A list of the cycles on the machine would be helpful to people responding to your questions.

The various cycles are there for a reason, to get best and proper results when washing various kinds of loads and fabrics. Regular/Cotton is not appropriate for *everything*. This is particularly important with frontloaders and HE toploaders which tend to be less forgiving when using inappropriate cycles.

Delicate cycles on frontloaders usually fill to a higher water level to help cushion the washing action ... which is why Delicate is often recommended for washing quilts, comforters, pillows and other bulky items ... that is assuming the machine doesn't have a separate designated Bulky Items selection. I've washed pillows, comforters, quilts and such numerous times in my Calypso HE toploader, but it has a specific Bulky Items cycle.

I don't know that very hot water is necessary to kill dust mites if the wash is followed by tumble drying. Doesn't the heat and arid environment of machine-drying kill dust mites just as well? Some newer dryers have an allergy cycle which runs at high heat for a longer time. A similar effect could perhaps be gotten by running an auto-dry cycle on the Extra Dry or Very Dry selection ... or by running a timed cycle (maybe twice through). Note that pillows and thick comforters are generally recommended to be dried at low heat for a longer time to promote moisture pulling out of the interior stuffing without scorching/overdrying the exterior.

Thanks again Dadoes! I've always wondered about hot temps in dryer for killing dust mites, but haven't been able to find much information about it.

I just happened today to find a laminated paper with the following information. It was in the same drawer with the owners manual below the washer, although I had never seen this before, it was hidden amongst the warranty info.

Cycles on the "dial":
Regular/Cotton- Temp Boost (150 degrees, 90 min)
Regular/Cotton- Hot (125 degrees, 60 min)
Regular Cotton- Warm (95 degrees, 60 min)*I mostly use this one
Regular/Cotton- Cold (60 degrees, 60 min)

Perm Press- Hot (125 degree, 50 min)
Perm Press- Warm (95 degree, 50 min)
Perm Press cold (60 degree, 50 min)

Sanitary (155 degrees, 120 min)
Active Wear (85 degrees, 53 min)
Delicates (90 degrees, 37 min)
Hand Wash (75 degree, 26 min)
Wool (80 degree, 32 min)

Additional Electronic options:
Soak (120 min)
Spin
Drain.

And, all cycles vary for RPM of spin speed- the highest being 1,200 RPM.

Thanks.
Barbara

I have LG and wash king size comforters in . Bulky cycle has automatic low speed. Reg cycle is fine as long as the spin speed is set on low or medium -mine speed is adjustable. I use sanitary cycle w/double the detergent-b/c of the size, than I run another hot cycle without detergent. After I use quick wash (warm water)for extra rinse to make sure it is done.If needed, evenmore extra rinse. I always use "water plus" feature, it gives more water. The first time I washed it in the LG using reg. amount of soap, it didn't come out smelling right so this is what works for me.
I do wash pillows too(same way as comforter)-two at the time w/ small other items added for balancing.
For spin speed I use 1000 or less RPM's.I never used the max speed yet b/c of the wrinkle problem. My euro washer has this wrinkling dilema but I have no choice. It only has low or hight speed. I'd rather dry longer w/ less wrinkles.
Before I put the comforter in, I fold it lengh wise in half and half again( the depth of the drum)and just roll it as you would pack a sleeping bag.
The comforter kind of takes the drum shape w/almost empty center. It washes better than just stuffing it in.

Oops. I also should have said that I almost never wash in cold water. Regular clothes are washed in warm water, and sheets, towels, and underwear are washed in hot water. Again, I haven't had any problems with fading, so I think fading has more to do with detergent than wash temperatures.

My warm wash is 95 degrees at 35 minutes (Cotton setting) and my hot wash is 125 degrees at 52 minutes (Cotton). Whites are often washed in Temp Boost setting, which is 150 degrees at 66 minutes. Longer washes can be done by using the Heavy Duty button, which I do if I have things that need whitening.

1. How to load so the clothing or sheets don't tangle so horribly?
You know, my Miele does some tangling too and I think that's just the way frontloaders are? I just separate as I remove from the washer -- it has not injured my clothing.

2. When I buy dark cotton tee shirts, the shirt starts to fade around the collar and hem after just a couple of washes, and the collar seems to look ratty after around 6 months. Again, I've been using regular/cotton on warm.
I had this problem when I used Tide/detergents with optical brighteners. The warm wash on your Bosch might be considerably warmer than the warm wash on your previous toploader, and although you are using the recommended amount of detergent or less, the Bosch is probably using so little water that the detergent water is really more concentrated than with a toploader. I would try cutting back on detergent as well as switching to a detergent without optical brighteners. You could also try washing on "cold" (not tap cold) to further preserve darker colors.

Similarly, my husbands cotton and cotton/poly dress shirts have had excessive wear at the collar tips and darks fade quickly and some of the material pills. I have had to replace shirts at about the one year mark, whereas with my old top loader, the shirts lasted a few years. I do turn them inside out. Any suggestions on these two? I am wondering if the Permanent press cycle would be better?
On dress shirts, yes I would use the permanent press or even the delicates cycle and "cold" water (which is 30C or 86F), maybe less detergent and/or a different detergent.

3. Sheets- all my sheets have had permanent creases put into them in the top hem of the sheet. I am unable to iron these out. Again, I run sheets on hot regular/cotton cycle with extra rinse. Is there a better cycle to run sheets on so they don't get creases like this, and tangled so horribly?
As far as I can figure, more wrinkles are a way of life with frontloaders? That's how it seems to me. You could try a lower spin speed (the trade off is it won't be as clean of a rinse). I would also try drying on a gentler heat over a longer period of time, and removing while still slightly damp and iron it while damp.

Re: dustmites -- if you can't figure out a way to wash it... you can freeze it instead. Wrap in a garbage bag and freeze for 24-48 hours.

Here's an update:

I'm liking my Bosch Nexxt better :) I now realize that the reason I haven't liked my washer is because of user ignorance, not the washer.

I successfully washed my queen mattress pad!!! I used the gentle cycle, with a 30 minute pre-soak and an extra rinse. Soaked all the way through, no dry spots like my attempt on the normal cotton cycle.

Tangling of clothing- I've now switched to using permanent press cycle, which spins at 800 RPM instead of the 1,200 on the cotton cycle, and includes some longer durations of "fluffing". Seems to reduce the tangling, even in a cycle that was almost all jeans (which in the past have been the worst offenders of tangling!).

Good points on the optical brighteners in the detergent possibly fading the darks. I mostly use Seventh Generation products (which don't have OB's), but occasionly have had to buy a bottle of Tide HE Free and Clear if I can't find the unscented Seventh Generation. Perhaps intermittent use of the Tide was the cause of the fading, I wasn't smart enough to equate the detergent as a possible culprit. I am now washing darks on permanent press using the Seventh Generation, will see how they fair. I have a couple of new dark shirts, will use those as "testers".

Haven't done it yet, but will try washing my DH's dress shirts on Gentle cycle. that may just be the thing that works. They don't get very soiled because he wears undershits.

Now here's the funny thing. I've been sitting in front of the washer, watching the different cycles as they happen. My husband walked in and asked "what the heck are you doing". Ah, I had to confess that I've become obsessed with the laundry cycles...

Thanks!
Barbara

Barbara,

It is perfectly normal to sit and watch your washer. Everyone here will agree. ;)

Picture me watching and comparing two different washers few years ago. My cats and dog were there with me too!
It is actually kind of relaxing.

Ditto on the watching of the washer. It drives my DH crazy when he comes in and i am watching my washer. He say's it will clean without you watching it all the time! I watch to check for right detergent amount or sudsing, or i look at the rinse to see if i need extra. But my favorite thing is turning the light on and watching it!! Our DH's probably all think we need a good therapist!! I have been puting a couple of towels in with my queen sheets when i wash them. It helps the tumble of them and keeps them from balling up. Glad you are now happy with your washer. When we aren't happy with them, then it's a bad day and i know this very well with all the problems i had until i got one i liked.

I had the problem you described with washing mattress pads and quilts with my old Maytag front load set. They just didn't get wet all the way through, so I know they certainly were not clean.

However, even though I have been disgruntled at times with my Whirlpool front loader, I have to say that my quilts, etc. come out wonderfully clean in it. So do my pillows. However, my machine has a bulky item cycle, and it fills with more water on this cycle. It also pauses and lets the items soak off and on. Since this cycle has a slow spin speed and the items are heavy and wet when finished, I run the drain/spin cycle on high to get most of the water out.

I am so glad you found the cycles that work for your mattress pads, etc.

Detergents with optical brighteners are awful for colored clothes. I never realized detergent could be a problem until a sales person at J.C. Penney told me to never use them on colored towels.

I used to use Seventh Generation brand detergent for the most part, but I recently tried the liquid (fragrance free) Ecos detergent, and like it much better. It seems to clean better, and rinses out all the way. At least in my washer, with my well water.

As far as tangling goes, I found that if I wash denims by themselves that I get less tangling. Sometimes I mix a tee shirt or two in with them, but for the most part I wash similar fabric weights and colors together, and my wash comes out nice. Sheets tend to tangle anyway, and I'm not sure there is a way out of that one. I may try my bulky item cycle and see if that makes a difference. Maybe you could try a slower spin speed and see if that helps.

I hang my bedding on a clothesline outside whenever the weather permits. The gentle breezes make them look like they've been ironed, and they smell good too. The strong UV from the sun kills most things, including dust mites.

I like to watch my washer sometimes too. I guess we're just fascinated with them.

Sandy

As far as tangling goes ... [snip] ... Maybe you could try a slower spin speed and see if that helps.Spin speed is not a factor in tangling. Wrinkling, yes. Tangling, no. The clothes do not move in relation to each other during spin, they are simply pressed against the inner surface of the drum. A load that is tangled will have already become so before spin begins.

Hmmm....I tried my king sized sheet set on the bulky items cycle this evening, and they weren't as tangled. I hung them on the line outside so it didn't matter that they were a bit wet. Maybe it depends on the washer?

Try dryer balls for antitangling