This is Little_Wren responding to Beachseeker and others. I do not really have resolution. As I mentioned I used the low water test with the "normal" cycle from the Whirlpool website on a washer in the Maytag store and about 1 ¾ inches of the baffle was above water. I also tried it at another Maytag store and the results were the same. When a new Maytag store opened in April, I tested their 9600 which was most likely manufactured later than the floor model machines in the older Maytag stores. This newer machine had 2 inches of the baffle above the water level. Ours at home is 2 ¼ inches. None of these meet the test given on the Whirlpool website. I also ran the other cycles and compared our machine at home to the floor models  some water levels were the same and some were different. The 9500, which is new to our area and a "lower" model, tested at ¾ inch of the baffle above the water. The Whirlpool engineer was suppose to phone the A&E repair person after the Whirlpool engineer got back from vacation. Then the A&E person was going to phone us. We have not heard back and it was been months. I find that unprofessional. The A&E person said that the manufacturers made changes and keep the same model numbers and do not inform repair people of changes. However, the clothes seem to get clean. I have observed that some of the cycles have more water, so I use those cycles. I do like to see at least some water in the wash and in the rinse. What have others found? Thanks, Little_Wren

I'm glad I found this thread! I have wanted a Duet washer and dryer for three years now. We'll be buying a house / condo after the beginning of the year and was basing my desire for the Duet on my father-in-law's set that I've used. Sounds like the Duets were "de-contended" over the years to reduce their "cost" to produce. What a shame. I certainly have noticed FL washers becoming more popular over the last two years or so. After seeing people mention Bosch in this thread, I've decided to jump ship before I even board it. I've been looking through the Bosch and Lowe's web sites, although there are a number of Bosch dealers here in Anchorage. My two requirements in an appliance are A) Energy Rating and B) Noise. Our Kenmore (really Whirlpool) fridge was actually below the U.S. Energy Guide rating a few years ago. It was almost to the bottom of the energy usage on the Canadian guide, even. I don't mind mixing brands. Just as with employers, there's NO reward in brand loyalty. They can change design or build quality practically overnight to satisfy the holly stockholders. Now to go try to dig up some 'dirt' on the Bosch white goods. We use a Bosch dishwasher at work (residential level machine) and it's shockingly quiet. The prices are in line with Duet-class Whirlpool goods and the energy use seems quite low (not to mention attractive styling).

I have a Miele front load washer that had a terrible sewage/rot odor for years. I live in AZ so it's very dry here, but we always leave the washer door open, thinking maybe that would help. I tried running baking soda, vinegar, Smelly Washer, etc. through the machine and they all helped for a short time before the smell came back. All of our clothes gained that gross smell to some degree and God forbid you leave the clothes in the washer for more than 5 minutes after the wash cycle was finished. After cleaning the door gasket even though there was no mold there whatsoever, we finally switched to POWDER DETERGENT and the problem went away after 4 or 5 loads and has not returned over the last few months. We make sure to run a hot water load once a week, but I think the rotten odor was 100% caused by liquid detergent (we never use fabric softener). Even using small amounts of the HE liquid detergent perpetuated the problem. It's hard to find dry detergent these days, but it's worth it to hunt some down! It SOLVED OUR STINKY WASHER PROBLEM.

Although I feel underqualified to respond, I would be happy to share some things I have learned. BEWARE OF THE DRYER: A. If you have a stain, the dryer can make it permanent. I am very cautious to look through laundry coming *out* of the washer to make sure any spots/stains were washed out. If a stain was not completely removed, I either treat again and rewash or just air dry. (We live on the water and fish daily..more like hourly.. so we are bound to have some type of seagrass dirt or a fishiness on us) B. Overdrying may cause FADING. Beware of Temperature setting and Timer setting. I have read somewhere (I think on the Tide website) to be careful not to overdry clothes. For me it means that I dry on the LOWEST temperature, and take things out when they are ALMOST dry. Again, I may skip the dryer altogether. BLEACH: I have found that bleach is dangerous. I have ruined plenty of items with bleach (my carelessness or not reading the label ie a silk/linen shirt). So I use bleach with the utmost care. My White towels get the HOTTEST wash (unless there is a stain), no bleach. I don't use fabric softener on towels, it hinders their ability to absorb. And I rinse with vinegar to help remove any left over soap, and it helps soften the towels. My old towels got bleached every single wash and are now rough like a board, even with softener. I think the bleach ruined them. There are sanitizers for laundry in the baby isle, if you are worried about germs. (but who isn't - thats what Hot water is for). HOT WATER will also set some stains. KNOW YOUR STAINS: I put a link below/above? talking about types of stains and how to treat them. I have found that SHOUT works really well for my stains. And I have read in I think consumer reports that TIDE cold water was one of the best detergents. I tend to use less expensive detergetents for towels/ sheets, or things that are not dark and won't fade. Fading is my biggest enemy. I can't figure out how my darks fade after only a couple of washes. Mind you - the dryer on low setting and taking out when damp and turning my clothes inside out has *really* helped. I did not find that OXYCLEAN has ever made a difference. Best of Luck to you! Here is a link that might be useful: Types of Laundry Stains and how to treat them