Miele – "A Quality Journey" To The Vacuum Cleaner Factories In Germany

In September 2014, I had the pleasure of joining 28 other Miele dealers from around the country on a trip to Miele’s vacuum cleaner factories in Germany.  The trip was literally called “A Quality Journey” by our hosts in Germany and it truly was.  Everything Miele does is first class whether it is the tour bus stocked with beer, the delicious meals or extracurricular activities we did in the afternoon.  Of course the manufacturing processes are first class as well and that’s what I want to share with you.

The first day was at their plant in Warendorf where they mold the bodies of the various vacuum cleaners.  What Miele does different from other manufacturers is use millions of color pellets that are melted then molded so the finished product is the same color through and through.  Most other vacuum manufacturers would mold everything in grey, for example, and then paint the plastic. When scratches occur in regular use, the undercoat color would show through.  There is potential fading and peeling issues that would not occur with a Miele vacuum.

While many of the assembly processes are automated, there are still humans are along the assembly line inspecting each step in production.  Every Miele canister vacuum is tested with a hose to insure that every vacuum we pull out of the box to assemble for you to purchase, is working perfectly.  Miele manufactures their own motor as well as other electronic boards to keep quality to the highest standard.

One of the highlights of our trip was each Miele vacuum dealer got to assemble an S7 Salsa Upright!

Every S7 upright is hand assembled – only the testing is automated.  This is a picture of me on the assembly line getting the process started.  It really speaks to the quality of Miele that each vacuum is completed from beginning to end by the same employee.  Because of the quality design and engineering, the components for each S7 upright can be assembled under 10 minutes.

One of the many impressive processes Miele incorporates is the continual testing of selected models off the assembly line.  Vacuums are pulled off the line randomly and put through a rigorous set of durability tests.  There are too many to mention here but feel free to ask me while in the store.

While vacuum cleaners were the highlight of the tour, we did get to see other appliances being manufactured as well including dishwashers and washing machines.  Much of their assembly is done by robots but each finished product is inspected by a highly skilled craftsman.

The gentleman I'm with is Dr. Markus Miele, the fourth generation company co-owner.  You may not be aware but Miele Inc. is the world’s largest family owned appliance company with over 16,000 employees and over $3 billion.  There is no ‘Mr. Hoover’ any longer but there is a Dr. Miele and he is reminded each day that his name is on everything they produce.  With that in mind, quality will not be compromised.  That should give you much satisfaction in owning (or purchasing) the product.

As a Miele vacuum cleaner dealer for almost 26 years, we have seen the many improvements made to the product.  As I tell customers regularly, Miele doesn’t try to ‘reinvent the wheel’ when they introduce new model series, they simply hold to their 114 year old motto, ‘Immer Besser’ or ‘Forever Better’ in English.  This makes for much higher performing, less troublesome product unlike many of their other Chinese or Mexican made competitors.

And here is the actual S7 that I assembled under the close eye of a supervisor.  It is being raffled off with the drawing on January 31st.  100% of the proceeds will be going to a charity or charities chosen by the winner from a list.  Stop into our store and see this signed Miele S7 and purchase a ticket.

Hardwood Floor Cleaning Tips

Maintaining your hardwood floors the easy way

Here's a set of Essentials For Clean Living™ tips.  

Taking care of your hardwood floors can be pretty easy if you practice some simple preventative measures and use the right products.  Please read these important tips so you can make – or keep – your hardwood floors looking great.  

Brookstone mat

One of the best things you can do is have a sturdy floor mat just inside all of your outside doors.  This catches the grit and other particles that do the most damage to your polyurethane finish.  In case you’re wondering if your floors have a polyurethane finish, the answer is YES.  Whether it’s oak, pine, cherry, bamboo, ‘engineered’ or laminate, they all have some type of urethane finish.  The only exception is if your flooring installer said to use tung oil or some other ‘wipe on’ oil-based product and that would be extremely rare.

Miele canister

The next tip is our favorite – vacuuming your floors regularly.  Yes, you can sweep or use a dust mop but they will always leave some abrasive particles behind.  When you walk on it, that could grind those small particles into the finish and dull it making it look ‘scuffed’.  If you take your shoes off as you enter the door – great! – but your body weight can still do damage the same way as shoes just not as quickly.  

Lastly, get liquids up immediately to prevent moisture damage to the floor.  We have new dog that drips large amounts of water out of his mouth after he drinks from the water bowl.  My wife, son and I are now trained to have the microfiber mop close by to immediately wipe up the puddles he creates. Perhaps you have a similar situation!

So what’s the best way to maintain them after you’ve gotten the dirt and pet hair off the floor? 

 You’re probably aware we sell the Bona brand and you may have been using it for years.  We have the cleaners for hardwood and stone/tile floors as well as the Refresher product for restoring the finish to a brand new look.  We’re glad to offer our expertise to your floor care questions.

We recommend that you not use the Bona Hardwood Polish.  It cannot be removed unless you buy the ‘remover’ that is sold only on Bona’s website.  It’s trying to be a shortcut product to the Refresher but it’s not necessary if your hardwood finish is already in good shape.

Introducing the Miele Scout RX1

Vacuum Cleaner Hospital is excited to introduce the all new robotic vacuum cleaner, Miele Scout RX1.  

Here are some of the great features: 

• The Scout covers every bit of open space by vacuuming in a parallel path rather than a crazy, chaotic path its competitors use.

• Cleaning multiple rooms are no match for the Scout, which can thoroughly clean for up to 2 hours  and then return to its recharging base.

• The sophisticated sensors and ceiling scanning camera insures that every square inch of open floor space is vacuumed and leaves no areas untouched.

• Miele robot vac has seven infra-red sensors on the front of the unit. These scan a 180° area ahead of the machine in order to avoid collisions with furniture and other obstacles. In contrast to most other common systems on the market, these sensors stop the vacuum cleaner well before a collision occurs. 
• Three further sensors below the unit prevent the Scout RX1 from falling down stairs.
• Equipped with 2 innovative side sweeping brushes and a high-efficiency suction motor, the Scout is very effective at giving you a thorough cleaning.
• An AirClean filter ensures clean room air. 

• Four cleaning programs. ‘Auto' mode, the unit travels through all rooms. 'Spot' mode is intended for a defined area. In 'Corner' mode, all rooms are first cleaned in 'Auto' before returning to clean all edge areas once again. 'Turbo' mode in which the robovac cleans the entire home but travels in straight lines with greater spacing. 
• The battery lasts an amazing 120 minutes. When cleaning larger areas, the unit pauses when needed to return to its base for recharging. 

The Scout does a great job navigating whatever floor or rugs it may encounter in your home.  It can easily tackle the edges of area rugs or thresholds that can stymie other robot cleaners.  If you want to exclude an area, simply place the provided magnetic strips on the floor or under a rug.  The Scout can even be programmed to clean while you’re away! Visit our Miele page.