It's no secret that Miele produces pristine, top-of-the-line vacuums that all owners are going to have for a very, very long time. However, a little preventative maintenance never hurts, which is why we are here to give first-time vacuum owners some tips and tricks on how to prolong the life of your very own Miele vacuum.
For starters, each Miele canister vacuum is equipped with either a Miele GN Bag or Miele FJM Bag, while each Miele upright is equipped with a Miele U Bag. All types are designed with a hygienic seal that traps 4.76 quarts of dirt and debris down to 0.3 microns in size. With 9 layers of filtration, Miele bags are designed to handle common household dust such as hair, carpet fluff, threads and sand. However, the pores of the Miele bag can become clogged if your vacuum picks up fine dust like plaster or flour. At the very least, this misleads the bag change indicator. At worst, a non-porous bag can lead your vacuum to overheat, which stresses out and potentially damages the motor. To prevent this chain reaction, be mindful of the types of dirt you're picking up and manually retrieve and dispose of large debris before you vacuum. Also, remain vigilant in keeping track of the red marker of the bag change feature. You may find yourself so enthralled in vacuuming that you forgot to keep track of the dirt capacity, and that's not good either.
Another big thing to keep track of is filters. To extend the lifeline of your vacuum, you should be aware of where your filters are located, as well as when and how to change them. Our blog post on How to Change Miele Filters should take you through the where and how, but now we are going to address the when. The Miele Pre-Motor Filter can be found in the dust compartment chamber behind the bag. It should be changed once every three months, or every four bags. The exhaust filter, which could be either the Miele Active AirClean SF-AA50 Filter or the Miele HEPA AirClean SF-HA50 Filter, should be changed once every 50 hours of use. To make things easy for you, each of these filters comes equipped with an indicator strip that changes from green to red as the year marches on. Green means you're good to go, and red means you must stop and replace. To activate, simply press the green button on the side of the filter.
Now that we've talked about bags and filters, let's chat a bit about blockages. A blockage impedes the air flow of the vacuum, and in turn, decreases your suction power. This leaves your floors looking and feeling less clean than they ideally should. To prevent this from happening, take time to periodically check over your vacuum. Take an LED flashlight and look inside the wand or crushproof hose. Flip the vacuum over and inspect the brushroll. If you see a ball of packaging tape wedged inside the wand, pull it out! If you see human hair twined around the brushroll, take some scissors and cut it out! While you're at it, you may want to follow up on your Miele attachments. Check out your crevice tool or dusting brush for any debris. They ought to play a role in your vacuum routine!
Most people don't think of "best practices for power cords" as a factor in prolonging the longevity of any vacuum. However, when you really think about it, the power cord is solely responsible for providing 120 volts of electric current from the universal outlet to the motor. With that said, if the power cord is damaged in any way, the suction power can dwindle significantly, so take care not to step on the cord. Try not to make easily avoidable mistakes like using the power cord as a carry handle or unplugging the cord by pulling on it instead of properly unplugging it from the wall. Moreover, if the power cord is not unwound completely, the vacuum motor could get too hot for the cord aids in dissipating heat. So let's avoid motor burnout and treat our power cords like royalty. Your vacuum surely thanks you for your kindness and patience!
We hope this blog post gave you a solid introduction to routine maintenance for your new Miele vacuum. Should you have any questions or concerns, please feel free (literally) to dial 1-866-972-8227 and speak with a trained vacuum specialist. We are here to help seven days a week!
