Miele Vacuums with AirClean Filter-Bag™ plus Sealed System® Improve Indoor Air Quality

Princeton, NJ – April 24, 2012 – Miele, one of the world’s most innovative appliance companies, continues to deliver on its promise of Better Living by offering the most effective vacuum system on the market today.  The Miele patented AirClean Filter-Bag™ plus Sealed System® ensures improved indoor air quality, making homes healthier and cleaner. Tested by an independent laboratory* the proprietary cleaning system captures and retains over 99.9% of harmful pollutants – an average of 21 times more than popular HEPA-filtered bag-less machines. On average, the leading bagless HEPA-filtered vacuum emitted over 175,900 lung-damaging particles per minute during comparative testing. 

“Bagless vacuums equipped with only a HEPA filter, and not Sealed System® technology, do not effectively prevent particle emissions during vacuuming,” said Nadine Hanselmann, Marketing Manager for Miele.  “Additionally, harmful, toxic matter is released into the air when bagless vacuums are emptied into the trash, creating noxious air indoors.”

Indoor Air Pollutants Contribute Significantly to Individual Total Pollutant ExposureAccording to the Sierra Club and the Environmental Protection Agency, “exposure to indoor air pollutants (such as carcinogens, combustion products, irritants, and environmental tobacco smoke, or ETS), contributes significantly to an individual's total pollutant exposure and is a major source of health problems and preventable deaths.”  Most Americans spend 90% of their lives indoors.  The EPA data suggests that pollutant levels are two to five times greater than outdoor air.  Vacuum cleaners have been identified as contributing polluters.

When using any vacuum without a Sealed System or one without a proper filtration system, carbon is emitted from the machine. This fine particulate matter, invisible to the naked eye, is left suspended in the air we breathe. Particles measuring 0.3-0.5 microns have a greater likelihood of being inhaled into the lungs, where they are absorbed into the bloodstream or remain embedded in lung tissue. While your floor may appear cleaner, the air you take in may not be.

Miele AirClean Filter-Bag™ AdvantagesA common misconception is that bagless vacuums are more environmentally-friendly than those requiring bags.  Given the data, bagless vacuums significantly contribute to infusing the air with harmful particles, suggesting it is not at all hygienic to employ these machines.  Additionally, many bagless machines require more frequent emptying than those with bags, further contributing to poor indoor air quality. 

Miele AirClean Filter-Bags™ are made of a durable, nine-layer electro-static fiber which grabs fine particles that can leak through lesser quality bags.  An Auto-Sealed™ collar, which fits snugly around the bag, is made of durable plastic that snaps shut when the bag is removed, eliminating the possibility of dust escaping, thus the Miele Sealed System®.  Some are concerned about the impact of vacuum cleaner bags on the environment.  Given the potential health risks associated with bagless vacuums it would appear the trade off is a worthy one.  To prevent illness and the spread of unhealthy debris, it is critical to employ protective bags with a Miele AirClean™ Sealed System®. “Use of a well-engineered vacuum, which precludes harmful particles from launching into the air, is a matter of health and hygiene,” said Susan Goldsmith, Managing Director of IBR. To learn more about fighting indoor air pollutants, visit www.airtruth.com.

*IBR (Interbasic Resources), a nationally recognized independent testing laboratory conducted an ASTM emissions test comparing five leading HEPA-filtered brands including Dyson®, Miele®, SEBO®, Riccar® and Simplicity®.  The test placed a device on vacuum vents to measure dust particles emitted from each machine while ingesting ASTM specified material that mocks typical household dirt, dust, and allergens.

About MieleFounded in Germany in 1899 with a single promise of Immer Besser a phrase meaning Forever Better, Miele has dynamically grown to become the world’s largest family-owned and operated appliance company with more than 16,600 employees, 12 production facilities and representation in nearly 100 countries. As a premium appliance brand represented on all continents, Miele is steadfastly committed to the highest quality, performance and environmental standards.  Miele’s range of exceptional consumer appliances includes: vacuum cleaners; laundry systems; rotary irons; dishwashers; built-in convection, speed and steam ovens; cooktops; ventilation hoods; refrigeration; wine storage and espresso/coffee systems. Additionally, Miele Professional (the commercial product division) offers dishwashers, washing machines, tumble dryers and rotary irons for commercial use as well as washer-disinfectors for medical, dental and laboratory applications. To enhance your experience and learn more about Miele, visit www.mieleusa.com, find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/mieleus, watch us on www.youtube.com/mieleus and follow us on Twitter @MieleUSA.

Shop online at www.vacshack.com In the Oklahoma City area shop www.acleanerplace.com

Garbage in Garbage out: Our Disposable Society

Guest Post from my husband, Stephen Fuhrman:

Garbage in Garbage out

In the late 80s my grandfather passed away.  My Dad moved all of Grandpa’s stuff to his shop and tried his best to pass it out to family members.  Nobody wanted it.  At that time I was all but broke so I dug through it and found a bunch of old tools and household goods that I was allowed to take home with me.  Items like a carpenter’s square, electric drill, hand wrenches, electric skillet, and aluminum cake pan, etc.  To this day I still use most of these items.  A few have worn out completely and had to be replaced.  My point is, these are items that sooner or later I would have purchased in order to cook, fix or whatever throughout the last 25 years.

My wonderful frugal wife that I married just 6 years ago brags almost daily about her 25 year old kitchen center, her 20 year old pots and pan set, and her 25 year old electric skillet.  Sure there are many new versions of these items on the market just begging her to buy but why?

I am talking about all this because of how disposable our society has gotten.  Just today in my little vacuum store, I had a customer come in with vacuums that were 3 years old and a 1.5 years old.  They were no longer working right and making squeaking noises.  As we talked to her, she made it clear that she loves her vacuums.  If we were to total up the amount of money she spent it would be between $800 and $900 just 1 to 3 years ago.  As we prepared a quote, she spoke up and said if it cost too much that she would just buy new ones.  “WOW”  was my thought.  In three years you are willing to pay another $850 for new items to replace the old machines that have stopped performing for you in that short amount of time.  Of course, we convinced her, that spending $100 on repairs was much better than filling the landfills and spending another $850 on new vacuums which will inherently have the same problem in a couple of years.

This got me thinking…  What is wrong with us Americans?  Why do we complain about money and the economy while wasting so much money on garbage products?  Once we do find that we made a bad investment, why do we insist on doing it all over again?  I’m not sure I have the answer, but I do have some thoughts.

Are we lazy?   A couple of weeks ago I replaced an old floor in my wife’s office with laminate flooring.  Even though I have lots of power tools and what I refer to as garage toys, I do not have a table saw or a compound miter saw to easily cut the boards perfectly.  I was about to go to Home Depot and buy one for $300 until I remembered that,  back in the late 80s, I built furniture without these tools and it all turned out nice.  I figured if I could do it then, I can do it now.  So I saved myself 300 bucks and used squares, straight-edges, and a good old fashioned circular saw to make all my cuts.

The woman that was in my store seemed like a quite mechanical and intelligent woman. She could see that paying $100 and waiting for a day was a better deal than paying $850 and getting instant gratification.  But we had to do some convincing.  Was she mentally lazy, or just swayed by the “go out and buy a newer, better one” mentality?   Why was it that it took convincing that repairing the old, saving money and landfills was a better deal?  I could make a pretty good living if I could save or collect $750 everyday.

To get back to my main thought of garbage.  OK let’s say these machines were garbage and needed to be dumped.  Why would anyone replace a 3 year old relatively expensive item with a duplicate?  Why would anyone think that you need to replace appliances every three years?  If you do your homework, buy quality products that are suitable to your needs, allow it to be demonstrated so that you use it and care for it correctly, you should never have to. 

Back to my tools, I could have gone out and bought new tools that are shinier and would have done the job easier and maybe even better, but I didn’t.  Why?  Because the old tools are not garbage, they just required me to do more brain work.

Shop online at www.vacshack.com In the Oklahoma City area shop www.acleanerplace.com