My easy-to-maneuver and lightweight Miele C1 vacuum is perfect if you have back or arm pain – grab 20% off in the final stretch of Amazon’s Big Spring Sale

Even though I love my robot vacuums, I won’t be letting go of my Miele

Peaceful bedroom with sloped ceiling, plush cream carpets and ornate gold dressing table with three-part mirror. There is a door open and a sliver of an en suite bathroom visible
(Image credit: Future / SARAH KAYE REPRESENTATION LTD (DAVID LOVATTI))

I have two cats, a busy eight-year-old and a house full of dark gray carpets and hard floors, prone to showing daily debris. That’s why my Miele C1 vacuum has proven itself to be a hardworking asset when it comes to cleaning up.

Better yet, it’s lightweight and easy to maneuver, which given my chronic pain and limited mobility has been essential in allowing me to use it without injury.

If you’re suffering arm or back pain, I highly recommend this vacuum, and with the C1 discounted on Amazon, its Big Spring Sale, it's the perfect time to shop this appliance. Miele vacuums are usually expensive, making a 20% discount worth grabbing.

Why I love my Miele as a person in chronic pain

It can be transitioned easily between my carpets and linoleum floors, with an easy to flick toggle on the floorhead that I use my foot for, meaning no bending down or tweaking my sore back.

I also love that it has multiple suction functions on a manual toggle on the canister, including vacuuming different flooring types such as hardwood, rugs and even for vacuuming your curtains and drapes – an alternative use for your vacuum.

The three different attachments make it easy to switch between the crevice, dusting, and upholstery attachment and no excessive force is needed to get them on or off. If you suffer from wrist or arm pain and have trouble clicking attachments into place, this old-school pull-on-and-off mechanism is much easier than a button connector or release function.

Finally, if you get arm pain pulling a heavy canister vacuum around or find it hard to lift the appliance when vacuuming stairs, the Miele C1 may well be the answer. It combines powerful suction with a lightweight motor and body, meaning the canister element feels light and is easily lifted up and down the stairs. As someone who suffers from constant chronic pain and whose joints dislocate easily, I’ve never had a problem with this Miele.

It's also worth noting that I rate Miele vacuums so much, I also have a Miele C2 vacuum, available on Amazon, which is specifically designed for cat and dog hair, and works brilliantly on hard floors and low pile carpets. I keep my brilliant Miele canister vacuums on each floor of my house for ease of use but often take them up and down depending on what needs vacuuming the most.

Why choose Miele?

Cottage living room with large bright window, and layered soft furnishings including rugs over carpeted floors, long curtains and fabric throws over upholstered sofa

I use my Miele C1 and its attachments to vacuum my carpeted floors, rugs, sofas and cushions. When I lived in a home with curtains, it worked perfectly and gently on those.

(Image credit: Tori Murphy)

Miele is known worldwide for its quality, powerful vacuums, and especially their canisters for normal cleaning and for pet hair management at home. As an owner of two cats, my household relies heavily on the quality of our vacuums to clear up seasonal and regular shedding, plus any messes such as glitter and other creative debris our daughter ends up leaving behind.

Dan Fauzi, Homes & Gardens' Home Tech Editor and Consumer Expert in vacuums, pitted Miele against Dyson and found Miele came out on top for the best canister vacuums. Dan also found that if you’re on the hunt for a canister vacuum, going for Miele is the answer as ‘not only are Miele vacuums tried-and-tested for decades, but there's so much more choice available.’ They also made note of the incredible versatility Miele canister vacuums have to offer, which I can attest to as a die-hard Miele user and fan.

The C1 is the third Miele vacuum I’ve owned. The first one lasted a decade before I regrettably sold it to bring in a cheap cordless vacuum. That was the biggest vacuum cleaner mistake I ever made, as the cordless ended up in the trash within three months and actually, was heavier to hold on to and caused me arm pain, with the engine being in the section the handle is attached too, which hurt my wrist and forearm.

I therefore had to replace it with another Miele, and the C1 was the one I opted for alongside my C2 for pet hair. I have zero regrets and will always swear by Miele vacuums for lightweight and powerful cleaning. As I have multiple painful and chronic conditions, the right equipment is vital when I'm using adaptive pacing for cleaning.

As an aside, the good news is the secondhand market for Miele is alive and kicking so if you do ever decide to sell yours, it’ll be snapped up with days, if not within hours as those who want a reliable vacuum such as a Miele C1 may well be scouring resale sites for a good deal.

Luckily, right now, you can get a brand new Miele C1 on Amazon with a whopping 20% discount as part of the Amazon Big Spring Sale. Get yours while stocks – and this discounts – lasts.

Miele essentials


If your pet is shedding intensely this spring, learn why pet hair is so hard to vacuum, and the pet hair removal tools we've tried and loved.

Punteha van Terheyden
Head of Solved

Punteha was editor of Real Homes before joining Homes and Gardens as Head of Solved. Previously, she wrote and edited lifestyle and consumer pieces for the national press for 16 years, working across print and digital newspapers and magazines. She’s a Sunday Times bestselling ghostwriter, BBC Good Food columnist and founding editor of independent magazine, lacunavoices.com. Punteha loves keeping her home clean, has tested and reviewed the latest robot vacuums, enjoys cooking, DIY, and spending weekends personalizing her newly-built home, tackling everything from plumbing to tiling and weatherproofing.