I was in bad need of a new vacuum cleaner, which I could not immediately afford. So I posted on Facebook, offering to write anyone a 3-minute encore in exchange for a new vacuum cleaner. A crazy idea, I realize. But I'm a clean-freak and will go to great lengths in pursuit of a clean house. To my amazement, I got quite a few responses, but the best one was from Mari Kimura, who knew exactly the brand and model I would like. She recommended a Miele, which is a fantastic line of German- made appli...