I've never rinsed dishes before putting them in my DW, and I've had 3 or 4 different makes. If I wanted to do that, I wouldn't have a DW! The dishes come out spotless and, by the way, the heated dry is turned off; just the remaining heat in the DW air dries them. In addition, this month's Consumers has done a report on DWs, and they make a point of the fact that a) prerinsing is not necessary and b) is a tremendous waste of water.

Yes, damp clothes do feel softer and retain more scent from the softener - but where would I put 22 lbs. of not "thoroughly dry" towels? Baking soda does sound interenting but is only sold - as far as I know - in sachets of one tablespoon over here. Would take a lot of them to get the job done. I have thought about adding Calgon (but a cheaper supermarket-brand version) to each wash and reduced the detergent amount in turn - but only to make doing laundry cheaper. I mean, even here, half a cup of Persil is kinda expensive. I don't think I'll ever wash towels on anything cooler than 140F. I change bath towels once a week (hand towels twice a week) so I want them to be really clean. And actually, they stay fresh that way for the entire week. Alex

SStava... Yes, I agree 100% with you about the usage of Express. The last 3-5 loads I tried on Express with the Max Spin Cycle selected were VERY small loads. A few pairs of kid shorts, a t shirt or 2, a pair of underwear and maybe a few kid socks. Also tried one beach towel and also some small kitchen towels. Max Spin would not activate. I do get a High spin speed, but never that spin speed that sounds and feels like a jet engine taking off! Todays load of 3 throw blankets....NO Max Spin speed, but a High speed for sure activated. I thought I would try a heavier load usng Express, since the past 3-5 loads of light items did not Max Spin. Seems heavy or light...my Express Cycle does not Max Spin!! I am so on the fence about even calling Miele, since everything else in the machine works SO well, and I rarely use Express. Just my OCD and my personality (like with the car)...every feature must work to factory specs, or I obsesses over it! LOL

>>> "I'm seeing features like "stainless steel tub" "third rack" "adjustable top tray" "deep tub" and "top controls." I'm not sure what, beyond cleaning, noise, reliability, is considered important and for how much of that I am willing to pay."<<< "Considered important" by whom? One person's important feature may be a frivolous luxury to somebody else. Taking a stab at the listed features, here's my take on what they are in hopes of helping you decide whether they are or are not important to you. "Stainless steel tub" --- most significantly, it enhances the effectiveness of the condensation drying that used by many DWs. Basically, the final rinse water is heated to a high temperature (up to 160°F depending on brand and model). The high temperature leaves the dishes and tableware hot, which tends to drive off moisture. The moisture condenses onto the stainless walls and top which, being thin, cool rapidly. The condensate then drains down the walls and is pumped out the drain. Additionally, DWs with all-stainless tubs tend to be quieter. Cosmetically, the finishes on stainless tubs do not dull and wear the way plastic/nylon/etc. tubs supposedly do after years of use. "Third rack" basically is used in place of the familiar silverware basket that traditionally sits in the bottom rack. This frees up space in the low rack, making room for more dishes, cutting boards, etc. The 3rd rack is at the very top of the DW compartment The rack has short tines to hold knives, forks, etc. on their sides, separating them a bit which is supposed to make them easier to clean. A bit fussier to load but can make unloading silverware (and putting it away) much easier. Some folks hate them but a lot of people love them. When I bought a replacement DW back in March --- one of the new Bosch 300 series models, FWIW --- I was glad mine came with both the traditional basket as well as the third rack, but thought I would try out the rack. I never got around to using the basket in the DW. (That said, the basket has proven very useful to me as a rack for holding cleaned paint brushes next to my utility room sink now that house painting season is upon me.) Again, the third rack versus the basket is one of those YMMV things. Personally, I now strongly prefer the third rack but you might find yourself indifferent to it or even hate it. "Adjustable top rack" can mean different things. Sometimes, with some of the more expensive models, the term might be referring to adjustment features in the third/tableware rack. (Things like sections that can be moved and repositioned to make room for taller items in the middle-rack and/or sections that might be lowered to make room for bulky utensils like ladles.) Sometimes, "adjustable top rack" right actually might be referring to the ability to raise and lower the middle rack. That's a convenience that can make more room to place tall things in the middle rack --- say, wineglasses which seem to be getting taller and taller these days --- or, conversely, raising the middle rack to make room for taller objects on the bottom such as a stock pot. Sometimes, the marketeers use the term "adjustable top rack" to describe foldable tines and/or shelves which give flexibility in loading the upper basket aka middle rack. (Why do they refer to the middle rack as the top rack? Nobody can fathom market-speak for any length of time. You just have to deal with the vagaries of marketspeak.) In any event, each of the three kinds of adjustability can be an important convenience for some folks. YMMV. "Deep tub" (or sometimes "tall tub") gives more usable capacity and thus, the ability to run bigger loads. I do a lot of entertaining, so I find the extra capacity pretty useful. If you run only small loads, you might not care. "Top controls" will be a necessity if you want to panel your DW's front to match your other kitchen cabinetry. Beyond that, "top controls" strike me as a matter of personal aesthetic preferences and personal ergonomic preferences. While I prefer a panel and display on the front of the DW, somebody else may have a strong preference for a sleeker look. Somebody else may find it easier to use controls on the top edge of the door where I like bigger buttons and a bigger display on the front panel for my DW. YMMV. FWIW, pretty much every DW available these days can do a decent job of cleaning, but some models can take far longer than others to accomplish those tasks. You mentioned that Consumer Reports left you confused --- to which I might add that I've found them less and less useful of late, too --- but you might find it helpful to read through this New York Times/Sweethome/Wirecutter blog to get a somewhat better handle on DW features and choices. (If you've already seen it, then never mind.)