I too had this problem with an expensive Kenmore Elite but I decided not to let it bother me. I fill one powder dispenser and leave it open and make sure I have the Jet Dry department always filled. I never observed a lack of top notch cleaning after that, but I did give it to Habitat for Humanity when I got the top of the line Thermador (made by Bosch). The Thermadors and Bosch's are far better than the Miele's at their price points and they are at least as quiet as the best Miele's, which cost $1K more. Greg

As most guests don't take baths buy one of those multi-liquid dispensers that stick to tile or the wall. You put them at the height that would be comfortable for accessing while taking a shower. They come in anywhere from 2 liquid containers to 4-5. They also come with labels to stick on the outside which states what you filled each dispenser with. It is good to get a 3 or 4 container dispenser. That way you fill one dispenser with liquid soap, another with shampoo, and another with hair conditioner. I've seen them in different plastic colors or faux stainless. You just press a button on the bottom to open up the enclosure that reveals all the dispensers. Take the cap off of the dispensers you will use and put in the appropriate liquids. They beat a soapdish or one of those shower caddies with a stick. They have them at places like Bed, Bath, & Beyond and most any bath shop. I'm sure they have them at Target or Walmart too. It just depends on how nice a product you want. And you never have to worry about soap "melting" in the soapdish or bottles of conditioner or shampoo cluttering up the area. Greg

i'll be doing a lot of it myself. not changing out the sink or putting in a faucet tho - lol! I'll have to hire someone to do that for me and move the appliances around. I think I can put down some laminate flooring but it'll take me a long time. I guess I've got some of that tho. I'll have the electrician come back to replace some light fixtures and check out why I don't have cold water inside. I do at the outside spigot. He'll probably have to replace my water heater too. maybe he'll try flushing it first. the water smells. He needs to replace the handle on my water pump and maybe hook up the dw. bf will still do the outside work. He can't do a lot of things now because his balance is off. Things like getting down on the floor and under a sink would be very hard for him and he'd have a heck of a time getting back up. shoot, I do and I've got both of my feet! He can't drive his big trucks anymore either so he has to hire someone to haul his equipment out here. Once out here he can manipulate the forklift and grader fine. He's finally found someone he trusts to drive the flatbed, is putting insurance on it and replacing a few tires. Hopefully then I'll get a decent set of steps up into the new place (he has 'em I think). Or he might move one of the steps I have into this place. They are both way too heavy to move w/o the forklift. I also faxed him a very long list of things that need done yet. typed it up, type size 12 (his eye aren't so good either) and i think it was double spaced - but very little margin top and bottom. Plus I scratched in a few more things by hand before i faxed it to him. I'm also hoping I can get him to cut some of the laminate planks for me when he's out here. At least til I get comfortable doing it myself. So far I've been afraid to try it. My sister used to have a young guy she knew do odd jobs for her and he did good work so I'm gonna call him and see if he wants to earn some extra money. He's probably in his early - mid 20s now - bought a house to the E of me the other yr so he's only a few miles away. He's a big guy so moving appliances around or lifting the sink won't be a problem for him. I just hope he wants work. my sister told me the other wk she thought he had a gf now so maybe he doesn't have any spare time. puppy and I are spending the afternoons over there. She plays and i try to work (or nap in the a/c). She's a pest tho - all she wants to do is play! I can see that whatever flooring I put down won't look new very long... not the way she skids thru the house chasing her toy (that someone throws as far as she can to get a few seconds of peace). I finally found my level today so I'm going to attempt to put up some shelves tomorrow. I moved the level and haven't been able to find it for wks. Hated the idea of buying another one... I'd already checked for studs and marked them so I hope it flies right along after I mark up the wall with a level line to drill the braces in. I'm sure this is more than you really wanted to know - lol!

This is an interesting thread. I use Seventh Generation Free & Clear and am pleased with it. I can't stand scented things, though I have no allergies, it's just a pet peeve. Like Brencbg said, why would anyone want perfume in their dish soap. I recently had my stone tile floors professionally cleaned and polished (they are 24 years old, and the grout had 24 years of dirt in it). The company instructed me that I should clean the floor mostly with just water and a sponge, but if I had to use soap, use an unscented dishwashing liquid. When I showed him my bottle of Seventh Generation, he said I couldn't use it on the stone tile because it has citric acid in it and would etch the stone. I looked on the ingredient label, and yup, there was citric acid. Who knew? He recommended the Dawn Pure Essentials that was mentioned above. When this bottle of Seventh Generation is finished, I will give the Dawn Pure Essentials a try, but sigh, I do like my Seventh Generation DW liquid.