with very visual full indictor would be good.

[nushcar]

Non-tester:

Stress reduction helps any allergies. Drink water and cleanse system by starting and ending each day with warm water with fresh lemon, air your house and keep it dust free if that's your allergy, wash bed linen regularly and avoid whatever you're allergic to as much as possible of course ... Doh!

[kateandme]

keep on your tablets if you find they work.its easy to think your not so bad today and miss them.but like painkillers it helps to stay on top of the dose so your ready for each new possible day of pollen.

checking the weather pollen count for the next day is very usuefull.its just helps being prepared especially if your going out anywwhre.

when its a really bad hayfever day you just hve to shut your windown and use a fan if its so hot.

always take a towel or rug out with you incase you want to sit on the floor.

wiping the eyes with a cold flannel right into the corner to make sure nothing has managed to get stuck inyour eyelasshes or corners.

keep hydrated.there is nothing worse than feeling all irritated from the allergys and also lathargic from the heat too.

[cutie101]

Hayfever is rife in my house. My husband has it but can deal with it, but my poor little 3 year old has it too and just can't do anything to help herself. I have to keep windows and doors closed and keep the house as well hoovered as possible. We have a very fine mesh over the windows just in case we do need them open and hand washing as soon as we get home plus shoes off at the front door so we bring as little in from the outside are essential.

[mjmooseface]

Non Tester:

I'm enjoying reading these reviews... I have never had any sort of experience with a quite vacuum cleaner and was almost sceptical it could be true! I would love to be able to hoover whilst people are sleeping so I don't have to put the dog in one room, the baby in another, the husband in another and then rotate! I could just hoover around people then! (The hoover makes the dog bark which makes the baby cry and we have neighbours below us, it's a whole thing when it comes to hoovering!!!)

As for allergies... We have a garden and a dog. The dog brings grass in all over the house so I'm always running around after him, getting the grass off him, picking it up off the floor and closing bedroom doors so he doesn't go in there. I wash the sheets much more regularly in the spring/summer, too and keep the windows on the open locked setting.

[affafantoosh]

Non tester ... I am allergic to cats and dogs and I take daily antihistamines. The allergy isn't due to the hairs but due to the dander - allergenic particles of dried saliva from grooming. So wiping them down with a damp cloth a couple of times a day makes a big difference, even if it seems crazy. That and hoovering hoovering hoovering ...

[RandomMess]

Non tester here:

Allergic to cats/dogs, pollens, grass, trees, house dust mites - you know all those things routinely tested for!

Biggest difference was chucking out the bedroom carpet and putting down laminete flooring, getting rid of curtains and having a roller blind instead. Hoovering regularly with our miele

Also have wooden flooring downstairs and a leather sofa and virtually no soft furnishings - has made a huge difference to my life.

[kmills]

Non-tester:

My brother is allergic to my dogs hairs but no matter how much I hoover, I just can't get my vacuum to pick them all up. So, when my brother arrives it's non-stop sneezing from him. This vacuum sounds fantastic!

[BoffinMum]

DH has a dust mite allergy so today I used the new test Miele to spring clean the entire master bedroom. This seems to have had a good effect and was easy to do, but one interesting observation - the floor head is designed just a little bit too high to go easily under flat pack furniture such as IKEA cupboards, and up to the edge of the carpet.

[DoctorGilbertson]

Non tester. Antihistamines are really what help me with sneezing ... but I am sure that hoovering is good too. My dream vacuum cleaner would be as good as the one I have for the house but work in the car

[HappySunflower]

My daughter has asthma and I react badly to pet hair and pollen.

I use wet wipes quite often to damp dust. I find that helps to keep skirting boards and window wills free of dust. When my daughter was in a cot I would remove the mattress and damp dust it every so often.

I empty my Hoover bag outside so as to avoid dust escaping back into my home.

My idea vacuum cleaner would be one that was:
Easy to empty
Not too noisy
Has a few attachments
Is suitable for using on upholstery as well

[sharond101]

Non-tester with allergies.

Wear sunglasses all year round. Put some vaseline at both your nostrils to block allergens getting in. Do not hang washing outside. Hoover everywhere, twice. Change bedding weekly. use one a day antihistamine religiously.