Miele Compact C1 Pure Suction Canister Vacuum In White

Established in 1899, Miele has had well over 100 years to develop and innovate products that take care of your home. This German manufacturer has been rated as one of the best home appliances by consumers from 2006. When it comes to floor care products, the company has embodied first-class product quality thanks to its German engineering and elegant design.

Miele’s vacuum product line is not as diverse as some of the others on the market. However, they provide customers with the best machines that have stood the test of time. The brand stands for excellent performance and lowest possible energy consumption thanks to a wealth of innovative features.

Perhaps Miele's loyal customers all know that the company has numerous branches for leading product tests worldwide to ensure their product quality. So if you choose a vacuum from Miele, you’re bound to select high quality, convenience, durability, design, and environmental friendliness.

But what is the top-rated vacuum cleaner from Miele? While this question is rational for first-time buyers, the machine with the highest ranking is not necessarily the most suitable option for your family. Given this, knowing your specific needs and your budget will help to narrow down your choice.

If the types of floors in your home are a mix of rugs, carpets and hardwood, and you’re keen on a machine with excellent versatility to work well on multiple floors, look no further. Miele C1 Compact is your machine! Read on as we explore more.

Miele C1 Compact Via: Amazon

What is the Miele Compact C1 powerline?

If you come across the product name: ”Miele Compact C1 powerline”, you should know that it refers to three new models in the C1 product line of this German manufacture: Pure Suction, Turbo Team, and Home Care. All of these models come with streamlined functions that are easy to choose, yet perform exceptionally well.

Our Miele Compact C1 Review will focus on the first one only, which is the Pure Suction. So while searching online or shopping in a brick and mortar store, Miele Compact C1 white, Miele Compact Pure Suction, or Miele Compact C1 pure suction vacuum in white might show up. Don’t get confused as these names are used interchangeably. These are just different names for the same product that we’ll review in this article, and they can be used interchangeably.

Miele Compact C1 Review - Pros and cons

There is a common myth that canister vacuums are heavy and bulky, and this is probably one of the biggest reasons customers tend to choose an upright instead. We believe we should investigate this information about canister vacuums and see whether it's true.

While most upright vacuums weigh between 12 to 18 pounds, canister vacuums’ weight varies widely. Some lightweight models weigh around 8 to 10 pounds, others have a medium weight of 12 to 16 pounds. There’re models with unique features that weigh as much as 18 to 20 pounds.

If you need a canister's suction strength, but you’re reluctant to choose one because of its weight, think again! Not all canisters are bulky, and Miele C1 Compact is one of those.

All machines, even the highest-ranking ones, have their strengths and weaknesses. So what are C1’s pros and cons?

Pros 

• • Lightweight and quiet

• • Powerful for its size

• • German engineered

• • Rubber wheels

• • Six cleaning modes

• • Self-sealing bags

• • Retractable cord

• • Stainless steel wands

• • 29.5-foot reach

• • 360-degree wheels

• • Air clean filter

• • Has a “bag full” indicator

• • Has an automatic safety shut off

• • Seven years warranty for the motor

• • One year warranty for parts and labor

Cons

• • Replaceable bags are costly

• • No HEPA filter

• • Has limited performance on deep-pile carpet

• • Can struggle to pick up lots of pet hair

• • Lack of a motorized brush roll

Miele Compact C1 Review 

Dimension, weight, and cleaning reach

This Miele pure suction canister vacuum’s dimension is 16.9 x 9.8 x 9.1 inches, and it comes at 14.8 pounds. So the Miele C1 Compact is not a small unit, but it’s not too heavy to lug around nor too big to store if storage space is your concern. Also, its low profile designs let you clean under furniture easily.

Even though there are a few concerns about its short cable, we do not think it’s a big problem as it can be extended by combining with the hose and the cleaning wand. The hose is 5.5 feet long, and you can connect it with an 18 feet retractable cord and the wand to have a cleaning radius of 29.5 feet, which is pretty much what most standard homeowners would need.

Suction and cleaning power

When shopping for a vacuum, there are several determining factors that shoppers usually take into account such as price range, electric consumption, performance, durability, and versatility. The suction strength, measured in watts, is probably the most critical indicator of vacuum performance.

The motor takes electrical power from the power sources and converts it into mechanical energy. Given this, we would recommend users always look at the specifications of your vacuum’s motor before making the purchase decision.

We all want to have an efficient vacuum that picks up dirt and debris right on the first pass. The Miele C1 Compact is such a machine as it has a robust and high-performing Vortex motor that produces 1200W of power, which is the required suction strength that most owners of medium-sized houses need.

Dust capacity

C1 has a dust bag of 0.92 gallons (~3.5 liters), which allows you to vacuum several times without worrying about emptying it. All three models of the Miele Compact C1 powerline are bagged canister vacuums, which means users will need to replace the bags periodically to ensure their machines' optimal performance.

Design and Ease of Use

Even though the C1 is not a small machine, it has a compact and sleek design with an easy-grip handle on top of the unit. So carrying it around the house is not a challenge, even for small children or elderly users. The motor speed control knob is located right below the hose, making it convenient to use.

The power and retractable cord buttons are large enough for foot control. This feature is a plus point for those with back problems, as they do not have to bend over to operate the machine. It’s a breeze to switch it on or off to adjust the suction level or rewind the cord. Alternatively, you can also depress these switches by hand if you wish to.

The dust can hold almost one gallon of dirt, which means you can enjoy at least several uninterrupted vacuuming if your house is not too large. The enormous dust capacity combined with an automatic alert relieves you from the burden of checking it manually. You’ll get alerted when it’s time for a replacement.

One of the most prominent benefits of canister vacuums is its versatility. The Miele C1 Compact works flawlessly on multiple surfaces. The machine’s six cleaning modes are indicated on the control knob dial by images. You simply need to rotate the knob to your desired mode according to the shown picture.

But what are these modes? They are well-designed to meet most users' cleaning needs in a standard home: energy-saving or low-noise, curtains and delicate fabrics, upholstery, hard floors, low-pile carpet, high-pile carpet, and area rugs.

C1’s control knob dial Via: Amazon

Maneuverability is another essential factor that all vacuum users need. The Miele pure suction canister vacuum is easy to maneuver thanks to stable 3-wheel construction and perfectly aligned parts for improved stability. Its rubber wheels with 360 degrees of rotation let you roll effortlessly through various floors, from tile to laminate, from area rugs to carpets.

The Vacuums’ noise level is also a detail that homeowners care about, especially those with newborns. Despite the high powered motor, C1 runs quieter than most others. Are you wondering how Miele engineers such a powerful machine with low noise?

C1’s construction features well-placed insulation that absorbs produced sound by the motor. Besides this, the tight seal of the vacuum’s housing also minimizes sounds from escaping. More importantly, the C1 has a “silent mode” that allows you to vacuum near a sleeping baby.

Filtration system 

The Miele Compact C1 pure suction vacuum in white, together with its two siblings, Turbo Team and Home Care, all feature the AirClean filtration system. The design of this system includes four air clean dust bags and two filters. This feature makes the Miele C1 Compact stand out from other competitors on the market, and we’ll go into its details right below to explain why.

• • Dust bag: uses an electrostatic charge to attract the tiny dust particles and dirt, improving the unit’s filtration efficiency. Besides, it also features an automatic seal, ensuring trapped dust and other allergens do not get back into your house's space while disposing of.

• • Pre-motor filter: this square-shaped filter is located in a little cage behind the vacuum. It works as a protection layer to ensure the collected dust and debris do not reach the engine to avoid damage. The result is an efficient, long-lasting, high-performing motor free from the accumulated dust and debris.

• • Post-motor filter: this rectangular-shaped filter is also called the exhaust filter. It prevents the fine particles of air that passed through the vacuum from getting back into your house's space.

Miele pure suction canister vacuum does not have a HEPA (High-efficiency particulate air) filter. So if you suffer from respiratory-related diseases such as asthma, COPD, Emphysema, Pneumonia, Pleural Effusion, or the likes, and your doctors suggest that you should purchase a vacuum with a HEPA filter, then C1 is probably not an ideal choice.

However, the manufacturer claims that the Miele C1 Compact has a three-layered filter, and this system can trap up to 99% of particles as small as 0.5 microns in size. Now you’re probably asking what this claim means. It merely means the C1’s filtration is almost the same as a HEPA filter. So it’s still an excellent option for those in need of an equivalent to a HEPA filter.

Performance

Does your house have a combination of carpeted and hard floors? Do you have flights of stairs to clean up regularly? Do you need a machine with a manageable weight to allow you to carry it around the house without sweating afterward?

If yes, you will need a machine that quickly switches between various floor types and efficiently picks up various dirt and debris on different floor types. Miele C1 Compact was perfectly designed for houses like yours.

Its universal floorhead is ideal for both hard floors and low-pile carpet. The machine transitions across the varied terrain of your home, from timber to tiled floors, with just a click of a footswitch, the unit's metal soleplate ensures easy gliding across surfaces. At the same time, its rubber wheels prevent scratches on hard floors.

We’ll now review its capabilities on hard, carpeted surfaces and pet hair.

Hard surfaces

Miele pure suction canister vacuum excels in its performance on hard floors. It picked up flour, rice, cereal, and crumbs effortlessly in our tests.

We have a three-year-old daughter who loves to play with her pencils and stickers on our timber floor in the living room. So messes are inevitable. We’ve been setting up certain boundaries to keep our house tidy, but we assume it will require some patience and lots of time as she’s still learning how to keep her toys in place.

Thanks to the versatile and powerful C1, keeping our house in good condition has become more manageable recently. The machine has six cleaning modes, so it lets us move conveniently between multiple surfaces. With only two passes, the device collected all sorts of dirt and debris without leaving any scratches.

Carpeted surfaces

The Miele C1 Compact picks up all kinds of dirt and debris on low to medium-pile carpets. However, it takes three passes to clear up dust, compared to only one or two passes on hard floors.

In our test with high-pile carpets and area rugs, the machine showed some struggles picking up crumbs and pet hair. However, it still managed to perform after several passes if we used the right cleaning mode. So it takes a little more patience on thick carpets or areas of high-traffic.

   ➜ RELATED: How To Clean A Carpet - Top 9 Cleaning Carpet Tips

Pet hair

The C1 Miele collected 90% of pet hair on low-pile and medium-pile carpets in our test. Also, it showed no signs of struggle when picking up hair on our sofa and chairs.

We have two German Shepherds’, which is the dog breed that sheds hair whenever they sit. If you also have dogs, you know how challenging it can be to keep the house clean while still wanting to have the company of these lovely four-legged friends.

When choosing a vacuum, we were surrounded by many options, which all seemed excellent. So we grappled with these choices and have to identify our needs carefully. We knew that we couldn’t afford one vacuum to tackle pet hair and another one to clean carpeted floors. We needed a compact machine for multiple purposes.

We were glad to find Miele C1 Compact as it’s a versatile vacuum that is easy to maneuver through varied surfaces. More importantly, it allows us to keep our furry friends in the house without thinking of leaving them outside, especially during the cold days of the winter.

Accessories

The Miele Compact C1 pure suction vacuum in white comes with three standard tools: a dusting brush, an upholstery tool, and a crevice nozzle. Users can attach these tools on the vacuum hose thanks to the VarioClip. Since the machine does not include onboard storage space, this clip allows the tools to be handy. Also, it can help you to avoid them from getting lost or mislaid.

C1’s VarioClip Via: Amazon

• • Dusting brush: is a round tool with soft bristles. It’s designed to help whisk windowsills, lampshades, blinds, bookcases, and the likes. Since the Miele C1 Compact has a cleaning mode for curtains and delicate fabrics, you can use it to vacuum small ornaments or decoration items in the house, such as the knick-knacks or framed arts.

• • Upholstery tool is a broad tool with a fabric strip at one end to coax dust from sofas, chairs, cushions, and other leather surfaces. It perfectly sucked up pet hair on our sofas.

• • Crevice nozzle: is thin and angled. It’s an irreplaceable tool to get in tight and awkward spots such as along baseboards, around radiators or vents, between sofa cushions, ceiling fans, and hard to reach shelving. You can also use it de-lint the inside parts of your hairdryer or clean the fridge coils.

These three tools can be attached to the end of the hose and the stainless 18-feet wand to extend your device's reach. Both the hose and the wand are non-electric, so they can’t power an electric or floor-head.

Special features that can be upgraded

Miele made three models in the Miele Compact C1 powerline compatible enough for upgrades. If you are susceptible to allergies, perhaps you’ll insist on having a HEPA filter for your vacuums. You can always change from the AirClean filter to a HEPA one, if you want to.

To ensure usability, you can also upgrade from a standard handle to an SGC 20 Ergonomic handle with LED, which is a thinner handle, suiting people with smaller hands. Also, it has a comfortable grip with a slight swivel mechanism for improved maneuverability.

Miele Classic C1 and Miele C1 Compact companion chart

The Miele Classic C1 and the Miele C1 Compact look very similar to each other. They also share some common similarities in terms of functions and design. But which one is more suitable to your needs? Our companion chart will help you to decide.

Maintenance

Maintaining the Miele C1 Compact is pretty straightforward as the machine is well-made. Two key components that need regular maintenance are the bags and the filters. Therefore, we’ll take you through brief guidelines on how to maintain them.

Vacuum Bags

The first rule is not to overfill your vacuum bags. Even though this is obvious, we’re surprised to learn how many people make this mistake. There is a little indicator in front of the unit that turns to orange color to alert you when the bag is full. The machine can tell how stressed the vacuum bag is by calculating the airflow coming through.

An overfilled bag will affect the device’s performance, stress out the motor. Whenever your vacuum can’t pull the air freely, the engine will overheat and eventually lead to long-term damage. Even worse, an overly filled bag can also cause clogging on the hose as the collected dirt and debris vacuum have nowhere to go.

The second point is to know when the bag is full. Aside from the sensor on the top of the unit, you can also tell that the bag is full if it feels firm when you poke it. Miele recommends replacing a new one every two to three months, or when the bag is 75% full.

The bag has a top collar with a little handle, and there are arrows to indicate the directions that you need to slide the bags in. So simply grab that handle to slide in and out when you need to replace the bag.

There will be a click sound when you push it back in firmly. One important note that we want to highlight here is not discarding the bag holder, as it’s not part of the bag. So keep it where it is whenever you need a bag replacement.

Vacuum Filters

The Miele C1 Compact’s two filters are well-made with high-quality fabrics. You’ll immediately feel that they’re durable right from the first time you hold them in your hands. They’re thick and made from nine layers of carefully selected fiber.

Changing your filter is crucial to your families’ health and the longevity of your vacuum. Miele recommends that users change it once a year, but you might need to replace it more often depending on your vacuuming frequency.

We usually mark the day to change our vacuum’s filter on our calendar to make sure that we do not forget it. When the filter indication strip changes to red, it means the time to change the filter has passed. We would recommend changing the filter before the indicator turns red.

The square filter is the premotor one that goes inside the canister. You only need to let the unit lie down on the table or the floor. Now, simply open the front door, lift the cover of this filter, and replace the new one in. The post-motor filter is located right below the front door, so just follow the same steps you do to the pre-motor filter to replace this post-motor one.

Alternatives 

#1- The Miele C2 Compact vacuum cleaner - A somewhat similar machine with a greater cleaning radius

So you need a vacuum with the performance and usability like the C1, but their limited capabilities on carpet leave you cold since 70% of your house floor is carpeted. If this sounds like your situation, the Miele C2 vacuum cleaner is very likely the right choice for your needs. It comes with an Electro Plus floorhead that works excellent on multiple carpets, even the high-pile ones.

  C2 Compact Via: Amazon

Also, its cleaning radius is 33 feet, which is 4-feet wider than the C1, allowing you to clean your house faster. Other than that, the C2’s dust bag capacity and accessories are identical to those of the C1.

#2- Miele C3 Complete Marin canister vacuum cleaner - The most powerful canister vacuum from Miele 

With a cleaning radius of 36 feet and a SEB236 Electro Premium brush with LED, Miele C3 Complete is the most robust canister machine of this German manufacturer. Homeowners who have asthma or those susceptible to pollens and allergens will find C3 a perfect choice as it’s installed with a HEPA filter. 

C3 Complete Via: Amazon

The C3 Marin also includes the Parquet Twister that provides 180-degree rotation to take care of your house's most delicate surfaces gently. Plus, C3 also has automatic sensing and adjustment. The C3 also offers its users excellent suction adjustment and smooth transition from one floor type to another like its other siblings.

#3- Miele Complete C3 Cat and dog - An ideal choice for homes with pets

If you are a big fan of Miele’s German engineering technology and interested in a model designated as a pet vacuum, then Miele Complete C3 Cat and dog is the right choice. It works on all floor types, thanks to several pet tools. One of those is the Parquet Swivel floor tool for hardwood floors.

C3 Complete Cat and Dog Via: Amazon

It also has a foot control lever to switch between brush head heights and power levels. However, it does not include the automatic adjusting of the C3 Marin. Instead of a HEPA filter, the C3 Complete Cat and Dog is equipped with the active carbon filter that neutralizes pet odors. Last but not least, its mini tool brush is uniquely designed to pick up pet hair on furniture.

Conclusion 

Which Miele vacuum to buy? While this question is common, there is not a one-size-fits-all answer for it. Customers’ needs and budgets vary, so choosing which model to buy is a matter of personal preference. However, if you need a well-rounded canister that works effectively on multiple floor types of a standard home or apartment, the Miele C1 Compact is your machine.

The device’s six cleaning modes give you the versatility to clean varied terrain of your space, while its three tools help tackle all sorts of cleaning tasks with little effort. C1’s cleaning radius of 29.5 feet gives you the reach you need if you’re not living in a large house. Miele C1 Compact is undoubtedly a not-to-be-missed vacuum!