Soak cycle first, then Pre-Wash...a spin and Refill for main wash from there....
It really depends of the soiling and staining of the load being washed. Maytag did it two different ways and each has their own advantage.
The 806 version, as Ben listed, was a pre-wash followed by a, spin, refill, momentary agitation, soak, then carried on with the regular cycle.
Beginning with the 10 Series machines in 1980, the machine fills and alternates agitating and soaking, then continues into the regular cycle without a water change.
With an exceptionally dirty load, the 806 version produces superior results. This happens to be the program I fancy. The prewash gets the majority of the dirt/grime out in the first 4 minutes of agitation then spins and out dumps it down the drain. Detergent is added again and the soaking process begins in much cleaner water after a brief 1 minute agitation period before continuing on through the regular cycle.
The 10+ Series soak cycle has an advantage over the 806 version if the load is relatively clean but one is just soaking out stains. Otherwise, the load is wallowing in its own filth for nearly 30 minutes.
