Don't dismiss this nostalgic vacuum - it makes me regret going cordless

Famously known as the best vacuum for pet hair, the Miele Guard L1 Cylinder Vacuum is uniquely designed to promise power, precision, and performance that's second to none. People say it's one in a miele-ion, but is that true?

You’ll often hear Miele mentioned as the third party in the Dyson-Shark-Miele holy trinity of vacuum giants. Decidedly retro, their canister vacuum strikes a bold contrast in comparison to the svelte stick vacuums which have made up lists of the best vacuums. It's the vacuum equivalent of choosing a raincoat over a puffer jacket when you go outside: it's practical and it has stood the test of time, even if it's not wheeling its way down the catwalk any time soon.

I'd almost forgotten about plug-in canister vacuums, wrapped up in a whirlwind of cordless, AI, robot vacuums, but the Miele L1 has changed my mind. I think they have good reason for sticking to their old-school guns. So, should you consider converting to a canister vacuum?

Miele Guard L1 Cylinder Vacuum review

Who would Miele Guard L1 Cylinder Vacuum suit?

Miele has two fiercely loyal fan clubs: allergy sufferers and pet owners. Let’s start with the sneeze-prone crowd. Inside the Miele Guard L1 Cylinder Vacuum sits an advanced filtration system featuring HyClean Air vacuum bags and an Active AirClean exhaust filter. Together, they deliver an impressive 99.99% dust retention (outclassing even HEPA filters) which means dust, dirt, and dander stay firmly locked away, not floating around to ruin your day.

Then there are the pet parents. And honestly, they might love this vacuum the most. The Miele’s exceptional suction power makes it a standout for lifting those fine, clingy pet hairs that weave themselves into every fibre you own. Pair that with a clever upholstery tool designed to dig hair out of sofas, nooks, and crannies, and suddenly cleaning up after your four-legged housemates feels less like a battle. There’s even an activated charcoal filter to deodorise the air as it passes through, keeping the vacuum (and your home) smelling fresh.

It’s also surprisingly gentle to use. If bending or joint pain is an issue, you’ll appreciate the easy foot controls and multiple places to rest the vacuum head mid-clean. It glides effortlessly across the floor too, earning its place as one of the most lightweight vacuums in the line-up.

Yes, the Miele Guard L1 has a charmingly retro look and yes, it’s a plug-in vacuum in a cordless world, but that’s precisely why it excels. While stick vacuums prioritise convenience and quick clean-ups, the Miele is built for homes that need uncompromising power: deep carpet cleaning, pet hair extraction, and the kind of suction that doesn’t fade halfway through a room. For anyone who’s ever felt underwhelmed by their cordless model (or watched it wheeze through a heavy mess), this throwback design suddenly feels very modern. It’s proof that sometimes, being tethered to the wall is exactly what gives you the freedom to clean properly.

Unboxing the Miele Guard L1 Cylinder Vacuum

The Miele arrives in a big, weighty box: no surprises there, given it’s a big, weighty vacuum. Inside, there are a few non-recyclable bits, but overall it’s neatly packed and refreshingly simple to assemble.

One immediate win is the accessory storage. Despite coming with a generous bundle of add-ons, everything has its place, meaning no rogue attachments rolling around your cupboards.

In the image above, you can see the two floorheads: one for all surfaces and another purpose-built for carpets and pet hair. There’s also a clever 2-in-1 upholstery and crevice tool tucked neatly inside the canister. It’s all very organised, in that satisfying, Miele-esque way.

Getting it set up is delightfully straightforward. Just attach the hose, click on the handle, extend the wand, and pop on the floorhead, the usual canister routine. Even if you’re a reluctant reader of instruction manuals, you’ll have it ready to go in under ten minutes.

And because there’s no battery to charge and Miele thoughtfully pre-installs the filter and bag, you can start vacuuming immediately. A small but mighty joy.

What is the Miele Guard L1 Cylinder Vacuum like to use?

The control panel on top of the Miele Guard L1 Cylinder Vacuum gives you four intuitive icons, each representing a suction level tailored to specific surfaces. At the gentlest setting, you’ll find the curtain symbol, perfect for delicate fabrics and anything that flutters at the slightest breeze. Next comes the sofa icon, ideal for upholstery, cushions, and the odd dog bed. Step up again and you reach the rug symbol, designed for cut-pile carpets, runners, and textured floor coverings. At the top of the scale sits the flooring icon, engineered for hard floors and more deeply soiled carpets that require some serious muscle.

You can tap the buttons by hand or by foot, they’re generously sized and satisfyingly robust, so no feeling like you're about to crack them with a well-aimed toe tap. The same goes for the automatic cord rewind: one quick press and the cable zips neatly back into place.

There’s also a sturdy loop handle on top, making it easy to carry, drag, or gently tow the vacuum behind you as it glides from room to room. It has that smooth, premium pull that makes you feel as though the vacuum is doing the hard work, not you.

Performance-wise, the Miele Guard L1 packs serious power. In fact, its airflow speed is around 10mph faster than some of Dyson’s priciest models, which explains why it lifts dirt from thick carpets with such effortless confidence. But impressive specs are one thing. How does it handle real-world mess?

My first standard test involves scattering 100g of flour and sugar, a fine dusting that mimics everyday grit, across hard floors, lino, and carpet. The Miele breezed through all three surfaces, picking everything up in a single pass. That level of consistency is rare, and the results were honestly a little thrilling (or as thrilling as vacuuming gets).

Next up: cereal. A tougher challenge for any vacuum, given that large, rigid pieces tend to get pushed around rather than swallowed up. As expected, the Miele’s floorhead nudged the cereal about a bit. However, the moment I removed the floorhead and relied on raw suction, the vacuum inhaled the lot without hesitation. It’s not a flaw, very few vacuums excel with big debris, but it’s worth knowing if your mornings involve a lot of wayward cornflakes.

Hair is where the Miele really flexes its muscles. It lifts fine strands from hard floors with ease, and even on carpets, where hair likes to burrow, suction stayed strong. On deeper piles, the vacuum made a slightly determined whirring noise, the sound of serious work happening. It occasionally tugged at lightweight rugs, which I took as a sign of strength, not aggression.

One note: longer hair can wrap around the brush roll, so you’ll need to trim it away from time to time. A quick maintenance moment, but nothing unusual for a vacuum with this level of power.

The Miele also impressed between banisters and down the back of radiators, slipping into narrow gaps with far more grace than most canister vacuums manage. The long wand and focused suction really shine here.
However, cleaning under my kitchen island wasn’t quite as seamless. Stick vacuums with flexible, hinged wands still reign supreme for low-clearance areas, and the Miele’s more rigid setup can’t quite replicate that snaking motion.

Cleaning and maintenance of the Miele Guard L1 Cylinder Vacuum

One of the small but very welcome design touches is the way the floorhead slots neatly onto the back of the canister. If you need to pause mid-clean, whether to move a chair, answer the door, or rescue a rogue pet toy, you can prop the vacuum upright without having to bend down or let the wand clatter to the floor.

The Miele also uses bagged technology, which is a definite plus for hygiene: all the dust, dander, and debris are contained in a sealed vacuum bag, meaning you won’t get a faceful of fluff when it’s time to empty it. Even better, the HyClean bags are made from 80% recycled materials, so you get the cleanliness of a bagged vacuum with less environmental guilt.

How does the Miele Guard L1 Cylinder Vacuum compare?

Working out whether this is the vacuum for you means making two comparisons. One to a cordless, nimble vacuum and one to another plugged-in powerhouse:

The Shark PowerDetect Clean & Empty Cordless Vacuum wins on convenience and nimbleness. Cordless freedom means you can dart from room to room without plugging/unplugging, and its sleek stick-style form factor often makes it easier to reach under sofas or around tight corners. But when it comes to raw power, deep carpet suction, and allergy-friendly design, the Miele takes the crown: its bagged filtration system captures dust and dander with near-total retention, and the canister-floorhead combo delivers a strength and consistency that cordless sticks often struggle to match. If you want spotless floors and a serious clean, especially in homes with pets or sensitive to allergens, Miele’s old-school heft and filtration still hold serious appeal over Shark’s mobility.

As for the Henry Hoover: it’s a sturdy, reliable workhorse, often beloved for its rugged simplicity and longevity, but the Miele upgrades nearly every aspect. Where Henry is functional and no-frills, the Miele offers power, refined suction control, and sophisticated filtration (with bagged vacuum bags for hygienic dust containment).

Miele’s ability to easily switch suction modes and lift stubborn dirt and pet hair, even deep in carpets, gives it a performance edge over the more basic suction and filtration of a traditional Henry. If you care about deep cleaning, hair removal, or reducing allergens, Miele feels like a modern evolution of what Henry started.

Should you buy the Miele Guard L1 Cylinder Vacuum?

The Miele Guard L1 Cylinder Vacuum has me feeling both nostalgic and hopeful for the future of vacuums. Whilst everyone seems to be cutting the cord, the Miele is a testament to what going retro can do for your floors. The canister-style delivered some of the best results I've tested from all the leading brands. I'm tempted to turn back away from the clever tech and enjoy the simple success of a plug-in vacuum.

How we test vacuums

At woman&home, we have a series of standardised tests that every vacuum has to go through: from vacuuming across all floor types, with hair, cereal, flour, and sugar, through to day-to-day cleaning tasks. We also talk about what it's like to set-up, use, and maintain to give you the best, most holistic idea of what the vacuum is like to use.

If you want to find out more, you can visit our dedicated page for how we test vacuum cleaners.