I have a Frigidaire Affinity so maybe I can help too. 1) Am I supposed to be seeing suds? How many suds are too many? What should I do - cut down on the amt of detergent until I don't see suds anymore? It is okay to see some suds during the wash cycle. You should only be seeing a trickle amount at the very bottom of the door. No more than a very small handful of suds. 2) Can I still pretreat stains with shout or lestoil? Will either of those cause suds or damage the machine? As long as you do not use too much you should be okay. However, if you are concerned you can mix up your own in a spray bottle with the HE detergent you are using and water. (I recommend an HE detergent with enzymes for this.) For instance, you would put the maximum amount of measured detergent into a 32 oz spray bottle and fill the rest of the way with water. 3) If I want to use oxiclean, where do I put it? (Frigidiare Affinity with no prewash dispenser) I usually add oxi clean to the detergent dispenser. If I am using powder detergent I just put it with the detergent, if washing with hot water. If I am using liquid I disolve it in a bowl or cup first and then put it in. 4) Is it ok to use vinegar in the fabric softener dispenser? This was a habit I got into with my last machine, which didn't clean or rinse worth a darn. I felt that the vinegar gave the rinsing a boost but I'm not sure whether it's necessary in the new machine. I add vinegar all the time. I usually put it in the bleach dispenser and the fab dispenser if needed. I have had no probs. 5) What kind of detergent is better, liquid or powder? If it matters, I have a whole-house water softener and generally do most of my washes in ATC cold (65 degrees, I believe). I do not normally use bleach or fabric softener but do put vinegar in the fabric softener dispenser (unless you all say I shouldn't). I've always used liquid, but am thinking that if I'm using such small amounts, it might be easier to just keep a canister of powder out on the machine and measure by the tablespoon. I prefer powder, but I have found I have to predissolve it in warm water if doing a cold or warm water wash. Otherwise the powder doesn't seem to be fully dissolved until right before the rinse kicks in. I am going to eventually switch to liquids once my powder is gone to prevent the hassle. 6) When I was doing the research, I read something about Frigemore machines having an issue with powder detergent (I think they indicated that powdered HE detergent contributed to the bearing failure) - is this true? If any washing machine has aluminum parts, powder detergents can cause problems. Most powder detergents have sodium carbonate and that will slowly eat away aluminum. 7) Is there a particular brand of HE detergent that works better in softened well water, especially for cold-water washes? I have always used Tide before this but read some bad reviews on the Tide HE liquid, so that's why I bought the sears stuff (plus it was on sale for half price, LOL!) I know a lot of this has to do with your individual water chemistry, but if you've had experiences (good/bad) with any detergent, I'd love to hear them. Please only stuff that is available fairly easily in the US - my husband would probably have me locked up if I told him I wanted to mail-order detergent from the UK. I was one of those who complained about the Tide Liquid HE. I have hard water, about 8 to 10 grains to be exact. It didn't over suds, but it would never completely rinse out either. No matter what, I would see suds develope during the final spin cycle on the door window and my clothes got harder and harder with each wash if I didn't use fab softener. I also had to make sure I put my washer through a wash/maitenence cycle once a week to get rid of detergent build up. It isn't the detergents fault really except for the fact P&G has not caught up with these new "Add A Garment" HE machines. They use even way less water than traditional HE machines. So far the detergents that I have tried that seem to be okay as far as sudsing and rinsing go are.... 1)Tide HE powder cut back to smaller amounts(draw back is the sodium carbonate and the pre disolving) 2)Sears Powder HE (drawback is the predisolving and sodium carbonate) 3)Charlie's Soap Powder (drawback predissolving, but they do offer a liquid version. It also has sodium carbonate, but the amount used is really minimal) 4)Mela Power HE liquid (drawback is you have to go to melaleuca.com and become a member to order it) 5)Homemade liquid detergent minus or with reduced sodium carbonate(washing soda). In the homemade recipe I cut the amount of washing soda in half and then made up for it in borax. Borax is a natural anti redepositing agent and you need more of that than the other due to the low water usage. 6)All Free and Clear HE liquid(drawback is it still leaves a little suds but no where near as bad as Tide and what is left behind doesn't irritate the skin. However, pretreatment of stains is definitely needed. At least you can find it at any store which is a plus. In the end, if the Sears HE liquid is working for you and you can still get it, why change. No sense in fixing what isn't broke. Otherwise it will be trial and error as different people's needs determine ultimately what they will like from a detergent. I hope this helped at least a little. :)

The Target Up&Up review also made me curious, but at this point I have more liquid detergents than I'll ever be able to use, so that one will have to wait... And I agree on the warm - in my Miele Cold is 86F, so I can see how they didn't notice any difference between loads washed in cold (60F) and warm (78F). She does mention closer to the end that hot water cleans better, but I wonder what she considers "hot": "But honestly, hot water DOES do a better job of getting your clothes clean. As in any chemical reaction, turning up the heat makes the reaction go faster, and therefore more likely to go to completion. You might consider running some loads on hot. " This post was edited by recordaras on Thu, Jan 22, 15 at 17:14

Mitch....I had a lot of undissolved powder at the bottom when I tried dissolving a tsp. of Tide Oxi in a glass with very hot water. Stirred for about 30 seconds, very vigorously and then let it sit for over, or at least 2 hours!!! Still hard sediment at the bottom of the glass. Crazy! Yes, sure smells so good....clean and fresh! I will miss my Tide Oxi, but I cannot use something with a clear conscience that does not dissolve in hot water, sitting for 2 hours!! Thanks for checking too!! :)

Whoa! While there are many variables that you are considering, I would be VERY focused on where you live. Follow your due dilligence and check with the locsl appliance servicers to see what brands even offer service in rural Maine. No matter what brand and model if machine sounds great, they all will likely require a service call at dome point and a dead in the water washer (pardon the pun) will be no more than a costly paperweight if it cannot be repaired. There are many mentions of the importance of service access ar the Yale Appliance BLOG that warn about this. It can be a challenge today to find good service even in cities; much less small towns or in the countryside. I have allergies myself so I get why you are wanting a washer and detergent that will work for you. I have found Speed Queen FLs to be the equal of a Miele (both in quality and $$$) ,but again, ACCESS to service is paramount no matter what you end up getting. Good luck in your search!