In response to Chinchette's comment "My eyes hurt last time I self-cleaned clear at the other end of the house". Almost all brands of ovens have formaldehyde in the oven insulation. I asked a Miele tech person & he confirmed that all Miele ovens, including "self clean" & "perfect clean", have formaldehyde in the oven insulation. I hope they will use something healthier in the future. Currently, TMIO is the only oven brand that doesn't use formaldehyde in their oven insulation. Also, per Miele, they are not going to make "Perfect Clean" ovens anymore. All new ovens will only have "Self Clean". Personally, we are still going to purchase Miele ovens anyway. They have a good reputation for excellent build quality & outstanding customer service. I only wish Miele made full extension glide racks! Dacor sells them as an optional accessory for $200. I'm sure Miele oven owners would buy them if Miele would make them. Thanks to everyone for all the great information! We always learn so much from the appliance, kitchen, laundry, & bath forums.

I remember reading that...but it's still just as funny.... I am completely surprised that I didn't find a post from me on there...My DH has done a few things during our 42 years that I tell on him every now and then. patti

I cant directly address the Miele program for kitchen which sounds like a lot of unnecessary processes. If your Miele is using strictly a cold fill then heating, your getting a profile wash. We all know that and thats particularly effective on stains. For Heavily soiled kitchen towels,table clothes, napkins, etc. the prewash or flush should be cold with no detergent. Follow that with a cold fill profile wash with a temperature of 140-160F, a bleach, and triple rinsed. The detergent is just as important as the temperature. High Alkaline products clean best on these kinds of loads. In my house we use linen naps as daily drivers. I also use Sears Ultra plus, cut with STPP and Borax and a smidge of liquid detergent in the main wash at 157-160F. A 4 minute LCB bath if white, and 3 rinses. if colored, oxiclean or Tide w Bleach in place of the liquid detergent. I also used a touch of downey free abd clear in the last rinse as a fabric conditioner. Never a problem with odor, just immaculate soft stain free linen. We do a lot of heavy cooking, so there are variety of heavy duty soils. I rarely have a piece that would be deemed a rewash. If using the Miele program, first prewash cold, second warm 45C with detergent, perhaps a Tide Pod pack, followed by Main wash at 160F or hotter, then rinsing.Either high temp or bleach for disinfection when dealing with table linen, kitchen towels or slop cloths.The latest trend in resturant linen is NSF certified processed table linen. Establisments are then credentialed for there use.

Hi Mama! All is well - a little over 3 weeks to go, and definitely ready. I've had a very happy and uneventful pregnancy thus far, but definitely starting to slow down and get a little uncomfortable at this point! And I think it's pretty normal to not know much about bed bugs until you are faced with them. Trust me, I also thought they were something that only happens in slums to people who live in filth! And then we got them from our upstairs neighbors - he is a dentist and she is a professor, so as educated, well-off and white collar of a couple as can be. But their son came back from college in NYC and brought the bugs back in his belongings. They then made the worst mistake one can possibly make: went to Home Depot and bought a "fogger". This device does nothing to eradicate the existing bugs, but does send them scattering to all your neighbors... And then a year later we got them again, this time from the neighbors downstairs who, due to age, did not realize that they got infested (at the time we thought it was only our two units) and let the bugs get way out of hand to the point of coming up two stories again. That's probably way more than anyone ever wanted to know about our bed bug experiences, but figured I'd give some background: we've been through this more than once, have worked with a fantastic and very helpful pest control company and I've done so much research that my husband jokes I should just open my own bed bug eradication service to not let it all go to waste. Here's the thing: bed bugs are a nuisance, but they are definitely not Ebola. Let me calm some of your fears: There is definitely a resurgence of them in our country, and anyone who travels should take reasonable precautions when staying at hotels: keep your suitcase on those folding racks, don't put belongings on the bed, and launder everything shortly after coming home. I personally know the signs to look for, so I will do a quick inspection of the bed frame when we check in, but for most people that's probably not necessary. The whole house will need to be treated only if the infestation gets out of control. In our case both times the only things that needed to be treated were the bed and end tables and mattress (thorough steaming) and all the bed linens/covers/mattress pads were washed and dried after each treatment. So as long as you are vigilant and catch the first signs vs waiting a year to call the exterminators, it will likely be a relatively simple and inexpensive treatment. Signs to look out for: dark brown/black spots, similar to a dot left by a fountain pen. You will see these on the sheets and anywhere where they are hiding (bed frame cracks and slats and underside of box spring is where they will go first). They are very obvious if you know what you're looking for. Bites are actually not a great indicator: our first infestation happened in the summer, we sleep with the windows open and my bites looked just like regular mosquito bites. A good percentage of people also don't react to the bites at all, my husband is one of them, while some will get huge purple welts that last for weeks. And the whole "they bite in threes" thing is not true either. Regarding thrift stores, after this experience I absolutely will not ever consider buying used upholstered furniture or anything that goes in the bedroom. Yes you can give it a good steam before bringing in (we bought the same type of steamer that our pest control company uses), but if it's a nicer piece the steam might damage the finish, and if it's something less expensive at that point it's just not worth it. Washable items I'm perfectly comfortable purchasing, as long as they can be laundered right away. And if you've bought too much for one load, keep what doesn't fit bagged and in the bath tub (bugs can't climb up the slippery sides) till you can get to them. And last but not least, if you notice any signs, DO NOT try DIY treatment. Go to https://www.bedbugcentral.com/bedbugfree and find a certified professional in your area. The BedBugFree certification means that they are up to date on all the most recent research and treatment methods. The last thing you want is to go with the cheapest "spray and pray" exterminator from Craigslist who will use outdated, harmful and ineffective pesticides. Once again, that turned out to be way longer and completely off topic on a laundry forum, but maybe someone will find this helpful! I know that there's a lot of shame and stigma associated with having bed bugs, so most people prefer to keep it a secret, but I feel that raising awareness is very important these days.