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Okay, we’ll just come right out and say it: This vacuum is expensive. It is very expensive. You could buy yourself plane tickets to a tropical destination (probably a hotel room and Pina Coladas, too), splurge on a new wardrobe, or upgrade the living room sofa with the chunk of change you’ll drop on this bad boy (currently £873.78 plus and shipping).
A Miele vacuum is an investment in every sense of the word.
However:
- If you can’t imagine your life without pets, but are frustrated at the amount of time it takes to thoroughly clean your home
- If you are looking to buy a top-of-the-line vacuum cleaner that is built to last decades, and…
- If you can afford it
The Miele C3 Cat and Dog is known as one of the best vacuums for pet hair you can buy.
We had a Rover employee and dog mom of two short-haired dogs, one long-haired dog, two long-haired cats, and a short-haired cat (whew!) put it to the ultimate test in her pet hair-filled home and car. Here’s how it stacked up.
Miele Vacuum for Cats and Dogs: Pros and Cons
It’s Powerful, but Takes Some Getting Used To
The Miele C3 comes equipped with a suite of attachments including a dusting brush, crevice tool, and upholstery tool to get various hard to reach areas, and a “turbo brush” attachment that fits on the hose and functions like a handheld vacuum.
“The adjustable power and amazing vacuum head and flexible attachments definitely make this a great purchase for homes with lots of fur,” our reviewer noted. However, for those used to bagless upright vacuums with detachable dust cups, the Miele is a canister vacuum that uses bags and might take some getting used to.
“Homes with a lot of pet hair will fill up the vacuum bag quickly, so you’re going to go through a lot of vacuum bags unless you empty them by hand and reuse them,” our reviewer said.
(Editor’s note: It’s worth noting here that while the dust bags are designed as single-use and disposable when full, they are are also designed to contain and seal-off allergens and dander, qualities our reviewer didn’t care for but ones that those with allergies and pet allergies in particular might find attractive.)
Depending on the package you buy, the unit will either come with a single bag and filter or a set of 16 of them.
It’s Quiet
“The first thing I noticed after turning on the vacuum is how quiet it is. Usually, we turn on the vacuum and the cats scatter and our chow mix gets up and slinks out of the room. The quiet hum of the Miele didn’t scare anybody, and our chow mix actually stuck around to observe. So I would say the quiet of the vacuum is also a benefit for people with skittish pets. It’s not silent by any stretch, but it’s also a lot quieter than our Dyson Animal, for example.”
Our tester’s pets were curious but not scared by the new vacuum.
The Bags Are Kind of a Pain
Our reviewer noted again and again the biggest drawback of the Miele C3 was the single-use filters and dust bags (though she said she learned to empty and reuse the dust bags).
“We have an older Dyson Animal vacuum, and two things I love about it are that we can wash and re-use the filters, and that you can dump out the canister and don’t have to buy vacuum bags. We have a high volume of fur, so we empty a lot of canisters.
“With the Miele, the bags and filters must be purchased separately and are not reusable. However, I’d prefer not to have to buy more bags or filters; it just doesn’t feel good to throw the filters or bags into the trash, environmentally and fiscally speaking.”
As for the capacity of the bags, “as far as handling a large volume of pet hair, we did not run into any tangling or clogging issues,” she said.
It’s Great for the Car
“Between our three dogs, our car is furry within a week or so of vacuuming it. The various vacuum heads did a great job of picking up all the dust and larger fluff, and then went to work removing the fur that had threaded its way into the various carpeted areas of the car. It was fantastic!”
It’s Easy to Maneuver
“Running the vacuum on hardwood floors, one of the first things you notice is how well the main head maneuvers. It turns easily and in many different directions. The little body of the unit glides easily along behind. Being used to an upright vacuum cleaner, I’d wondered if it would be annoying to drag it around while vacuuming, but I really didn’t even notice it.
“We have a lot of fur under lower furniture like our buffet, and the head of the vacuum is slightly taller than our other vacuum, which meant it was too tall to go under some furniture. Later I realized the parquet brush is meant for hardwood floors and has a lower profile. So we’ll use that in the future!”
It’s Effective on Multiple Floor Surfaces
“Sometimes vacuuming fur on wood floors results in blowing it around rather than sucking it up, but in this vacuum’s case, fine dust, fur, and general dragged-in-dog-debris all got sucked up from the hardwood floors.
“Vacuuming carpet was also great. The body of the vacuum has several buttons you can tap with your foot to change suction levels. This worked great on our living room carpet. Because you can adjust the Miele’s power levels, the vacuum head didn’t grab too much of the carpet, and was effective at removing dust and fur. And we vacuumed a sofa using the smaller upholstery attachment, which also worked wonderfully.”
It Has an Underwhelming Warranty
Though it is built to outlast cheaper models—the manufacturer claims the C3 has a 20-year life span—the Miele C3 comes with a very average 1-year warranty (though, according to the company’s website, “vacuum motors, power head motors, and the structural integrity of the vacuum cleaner casings (bodies) are warranted for seven (7) years from the date of purchase“).
You can find Miele dealerships across the nation that can help with repairs if and when they are necessary.
Miele Vacuum for Cats and Dogs: Our Verified Review
If you can live with the disposable bag and filter situation, have faith in Miele’s reputation for building products designed to last, and don’t see yourself out of gainful employment any time soon, we feel confident in recommending the Miele as one of the best vacuums for pet hair you can buy.
With an air-cleaned, sealed filtration system (though one that will be compromised if you re-use the dust bags), a host of handy attachments, strong suction, an easy-to-operate design, a sturdy vacuum head, and a six-stage motor that you can adjust with a foot pedal, the Miele is a premier option that’s capable of taking on a range of pet-specific messes under a variety of conditions.
“I love everything except the need for a vacuum bag and non-washable, reusable filter. I could really see this vacuum shining in a home with a lot of deep plus carpet. It did a great job vacuuming our hardwood floors and the two rugs we have, and was fantastic on the car’s carpet. It feels very solid, well balanced and runs nicely, leading me to think it will hold up over the years.”
Update: After using the Miele for a month, our reviewer donated her trusty Dyson to the Goodwill. She is officially hooked on the Miele. Her exact words: “We’re Miele people now.”
Shop for the Miele C3 Cat and Dog on AmazonOther Miele Vacuums to Consider
Not ready to make the commitment to such a high-end machine? There are other well-reviewed Miele vacuum cleaners available at lower prices, such as:
- Miele Classic C1 Limited Edition Canister Vacuum Cleaner
- Miele Classic C1 Turbo Team Canister Vacuum Cleaner
- Compact C1 Pure Suction Canister Vacuum Cleaner
Further Reading
Looking for other vacuum cleaner recommendations to keep up with all the pet hair and dander in your home? Read on for more related stories from the Rover archive.
