Vacuum Cleaners Discussions

It's been a while since I've been on Abby's Guide.  I wanted some opinions.  I found a Miele Red Star on Craigslist for $15.00.  I felt like I couldn't get their fast enough to snag it up.  The cover over the bag was damaged so I dropped it off at my local Vac Shop for a replacement.  The cost will be around $120.00.  The Vac Shop guys said that other than the damaged cover this Red Star is in excellent condition and even the power brush looks brand new.  It came from a pet free home so it will definitely be put to the test in my home. 

Was this a good find and is it worth the $120.00 to fix it?  Even though the Red Star is an older model is it one of their good ones?  Any thoughts on how it will hold up to lots of pet hair?  My S7 still works great, but sadly it has gotten that "pet odor" even with the HEPA filter.  Ugh.

Thanks.

Melanie

catlady wrote:

Hey Melanie,

How are you?  Well, in all my days of shopping I never landed a Miele-anything for 15 bucks. Pat yourself on the back.  I don't know how you did it but you've done absolutely great.  Regarding pricing on parts. etc., Miele's been on the high side and always will be.  If all that's needed is a new cover go for it.  You have two good machines instead of just one.  You and your husband, each armed with your own, machine can can get the house done in half the time I'd think.

However, as regards the S7 which is working well . . . ask the guys working on the Red Star to give you a break on the cost of a replacement filter for your S7.  The HEPA is mainly for fine dust capture.  You want the Active Air Clean Filter with the carbon for absorbing odors.  It lists at about $37.00 and Miele claims it has a life of 50 hours or 12 months. 

That accomplished, also check out your local supermarket for borax.  Put a fresh bag in the cleaner and suck up about a tablespoon of it and see if that helps to lessen the odor problem.  OR -- if you can find moth crystals, try just a teaspoon or two in a fresh bag. 

Please be advised that no matter whether you use the Red Star or the S7, this problem will continue and will cost something one way or another to keep it under control. 

Best of luck with your animals.  They make it worth the fuss I'm sure.

Best,

Venson

MIELE Red Star is a beauty.

Carmine D.

Miele S314 Red Star M41231454

Just got a call from the Vac Shop.  The Red Star is all fixed up and ready to be picked up.  The total cost with a box of bags is $198.59! Ouch.  Apparently it needed a couple of extra small parts to properly fix it.  But it sounds like it will be worth it to have two excellent vacuums in the home.

Thanks for the feedback on how to control odors in the vacuums. I will replace the HEPA's with the charcoal filters as soon as I have the extra money.  I was only planning on spending $120.00 to fix up the Red Star so hopefully I will be able to replace the filters in a couple of pays.  Never thought to try Borax to help control odors.  I can give that a shot too.

Melanie

catlady wrote:

Hi again Melanie,

I'm glad it's worked out.

Venson

Venson wrote:

Have tried the borax-bkg soda....never the crystals....of the 3  whats the the better product at keeping those strong pet smells at bay. or do they each have their own strong points over the other.

turtle

I use soda crystals - they keep the neutral smells out better than Borax which has bleach in it. HOWEVER if Miele vacuum (or even SEBO) stinks of pet hair smells, its time to clean the pipes and hose.

retardturtle1 wrote:

Hiya turtle,

It's not so much what's the better thing.  They each will help and help far better than more fancy stuff.  Vac shops in my area carry a tablet that you can drop in the bag but they have a heavy odor that reminds me of every funeral parlor I've had occasion to visit.  However, some people may not like the smell of moth crystals even though due to the small amount used there should be no strong aroma from the cleaner's exhaust.  Personally,  I like borax best.  It has a pleasant but not overpowering scent.

In any event, moth crystals may not be all that easy to come across these days.  The world has changed.  I remember when most well known vacuums came with demothing attachments and readily available crystals.  Kirby, Filter Queen, Royal and Electrolux long abandoned them.

Also a lot has do with other factors.  Melanie, I'm proud to say, does animal rescue and has many cats and dogs about the house.  That's a different story from just having to deal with a single pet.

Venson

vacmanuk wrote:

Thanks..ill try to track some down at lowes...worth a shot.

turtle

Venson wrote:

Hi Venson

Ive seen that drop in tab...dont like it either. Never seen the crystals....but couldnt you just crush up a single moth ball  and vac up?

Will go to lowes and see what i find.....just to see...and yes a vacuum from a shelter/rescue home is a whole different level of use....this ive learned first hand from all the vacs ive serviced from the county shelter....but will say that most of them are bagless and on their last leg in under a year....so it seems as if the s7 she has is quite the high quality vacuum.....high end top quality...if the canister is as good as the s7 then she got a great deal and find.

So how does the miele and sebos compare to the riccars in terms of quality and power/performance on both ups and cans...as i have limited knowledge of the first 2....and does the radiance compare well to the s7? 

turtle

Hello Catlady:

How many 4 legged furry friends are you making your home for these days? 

Carmine D.

CarmineD wrote:

Hi Carmine. I still have my 4 dogs. They are all getting older and one is showing signs of liver failure in her senior profile blood work, but otherwise is still doing well. I was up to 17 cats, but luckily I had some adoptions (even a five year rescued cat!) and am down to 13 right now. I would like 3 more to be adopted, but I'm finding it hard to find homes for the solid black cats. Thanks for asking. Melanie

vacmanuk wrote:

Is that something I can do myself? Melanie

retardturtle1 wrote:

Hi turtle,

The Radiance doesn't necessarily compare with the S7 because we're talking two different machine designs.  A very interesting idea, the Radiance has two motors and two fan systems that work with single dust collection bag.  It has a direct-air set-up that can be boosted by switching in the clean -air system when doing carpeting and floors.  However, if my memory is correct CR had judged its tool suction not all that great.  There was also a post or two by a tech guy here regarding blowback.  I can only assume that the problem was corrected.

The Miele S7 is a standard clean air vac that also uses two motors but only one is responsible for suction delivery. The other only runs the brushroll.  I also own one and like it.  The "run you to the poor house disposable bags" cost a lot but do a great job.

Sebo excels by the way it is so very user manageable without call for special tools.  It is designed so that you can literally knock an upright all the way down and handle a lot of maintenance issues on your own without a trip to your local vac shop for anything other than parts.  The brushroll can be easily pulled out for cleaning or replacement without having to remove or replace a belt to do so.  I can't speak for Riccar but, though I love it,  Miele has made the S7 upright not very accessible to users for anything else than filter and bag changes.  There's a clean-out port at the back of the machine for taking care of clogging.

As for the mothball thing, we're basically talking about the same stuff used in mens rooms to combat odors.  The base product is clear crystals.  I've used them to deodorize some very smelly old vacs and they work.  They're worth a try but I do not advise use of more than a couple of teaspoons of para-dichlorobenzene in any form.

Venson

catlady wrote:

Bless your ever loving animal heart. 

Carmine D.

catlady wrote:
Hi Melanie - yes, of course you can although I'm not quite sure what model the Miele Red Star is as we don't have the names in the UK< only the model numbers. I have an S381 for example and if its the similar model to yours, then it basically means it comes with the detachable hose to the handle by pressing in the locks to release it from the handle. In this way you can remove the hose and judge for yourself if it needs cleaning out simply by smelling it! This is a long process but I apologise if it is long-winded.

There are several ways to "neutralise" both the handle, hose and pipes however you will need the following:

A long blunt stick, usually bamboo can help or a thin enough stick to fit the hose and the pipes. It has to be longer which shouldn't be a problem if you have telescopic height adjustable pipes, or two way friction fit pipes.

Wet wipes such as either 1) Abrasive types or Anti bacterial types or 2) J Cloth which has been sprayed or left overnight so that it is damp to the touch in vinegar, bicarbonate of soda and lemon juice. 2 parts vinegar, 2 parts lemon juice, 2 parts bicarb. Water this mix down and place the J Cloth in it so that it becomes saturated. Wring out the cloth.

Either with the wet wipes or the wrung out J Cloth, put the cloths in at one end of the telescopic or fixed height suction tubes and push up and down until all dirt has been cleaned out. Dry the pipes by sliding a dry J Cloth up and down the pipes to ensure that everything is dry!

The hose should be laid in a bath or a big enough box that is water tight with the solution poured into it, to let it sit for a few days and ensure all dirt has been removed. The smaller handle can either accept the wet mode or the wet wipe/J Cloth method but I'd use a bent coat hanger to get it down the curved part. Ive done the stick method with the hose but in danger of piercing it, it is easier to let it either hang off the shower rail or laid in a bath and let it dry naturally out of the water. A friend of mine tried to tumble dry their vacuum hose in a pillow slip but it had disastrous effects. Don't go there!! If you can, hang up the hose outside and let it air dry naturally or put thin lint material down the hose so that it dries and collects the ribs. With Miele's hose you can stretch it out fully so that each "rib" gets dried but it is a long and laboured duty.

In both procedures always ensure the hose, pipes and handle is completely clean and dry. If you have as many dogs as you say, then the cleaning out of the pipes, hose and handle should be done at least once to twice a month. This will keep your Miele in better condition than just relying on the HEPA filter or Active Air Clean filter. I have to say in defence of the AAC type, HEPA is better at coping with the pet hair pong. It isn't designed to filter out pet hair pong (as Miele would have you believe) but rather neutralise the air from the bag that has the collected general dust/pet hair. Of course all vacuum cleaners, cylinder types should be cleaned out in this way. As Venson has pointed out the beauty of Sebo's X uprights is that they can be chopped down to small pieces of their naturally "building block" style where maintenance can be easily done.

Meanwhile keep adding bicarbonate of soda / soda crystal powder to your dust bag once a week. You don't need a lot, just two teaspoon sizes which will coat the bag, lessen the fill aspect and give the machine a chance to fill the bag with expected household dust and pet hair.

Of course don't just take my advice - this isn't the ultimate advice but I've found it works for me!

vacmanuk wrote:

Hi vacmanuk,

The machine she's having the odor problem with is her S7 upright.  As well the Red Star canister  that's she's just got has an electric power nozzle and an integrally electrified hose I believe.   Submersion in water or over-wetting it internally is not at all advisable for this kind of hose.

Venson

Well if its the S7 upright, the hose and wand part can still be "washed" with wet wipes and then dry wipes pushed up and down the parts to dry the hose and pipes out. As with my cylinder post I have stated that all parts have to be dried.

Venson wrote:

Hi Venson

The s7 is a beautiful machine to say the least...would love to service one and check it out at the shop.

In the case of the riccars/sebo/s7..how do they compair overall in build quality...motors, filtering , electronics  ect. to eachother...

Ive yet to use the radiance i was gifted....as i want to tear it down and do a look over ....working on the radiance is not alot of fun when your at the shop so ill do this one at home and at a leisurly pace....i have the 8 series of this model...used a couple months then returned...and forgotten about. Im not impressed with the tool air-flow/suction either...meager to say the least but customers rave about it and it does well at the shop ...so im eager to see what it can do at home....but all in all i cannot complain one bit about the radiance....it was FREE and im very happy have one....btw''''in your shopping for the s7 did you ever consider the radiance....and what all did you try out....i only ask ask because i love to hear user feedback on any vacuum....thank you for your time venson.

turtle

retardturtle1 wrote:

Hi turtle,

Well, if you check yours out you should see more metal in stategic places.  Here's a link to its page at the Riccar site.  http://www.riccar.com/products/uprights/?prod=RAD

Click on the "Features" link.

In answer to your question, the two main reasons for the Miele S7 purchase was one, to expand my personal knowledge and two, to have it around a while to see what it was like to work with day to day.  I really didn't think you could say much about it without trying it. 

It wan't so much about going out looking to see what was available.  I seldom go shopping online or brick-and-mortar establishments without already having researched the thing I want.  By the time you see me in a store it's more a matter of me looking for what I want at a price I want to pay. 

Miele of course, had been selling uprights all along but for once here was one that wasn't outsourced from Panasonic or elsewhere and was also somewhat different from others of its kind.  Yet, I already had bought the Capricorn canister and needed one more vacuum cleaner like a hole in the head. But -- it just so happened I had a little mad money AND no one to stop me.  I'm glad.  However, being perfectly honest, I would not have bought the S7 unless there'd been a really good price on it.  I got my Tango model at a very, very nice price

I'd seen the Radiance well before this.  Elegant by way of overall style, I loved the look of the brushroll and its "Tandem Air" system was a nice notion I thought.  Then again the direct air part of the deal did not enthuse me much.  All I could think of was the clatter and clang of overlooked coins, paper clips or whatever when they hit the fan.  I hate that.  Pricewise, per Riccar's website,  the Radiance lists at 1,100 bucks and the new Radiance Premium at around I,500.

As for endurance comparisons, re Sebo, Riccar and Miele, I can't say.  I have owned vacuums old and new but tried to take care of them.  The biggest problem for a good vacuum is its owner.  The person who changes the bag or empties the collection bin and also replaces or cleans filters in timely fashion will probably get far more mileage out of the same machine someone else can kill in five years or less. 

Venson

Ive had two repairs on my old Sebo X1 Automatic - the lifetime belt eventually snapped (the previous owner, my Uncle seriously abused this vac) after 13 years and it lasted 2 years more before we sold it on. 15 years isn't bad going; our old Hoover Junior lasted 13 years before that with constant repairs and more money spent on it to the value of the Sebo which had been brought brand new. Having only owned Miele cylinders for the best part of 8 years now, I'd say Sebo and Miele are both considerably longer lasting. However the S7 isn't as easy to break down like the Sebo X models are when it all goes wrong.

vacmanuk wrote:

I only recall one American vacuum series by Shetland-Lewyt that put out a line of canisters back in the day that were "modular" in nature allowing easy removal of motors, etc., for alledgedly easy customer self-maintenance.  The idea being, should a motor fail or some other part of the machine suffer damage, you could simply pop it out or off and replace it with a new one yourself.  Great idea but the series did not last long on the market.  Why, I don't know.

Nilfisk, in my opinion, so far makes some of  the easiest to self-service canisters  though ordering and replacing an entire motor unit is one thing.  Changing motor brushes is more radical, less expensive but best handled by a competent service person.

The S7 has those special screws that require a specific tool to undo them.  My curiosity, for once, is not that great I find.

Venson

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