I emailed them right back to verify that using it instead of fabric softener many times a month will not harm any rubber/metal parts of my machine. Their response: "Yes, that will be fine and will not damage your appliance." Thank goodness is right. I was going to be bummed if they told me not to do it. I use it quite often for loads like tea towels, bath towels - things I want to remove as much residue as possible.

@gates1: The reason, unfortunately, is that a lot of "green" detergent manufacturers are afraid to include enzymes. Enzymes are absolutely essential for cleaning certain fat-based and protein-based stains. Only two "green" detergents that contain a healthy amount of enzymes, that I know of, are BI-O-KLEEN Premium Powder and EcoVantage. These are also the only eco-friendly detergents I've used that compete with Tide and Persil on cleaning. Other detergents which I've tried that can't hold a candle to Bi-O-Kleen, EcoVantage or Tide/Persil: Country Save, Charlie's Soap, Ecover, Le Blanc, All Small & Mighty, Wisk Dual Action and Method Squeaky Clean. It's interesting to note that EcoVantage claims to be "environmentally friendly" and a "sensitive formula" yet it also contains enzymes, washer protection agents, fabric brightener and color protection ingredients - most of which are absent from other "nautral", "green" or "environmentally friendly" products. Could EcoVantage represent the perfect balance between eco-friendly and cleaning ability?

I received my shipment of Miele detergent (for whites, colors, delicates, and fabric softener) in mid December and compared it against PERSIL MEGAPERLS (for whites and colors. I have used PERSIL since 2003 when I first purchased my machine, but have tried other brands during this time. As I mentioned in my previous post I looked up the Kreussler Company on the web, which is the maker of this detergent. Kreussler is the private company Miele uses to manufacture their commercial detergents which are sold to laundries under the brand name of Trebon. Powder Detergent Product Consistency: Persil consists of small beads. The Miele detergent is similar to fine grain sugar. Fragrance: Persil is scented when you sniff the product in the container but does not leave a scent on clothes. The Miele product is described as the smell of flowers and there is a scent when in the container. No scent is left in the clothes and since my washer drains into the sink I have to say that there is no trace of a scent in the discharged water. If anything it smells rather acrid. Dosage: I purchased my current boxes of PERSIL in the early spring of 2007. I compared those boxes to my previous box from 2006 and found that the recommended dosage had been increased by 1 ML. This doesnt matter since I ignore recommended dosages, and use amounts I have found to be right for my soil levels and water conditions. The Miele detergent comes with a cup which does not match the dosage lines on the PERSIL cup and does not match a standard USA cup either. I compared the recommended amounts by following the PERSIL dosage using the PERSIL cup, then pouring that amount into the Miele cup. The Miele recommended amounts for each soil level are slightly less than the PERSIL amounts. The Miele box contains recommended amounts for small and larger washers. Even though I dont use recommended amounts I found that I could decrease the dosage amount when using the Miele detergent, so I can use slightly less of it for each soil level. Cleaning in temps of 85F, 104F, and 120F: I did not do any scientific-like comparisons or do any strip tests. I have the same type of typical or heavy (ground in, body, oily) soil in most loads. I got very good results in warm watereverything was cleaned. I did do a load of white cleaning clothes in warm water instead of hot(190F) and got very good results. Oily dirt was handled well in warm water. Rinsing: One reason I use PERSIL MEGAPERLS is because it rinses well in my water. The Miele detergent rinses a bit better. The wash discharge water is milky and contains no suds. During the first rinse water will be clear with slight bubbles on the top. As the spins and rinses continue these dissipate. Liquid detergent for Delicates: Persil for Delicates is a creamy thick liquid. The Miele Delicates is like a creamy water. I understand there may be an issue with the W11XX or W12XX dispenser and I guess it is different than the dispenser on my W1986 because it will hold back water. This consistency is good for me because I have trouble with the thicker products in the winter. I think this is because my incoming cold water is about 40 degrees and it cannot flush thick products as well. With the dispenser I had to add hot water to it to get it to flush. I dont even use the dispenser anymore even with the Miele product. If I am not going to do a prewash I just move the clothes away from one of the fins in the tub, pour the product onto and into the fin, close the door and start the machine - works fine. Delicates come out clean. Fabric Softener: The Consistency is like water and it easily flushes from the dispenser leaving nothing behind. Clothes are left soft. There is no scent that I recognize and I dont smell anything in the clothes hours or days later, although clothes smell clean, fresh and good.

@larsi, I'll see how it does on a regular load, and whether the scent levels will be tolerable. I do like more scent on my towels and sheets than on clothes, so I'd be primarily using the Ariel for that anyway. I'm actually quite curious to try the Compact powders now, good thing I'm heading across the pond next month. :) As for Persil, I don't mind the Universal Megaperls scent, but really dislike the Color Megaperls and liquid scent. Kind of curious about the Megaperls Sensitive and the liquid version too, that might be on my list of things to pick up in Europe. I managed to get a box of Tide w/Bleach right before the scent change, still have quite a bit left. It is definitely a much more "adult" scent than what they have now, I don't think I'll be buying any more Tide till that changes (which I'm sure is a matter of waiting a couple of months). The w/Bleach liquid is also not to my taste at all.