I'm a dog owner living in a house with 100-year old hardwood floors, never even wanted rugs because I am a clean fanatic and couldn't imagine keeping dog hair plus outside debris at a minimum. So, for the last several years, I have pulled a move from Howard Hughes' diary and spent one morning a week mopping my hardwood on my hands and knees with a bucket and a sponge.

Then I got a great deal on a wool rug at the Pottery Barn outlet, and decided I had to get a vacuum cleaner. I planned on spending the minimum -- after all, I just have the rug in one room -- but a few friends had had really negative experiences with stick vacuums etc. from the box stores, so I got on Amazon.com to do my own research.

Now, a month later, I am a proud Miele convert! This is an incredible lil vacuum, folks -- if I thought I was a clean freak before, well, now I'm a super-freak! Who could imagine that it would be so fun to vacuum? But it is -- I get a kick out of running the Miele over my blinds to get previously unreachable dust bunnies, and sliding it under the bed and couch is oh-so-much easier than actually moving the furniture. In the last 4 weeks, I've mopped my floors exactly once -- to clean up muddy footprints after a rain -- but I think the house is a thousand times more cleaner than it used to be.

Suck up the dog hair stuck to the never-unfolded mattress in my sleeper couch? Check!
Clean dust mites out of my cowhide and wool rugs? Check!
Clear the air conditioning vents? Check!
Suck up the tiny pellets that poured out of a stuffed monkey my dog destroyed? Double check!

My Miele is light, easy to operate, and I use the basic attachments for such previously un-fun tasks like cleaning curtains and baseboards. The HEPA filter seems to clear the air, and the dog hardly minds the noise. Now, instead of spending 3-4 hours at once cleaning the house every week, I pull out the Miele for 10-15 minutes at a time, 2-3 days a week depending on how dirty things get. Get more detail about Miele S4212 Polaris Canister Vacuum (Light Blue ).