Okay -- here's an idea littlewuky: what about getting a Blomberg?

I have the Electrolux 517 set. I love the washer. I had the same problem others did with the dryer until I realized on normal the dry level was too low. Switched it to high and all is fine.

Sashanikki. What is the difference between the 617 and the 517 washer. Do u have a steam cycle on your 517?

Fencer. I know the Blombergs are nice units but the small capacity is a big deal breaker. I don't know if maybe they make A bigger unit but the one I saw online had only 2.5 cuft. Which would be way too small for me and my family.

Got it. The Electrolux held a ton, I will say that. It felt strange to put some many clothes in there after my years of Miele 2 cuft.

Yeah believe me I would love one of those machines but I would need 2 to make up for the small size lol Thanks for the suggestion though fencer

Little, forgive me if you've already mentioned this, but how many people are in your family? And do you sort laundry?

I have a Duet 4.5 I also have 5 sometimes 6 living here so I have lots of laundry (its great) I'm a strict sorter. I could have done just fine with a compact machine, I'm not sure about comforters though but since I use duvet covers I wouldn't mind the laundramat every few months. Don't get me wrong I love my Duet but it does mean laundry waiting for a full load. LOL.

Mama pinky. There are 4 of us And yes we do separate laundry. The comforters were also a concern for me as well I currently have an older duet from 2006 that's 4 cuft and my queen size comforter is very tight in there. So that's why I've been looking at 4.5 cuft size washers. Glad to hear u like ur duet that's also at the top of my list as my current one has served me very well. We also have a lot of laundry with 2 kids in private school and having lots of uniforms to be washed several times a week, so loads fill up quickly.

My Duet is a discontinued model . Do your homework for sure as I don't think the newer Duets have thermal sanitation even though there is a sanitize cycle.

The newest Duets lack an NSF certified Allergen cycle! Matter of fact no Allergen cycle at all. Since the Sanitary labeled cycle is not thermal, it's meaningless. I don't know what Whirlpools doing? There is no guarantee of any temperature with these new models. I simply would not recommend a new whirlpool.

I would think LG, Kenmore or Electrolux would be the best buy IMO.

Sin I wouldn't recommend the model I have even...now calm down my Chick if your reading..I love my Duet, but I figured him out. I don't think most people would even know the sanitize on mine doesn't get hotter than 111F, people load and go and assume its reaching thermal sanitize temps, and why do they believe...because the cycle says sanitize. I went over and under with Whirlpool about this issue even being told the steam does the sanitizing but after many calls when I finially talked to an engineer that knew what he was talking about he flat out told me that because my machine lists cold, cool, warm, hot...with NO option for extra hot my sanitize was never intended to reach anything above warm. He also told me it baffles him why my allergen reaches into the 150's when it should be between 131 and 134F. Whirlpool offered to send someone to replace the ..something or other I think they said computer board..when I ask if that will give me the sanitizing temps on sanitize cycle he said no so I refused his offer.

Ya you have to be careful now days so much is sales gimmicks.

The Electrolux 517 does have a steam cycle, and a sanitize. The big difference is the 617 mixes the detergent and water together before spreading on the clothes. The 517 does not. The premixing does add additional time to the washer. I decided not to pay the extra on that. I really like the cleaning abilities of the machine.

Consumer Reports likes the Maytag Maxima 8200 model, it has a sanitize feature I believe. Anyone with any thoughts on this?

I'm wondering Jane Doe if the sanitize on this machine is a true thermal sanitize or other.

It is certified to the NSF P351 ALLERGEN standard, which will guarantee a minimum operating temp of 131F on that cycle.. As far as Sanitary, it is unlikely but you could check with the manufacturer. I see no other certifications for Sanitary, thermal or otherwise.

Hello - I know it's been a couple of weeks since the last post, but I'm hoping someone can help me. My son has been very ill with severe asthma and we've just found out that one significant trigger is a major dust mite allergy. We are alleviate what we can quickly. I'm running myself in circles researching air purifiers, vacuums, steamers, etc, but I'm having the hardest time with washers and dryers. His allergist said the water must get over 130 degrees for at least 3 minutes. The sales person at the store highly recommended Electrolux and due to our situation called his rep who said they do get to 130+ degrees on a certain setting but the manual is vague and doesn't say 3 minutes or anything about dust mites or dander. After reading the manual, I saw it was NSF certified for sanitizing, but not allergy. If it got certified for one, does that mean it failed for allergy? It didn't look like LG is NSF certified either. I'm confused and worried about making the wrong choice for my son. I would be so grateful for a recommendation of the best washer/dryer that kills dust mites regardless of certification. I don't care about the cost. You all seem to know more than the stores and the manufacturers. Thank you so much in advance.

@Karskar, what size are you needing? What sized bedding do you need to wash? How many people in the home?

I'd recommend a Miele product for temp and durability. They are smaller, and some large king sized quilts or comforters won't fit in the smaller Miele, which is what I have. I love my machine. Can get up to 158f on one cycle, or 140f on many different cycles.

The Electrolux does get to 150+ which would kill the dust mites. Hope you are using All free/ clear detergent. Buy the cover for his mattress, the kind that zips around and also for the pillows or have some that wash well. No damp towels hanging around or using them twice. If you use fabric softener use the Free in that also. There's a thousand things to deal with dealing with asthma.

Thank you so much for your answers - I am very grateful. We currently have 2006 GE Duets. I'm not sure of their size, but there are 4 of us and we do have one king size bed. My mother-in-law loves her Mieles - I will look into that. If the Electrolux does in fact run at 130+ degrees, I might do better with a larger capacity in our house. I do use All Free & Clear exclusively and his mattress is manufactured in a thin plastic casing for high sensitivity children. I have placed dust mite covers on his pillows and comforter. The towel thing is a good thing to watch for, thank you for that. I'm currently washing with a dust mite additive for colder temperatures, but I'm hoping to get the higher temperature washer soon so I'm not adding chemicals to his sheets. All advice is deeply appreciated.

Go to the All website and read what they have to say about dust mites and temperature, etc. I have already been the asthmatic child route and it's not an easy thing.

Look for a washer with an "Allergen" cycle (which is becoming a rarity now).

That's the cycle that should reach 131 for 3 minutes.

The older model Electrolux (WaveTouch and IQTouch) had the Allergen & Sanitize cycle.

The new Electrolux's (517 and 617) do NOT have an Allergen cycle anymore (why I don't know, stupid if you ask me). It does have the Sanitize cycle which gets to 152 but it's a long cycle.

A Miele Little Giant would be a great machine but it's around $4000 at AJ Madison. Or find a used Miele for a better deal.

I will definitely look into the Miele today - I am willing to spend but I do know my mother-in-laws are quite small. Maybe the little giant is larger? I did notice that Electrolux phased out their allergen cycle. I've written them to inquire why - for some reason the dryer still has it but the washer was removed. Our doctor clearly said "wash in 130+ degrees". The Maytag & the GE washers meet the NSF 351 standard, but the store I visited said they haven't been very reliable products. Perhaps the LG with the Allergiene cycle is our ticket even though NSF does not list their products as certified. Thank you again!

Karskar, the Miele little Giant is larger than my regular sized miele. Larsi, Chicago Alex, and Suburbanmd, and others have the Little Giant. Some or all of them have king sized bedding. They all love their little giants.

The Little Giant is the largest of the residential-available Miele washers sold in the US, but is still smaller in capacity than any of the Kenmore/Maytag/Frig/Whirlpool machines you can find. That said, my experience is that the Little Giant can be filled to within an inch of capacity and still provide excellent cleaning AND rinsing ability. My previous Samsung stopped cleaning/rinsing effectively when the drum became more than about 60% full.

I do not have king-sized bedding but I do have heavy linen queen sheets that I wash with no difficulty. Larsi has king bedding and washes it fine. A heavy king comforter would be a problem, but I'm not sure I would attempt that in any home machine.

If you search our user names, Larsi, SuburbanMD, and I each have numerous videos of the LiGi in action. You can see how full it can be packed and how deep the wash and rinse levels are. Happy shopping.

During flannel season I wash two eastern king bedding changes (fitted sheet and a couple of regular size pillowcases) at a time in the Little Giant. The rest of the year I wash three at a time. I have a thick cotton-filled king mattress pad that washes fine. No king comforters.

When the drum is filled full, the load is slow to absorb water, because it initially turns with the drum rather than tumbling. This often causes automatic load control to activate, shortening the program length somewhat. The machine does keep adding water as needed until the load is saturated, and results are fine. Can keep the program at full length by using prewash, or by opening the door after the displayed program length is trimmed. Supervisor mode has an option to disable automatic load control, but it doesn't do anything on US machines. All that said, I'm probably the only person in the world bothered by this, and Little Giant is still a great washer and I'm lucky to have it.

One member posted a list of machines with allergen/sanitize cycles that included a Kenmore Elite. No one has given details on that machine. Does someone know what temperatures/cycles it has and which model?

Thank you for the input on Miele! It sounds like maybe that is the best I can buy. Expensive, but illness adds up too along with quality of life for my little guy. The only thing that would be a problem sounds like our king comforter. I'll do those searches as Alex Chicago suggested. I will also check out the Kenmore Elite. We are also in Chicago and I made the trip out to ABT today and gave the sales person some homework to get back to me on temperatures and wash times. They sell Miele too.

Karskar go to the Miele center at the Merchandise Mart. Talk with them. Take your comforter to see if it will fit in the Little Giant. They will even run a load for you.

This morning, one of the shopping sites I window shop at- has the Maytag Maxixma 4100 being a special promo at Home Depot for $539. It says it does sanitize but I don't know the extent. Someone above posted that CR like Maytag Maxima but of course it was a different model. Just thought I would share.....

I browsed a little more, and it seems the model has been discontinued. It does make me wonder as I think it was relatively new. The reviews I see are favorable but very few, and some state they were part of a promotion.........Still $539 for a new updated f/l. The "regular" price was $899....

"Sanitize" is marketing. Let me repeat this because it doesn't seem to be getting through. "Sanitize" is a meaningless term.

To achieve a true hot wash there needs to be an onboard heater and, to be certain of anything, an allergen cycle.

Forget "sanitize" people. Just forget it. No onboard heater -- no true hot wash. This varies from model to model.

Its true - I called the nice people at NSF this week. For their sanitizing protocol, it is not a measure of heat at all. It is a measure of how much bacteria remains at the end of the wash during their test. And for any appliance that has sanitize but is not certified, there is no way of knowing what it means. The NSF P351 protocol is the one that measures temperature, 131 degrees for at least 3 minutes. At least that's what NSF rep explained to me. Thank you again to everyone - this has been a quick and steep learning curve for me and this forum has been more helpful than any other store or 800 number I have called.

Unless the manufacturers list that their washer complies with NSF P351 I don't understand how we will be able to be certain of it. Someone in the dust mite thread posted that a rep claimed that the Electrolux 617 reached over 150*, but how do we know if that is true?

Exactly what I thought.

I'll tell you now Whirlpool lies. Im only using Whirlpool because i have first hand proof. some of you know my issues, some of you may be new. I have the 95 Duet series..it has a sanitize cycle,the manual states that **this cycle eliminates 99.99% of the most common bacteria found on sheets, towels, and clothes, the hot wash temperature ensures sanitation. **

This cycle reaches 111F. After many calls to Whirlpool and talking to 2 of their engineers, I find out this model does not engage the heater on this cycle.

I wonder how they can get away with this kind of scam. I suppose most people would never know its not reaching a thermal sanitize temp. Most people would load and go and assume they are getting what Whirlpool promises. If the manual only stated that this cycle eliminated 99.99% of household germs that would be different, but they say the water temps ensure sanitation.

I'm disgusted with the scams these manufactures pull.

Why many of us skip the bs and just buy washers that have onboard heaters and delivery the needed temperatures.

FWIW - the NSF P351 is meaningless unless the washer delivers it and they go through the rigamarole of getting it listed by NSF.

This board has enough of a wide sampling and a sufficient number of reports to discern which brands do what they are supposed to do and which don't.

There are washers out there with heaters that deliver temperatures needed for allergies and proper sanitary washes on certain cycles.

But again, forget believing that any sanitize cycle does that. Tragic.

I should say that I do have allergen cycle that works far above my expectations..however not everyone wants an allergen cycle that heats in the 150'sF...see how messed up Whirlpool has gotton. LOL.

@nerdy - any machine bearing the NSF P351 label has been tested and certified to achieve a minimum 131F and hold it for 3 minutes otherwise it would not carry the label.

Specific models of Electrolux, LG, Samsung, Kenmore, Maytag can reach operating temperatures in excess of 152F. All of those machines carry an NSF P172 label which as @roco, myself, and others has stated is meaningless, as the protocol does NOT specify an operating temperature, but only a significant reduction in carry over bacteria be achieved without introduction of chemical disinfectants. It is left to the manufactuer how to engineer and meet the NSF criteria.

While there is NO guarantee of any operating temperature, for those of us who have actually read the protocol specs and apply a healthy dose of common sense, most if not all manufacturers are meeting that Sanitary P172 protocol using heat (thermal), since the specification prohibits use of any kind of chemical disinfection.

There in lies the confusion of why so many of us have linked that protocol with the 152F temperature, which obviously is the sweet spot for thermal disinfection. While there is no guarantee, there is a very good chance a machine bearing P172 will indeed provide higher operating temperature.

rpsinfoman - thank you so much. I really appreciate that clarification. It helps me understand a little why the Electrolux says it meets P172 protocol (which means nothing in regards to temperature) and then the manual says the door locks between 131-152 degrees. Not sure why it wouldn't just get a P351 certification, but it seems like very few of them have that designation even though they likely meet the standard. My feeling is that since the Electrolux rep claims the Whitest Whites and Heavy Duty cycles get to 152 degrees, I can have confidence that we those machines will do the trick. I like the Allergen cycle on the dryer with those models. Thank you for the more technical advice.

@karskar76 - My Miele has no allergen cycle. But I have verified that the hot is 140F and Sanitize is 156F. Essentially, as you note, the job gets done. BTW Miele has no NSF certification whatsoever.

@ karskar - "Not sure why it wouldn't just get a P351 certification, but it seems like very few of them have that designation even though they likely meet the standard."

It is because the P351 protocol does not address sanitation or carry over bacteria. It is only certified to eliminate dust mites and some other common allergens with a specific temperature and time.

The Electrolux or any other machine certified to P 172 and assuming the manufactuer is meeting that protocol criteria using "thermal" heat; would conclude the higher operating temperature would encompass and exceed the P351 Allergen protocol. There would be no need to obtain certification of both protocols. In the case of the Electrolux, 152F meets and exceeds what is needed for allergen removal, and obviously meets the sanitation criteria of the P172 protocol, otherwise it would not carry the label even though it is not temperature specific. There is an element of trust associated with all these requirments.

@roco - lol. Miele doesn't need certification, it meets and exceeds anything on the market!

On the commercial side of the business, 165 F is the magic number for sanitizing cycles, both for food service and linen operations in nursing homes, etc. note that commercial dishwashers often must certify to 180F.

Query "165F sanitize" and it will lead you to many state and county publications regarding sanitizing temperature requirements.

if you are concerned about the "bugs", use the 165F guideline.

Laundryvet

Unfortunately you're not going find a residential machine capable of achieving those temperatures. The Miele Little Giant is the only stand out in my mind and possibly a few other Euro models.

NSF certification for residential dishwashers is only 155F these days.

My older second hand Miele that I got this summer, off Craigslist in Chicago goes to 190f. Its a set that is like the smaller Miele, but before the change to 120v wiring. This set is a 240v machine. Its a W1918 model and I love it. So there are options out there.

Enduring, what do you know about part replacements for your Miele W1918? I'm asking because I read somewhere on AW that Miele parts for the 1900's series are obsolete. However I don't re as lly understand th is stuff lol.

German law requires that replacement parts are available for 20 years. My 15 y.o. sink faucet needed parts that were ordered from Germany.

Mamas, I have seen parts for sale on eBay. The appliance repair business in Chicago suburb has parts. Borjn was the one who gave me confidence building info before I bought it. He said that he had rebuilt one some years ago and they aren't hard to work on. I'm pretty handy so said what the heck. Also I do recall Rococo saying that parts are available for a long time.

Thank You. ..I had been wondering about this since I read something on AW..actually I think what I read was Miele no longer makes surplus parts for them. But admittedly I don't think I read or understood it all. Lol.

Mamap I should go over to that forum and ask around. I'm counting on multiple years of service from this 1918. Like my old Maytag :)

I believe I have read Miele, like all others has planned obsolescence built into the product. While the parts may be available for a couple decades (maybe), the excessive replacement price and high cost to repair makes replacement a better option. However, it does give the consumer options. Not all Miele laundry enjoy 20 year lifespans. There have been many products failing at 5 years and under. I personally wouldn't invest a whole lot of money in any appliance at the 20 year point, unless of of course you are a collector.

Enduring I'm sure your Miele will provide years of gold service. But it can't hurt to ask over on AW about parts availability. This was just something that had me wondering.