Miele W1 owners

[tomdawg]

The past few days, I’ve been watching Miele reps, representing the washer and dryer. Interesting, when it comes to capacity, they aren’t claiming it’s that big, but you should separate your laundry as much as possible. My question would be, more smaller loads means more time, right? Or how long does a Miele normal wash cycle take?

Can you wash king size comforters?

I have a growing family. Would it keep up with a family of 5-6 people?

I’m considering Miele, because my pantry/laundry room needs some reconfigurations. Instead of running a gas line and moving the vent. Because I was to stack the machine in order to get more pantry space. I would just have to buy the washer and dryer and use the plug ins where the washer was.

 

[gizmo]

It depends...

It all depends what you are used to and what your expectations are.
Is your current washer front or top loader?
This machine will wash cleaner, gentler, use less energy, spin faster, use less detergent, rinse better than any top loader for sale new in the USA. But it will take longer.
find out load size and compare to what you are using now.

I have a Miele W3831 in Australia. It is rated at 6.5 kg load size, yet it swallows no less than my previous LG that was rated at 7.5 kg. I think Miele are very conservative in their load size ratings, you could probably fit a little more in.

But some people have that personality type that they are going to get angry if the washer takes an hour or more to do a load and don't accept that that is the cost of a gentle yet thorough wash that gets everything clean. Download the instruction manual for the exact model you are considering and check the duration of a standard cottons cycle. If you can't live with that then don't buy the machine. Don't think you can use the "quick wash" cycle to save time - the quick wash and the shorter cycles like delicates are only for small loads, if you use them for a full load the wash won't be clean and will be poorly rinsed too.

 

[henene4]

In the EU, the wisdom was full but not packed.
If you loosely fill it up, no issued will present usually, and you get the best balance between efficency, results and time.

They are in the upper range drum size wise over here, about the biggest you get in a 24" cabinet before balancing becomes an issue again.

5-6 people is tight though IMO.
We were 7 people at some point and had 2 washers slightly smaller.
However, the North America programming is much shorter than ours over here.

I really can't say much about King size and such, verry much depends on what kind and quality of comforter.
I have a 155*220cm verry thin comforter that would fill the tub maybe half?
Dunno what King size is, but I would guess 220*220cm? About 7 Something feet in either direction?
If it's not super thick probably.
Drying will take time though.

But then again: how often do you run such loads?
Even we visit the laundromat every year once to wash some old sheeps fleece blankets that were just to heavy for even our simmilarly sized washers.

What I'm trying to say is that it will be quite a change.
You will have to adapt if you go that Road.

If you get a model with the QuickIntense System you will get away with bigger loads in less time and have better luck with bulky items.

The dryer will be your bottleneck (about 1 1/2h per load) and will produce entirely different results to any vented normal size dryer.

Really, I can't say it wouldn't Work, but I can't warrant you will be happy...

 

[chachp]

I have a set on order

 

<span style="font-family: 'American Typewriter', serif;">I have a W1 washer and T1 dryer on order.  Should have them in a couple of weeks.  I am doing to my laundry room what is sounds like you’re doing with your pantry.  I want a stacked unit and the space I have won’t accommodate our enormous Samsung set.  For the space I have, we need a compact stacked set. </span>

<span style="font-family: 'American Typewriter', serif;"> </span>

<span style="font-family: 'American Typewriter', serif;">I did a lot of research and settled on the Miele set for a number of reasons.  As far as how much they hold and whether or not they will accommodate your family not only depends on the size of the drum but your laundry habits.  Do you wait and do all the laundry in one day or do you do a load or two a day?  For years I have had the habit of doing a load a day, maybe two, so if the washer runs longer it doesn’t matter all that much.  As far as drying is concerned, do you put the dryer on high heat, jam packed full of stuff and expect it to be done in less than an hour?  I have always run my dryer on the lowest setting (with only a couple of exceptions) because I think it’s better on the clothes.  My dryer now takes upwards of 1.5 to 2 hours to dry a load because I set it so low so moving to a heat pump dryer will likely not change things all that much.</span>

<span style="font-family: 'American Typewriter', serif;"> </span>

<span style="font-family: 'American Typewriter', serif;">My expectation for this new set is very clean clothes spun faster than what I have today and a dryer cycle that I am used to.  </span>

<span style="font-family: 'American Typewriter', serif;"> </span>

<span style="font-family: 'American Typewriter', serif;">My opinion is if you do a load or two a day you likely won’t have an issue with the Miele set.  If you’re used to doing all the laundry in one day you probably want a larger set with a shorter wash and dry times.</span>

 

[Marky_Mark]

Hi Tom

 

I've had a Miele W1 & T1 set for about 6 years.  I had a nice chat with Ralph (chachp) when he was making his decision to buy the Miele set.  From what I understand of Ralph's laundry routine, I feel the Miele set should suit him very well.  

 

As for you, Tom, would you be happy to spread your laundry out over the week?  If so, then cycle time and capacity will be less important and the Miele set may work well for you.  Or do you want to save up all the laundry from a family of 5 or 6 people and wash the whole lot in quick succession on a Saturday morning?  In which case, I would recommend a full-size set rather than the Miele if you are looking for the largest capacity and shortest cycle times.

 

As for cycle times, it's hard to say without knowing what your laundry loads look like and what cycles you would choose.  But I would probably allow somewhere around 60-90 minutes for the washer and typically at least the same again for the dryer, give or take.  The dryer is certainly slower than a full-size vented dryer, but as the W1 can spin your towels at 1,600 RPM this makes up for the dryer's slowness to an extent compared to a traditional TL set spinning at ~700 RPM.  

 

I have an American kingsize conformer, but I imagine that they do come in very different thicknesses.  I don't know how bulky yours is, but mine is fairly thick and I can just about squash it into the W1.  Really, the machine is overloaded, but it does wash it.  It fits in the dryer easily but does fill the dryer drum completely.  It needs to be turned once or twice during drying.  As the Miele heat pump dryer does not have a heater as such (heat is generated as a result of operating the heat pump in a closed circuit) the temperatures in the dryer is very even and there is no hot spot at the back of the drum.  So I can dry the comforter without fear of damage, even though it is permanently in contact with the rear of the drum.  It dries fine but is emerges very creased, but that isn't a problem for me as I use it like a duvet inside a duvet cover.

 

So I would be hesitant to recommend the Miele set to you without knowing more about your laundry habits and expectations.  

 

Mark

 

[lakewebsterkid]

W1 for a family of 5

We are a family of 3, and we have 2 loads for uniforms/work clothes alone. We typically do 8 or 9 loads of laundry per week. Our Duet is 3.9 cu. ft. ICU. If we had a W1, I would imagine that the number of loads we would be doing per week would nearly double to around 15. If you guys are willing to do multiple loads per day, I do think it will be a good investment due to the performance and flexibility of these machines. However, if you tend to procrastinate or just mix loads together any ways, I do not agree with buying one.

 

[jkbff]

You'd think I'd know this, since we carry them, but I've never actually had a w1 set here.

Do the w1's have a recirculation spray

I know the electrolux compact's do have one like the 627, and I'd say that might help move things along faster. Just throwing it out there though.

 

[tomdawg]

My current washer is a Maytag Neptune- 3.3cu ft
I wash about 12-16 loads depending on what I do for work- I have a window cleaning business and wash a lot of towels and microfiber pads. Probably 5-7 loads a week.

I typically do smaller loads anyways- probably 1/2 to 3/4 full.. I feel the load gets cleaner. I wash the kids clothes separately from my wife and I. Not to mention I separate my work clothes from my normal clothes. I would say the only time I ever fill up the Neptune full, not packed, is towels and a certain load of darks that tend to be one load. So load size right now isn’t a problem. It’s more in the future because we want 1 or two more kids. We are currently at 2 kids.
I just wanted to know, if some of you guys that have larger families or more people in a household, feel that it’s a tad too small. Sounds like it could go either way. I can see myself not regularly doing laundry and all the sudden have a lot. So a larger capacity might be nice. It’s either Miele or the new LG Washer that is supposed to come out this summer wm4500

It’s nice to know it could wash a king size comforter- especially with the dryer, knowing it won’t scorch the load with its heat pump technology.

Thank you guys for all the info. Really helps figure out what to expect in a compact washer. I wish I could do a trial run!

 

[combo52]

Great Thread

I always love it when someone asks for opinions on AW and all the responses are different and very good.

 

I will add one more possibility great choice for your family.

 

If you need a stack to save space and have a lot of laundry to do for a long time into the future a Speed Queen Gas or electric stack may be your best choice. It is only 3" wider and about 2" deeper than the Miele machines, and it is about the same cost as the Miele pair.

 

They are far larger and do the job in about 1/2 the time all while lasting at least twice as long and best of all they are simple to service possibly even by the owner., The SQ machines should still be going strong when all three kids are through college.

 

A really nice customer of ours on Capital Hill in DC had a 24" WP built top load 240 volt stack that was around 3-5 years old. It is a young couple with one child and he always hated this small machine with its limited washing and drying capacity. It was installed in a fairly large powder room on the first floor, it was selected because the door was only about 24" wide.

 

He said he would love a real washer-dryer like he remembered growing up in Michigan, so I suggested a full sized SQ stack in gas. We took them apart to deliver and passed them through a large window into the PR. He had a plumber run the gas and we installed the machines and needless to say they are always looking for laundry to wash even washing comforters for neighbors etc.

 

John L.

 

[sudsmaster]

Bear in mind when comparing washer capacity is that there are at least two different measuring standards. There's the IEC method, which uses the volume of a top loader that would be required to wash a full load in a front loader. Then there's the DOE method, which measures the actual volume of the front loader drum.

Hope I got that right.

My own experience is that the Miele 1918 washer I have holds nearly as much laundry as the Neptune 7500 front load washer.

YMMV

 

[askolover]

My Miele w1986 will wash 100% cotton king-sized quilts no problem.  Comforters depends on the puffiness factor.  I just ran a load of 4 scrub jackets, 4 scrub tops, 4 Tshirts, 4 scrub pants, 4 masks, plus hubbies shorts and T shirts from the past 4 days and had room to spare.  There are only two of us, but we don't let laundry pile up except during my work stretch when I let all my uniforms accumulate to be done all at once.  My Asko is quite a bit smaller than the Miele but we never had any issues with its capacity either. 

 

[tomdawg]

Reply to sudsmaster

That’s good to know that your Miele holds as much as a Neptune in your experience!
Do you know if the 1918 is smaller than the new w1’s? Or is the 1918 a w1? I’m not as familiar with Miele products like I am with American/Maytag products. I thought I read, 1918 is 5kg and the w1 is 6kg not sure- asking the experts on here!

I couldn’t agree more, i believe IEC and DOE is a joke. They really don’t play a factor on how much they really can hold. I’ve watch many front loaders being filled to the brim and struggle to handle at balancing and cleaning.

 

[henene4]

The W1 is definetly larger than the W1918. Should be like 10-15l drum volume more or so, that's like half a cubic foot? Maybe a third....

The W1918 is a Novotronic machine, so early 2000s at it's latest.

The W1 should probably have the same drum volume roughly as the deeper Mieles of that generation (any W19x6 model).
The W1 has a larger diameter drum that is shorter since it has a far more advanced motor controler and thus better sensing and balancing.

Also, the W1 is rated for more laundry (8kg) over here, but how much that actually matters is another question.
Idea is better wash rhythms, improofed drum design and better balancing allows for that.
Sone models even have a recirculation pump which makes larger loads more manageble.

 

[johnbee]

Miele FL vs Standard TL

I own a w3033 and a T1 heatpump dryer, and believe it or not I can fit the same amount of clothes as the Frigidaire (3.2 cf)
So, in the Frigidaire if I try to make a full load either everything will come out dirty or damaged. I called Frigidaire and the advice was not to load the washer more than 3/4 of the drum.

Now, the Miele. Ha.
I was able to fit a king size comforter. Not very thick but still king size which had a stain from my dog.
Everything came out clean without any issues.
Same comforter in the Frigidaire was a disaster. The machine was not able to balance.

So here're my thoughts.
W1 is bigger than w3033 so you should be fine.
A FULL load of towels will take about 1 hour to wash and about 1hour + to dry
A FULL load in w3033 is 7 bath towels, wash clothes kitchen towels and more.
You can fill up the drum , push the clothes and add more. Miele advices that you should have enough space to place your fist on the top of the clothes.

We're a family of 2 with 2 dogs and an airbnb rental, doing about 5 loads a week and we're just fine.

 

[sudsmaster]

Um, I said the Miele 1918 holds NEARLY as much as the Neptune.

 

Not the same amount.

 

The Neptune holds more. How much more? I dunno.

 

 

[sudsmaster]

When it come to comparing washer capacities, it may be important to know how they are being measured.

 

In terms of volume, the IEC and DOE standards are different. As far as I can determine, the IEC standard measures the capacity of a front loader based on what size top loader with agitator would be required to wash the same load. The DOE standard is more of a direct representation of the actual volume of the front loader drum. Things get complicated further when one considers that a tilted drum (common in many larger machines) will effectively wash less volume than a drum that is not tilted.

 

AFAIK, the actual size of the Neptune drum is about 2.9 cu ft. But, since the drum is tilted back, the effective volume may be less.

 

Complicating all this is that the Europeans tend to measure washer capacity not by volume, but by weight. So it gets even more obscure when it comes to comparing A to B.

 

YMMV

 

[jerrod_six]

I have the W1 860 since last January, but not a family of 5. The length of time for a cycle will depend on the size of the load you are doing and the cycle you select, so the machine may start out with an estimated time, that gets reduced by 20-30 minutes if it is not completely full, Also depends on the number of rinses you do.

No problem getting them clean because many cycles use enough water to get them clean and well rinsed. Mine has the recirculation pump(another pump the size of the drain pump) and depending on the soil level will spray the close many times while tumbling at a good speed. Mine also has options for times when you want to wash 1 or 2 items or less than 2 pounds. It's named Single Wash. It will wash in 30 minutes or a bit longer if you do 3 rinses. It has an express cycle for 8 pounds which lasts 30 minutes or 21 minutes for light soil.

It has a cycle for Baby Clothes. I use this for heavily soiled cotton and many times I do all of my loads using this cycle. It defaults to 3 rinses and is a bit more intensive than the Normal cycle and it uses more water and heats better than normal since that is the Energy Saver cycle.

You have an option for a Max rinse in the settings. This will cause all rinses to be high-level water giving a deeper rinse to make sure detergent is rinsed off. I can't speak to the kind comforter, but I wash my poly-filler comforter in it and it comes out well cleaned and rinsed.

I do tend to sort my clothes by color family but maybe I don't have to do it so much, but I do since I can see dye transfer when the water is pumped out into the laundry sink. Seems like cotton does this more than poly or other material.

The sanitize cycle uses a 167F temperature which is nice to have, not for germs, but this temp really removes stains from cotton towels I use in the kitchen or heavily soiled items. This model can use Miele detergent canisters or you can use your own detergent. I mix it up but always use the Miele detergent for whites because one canister contains detergent, the other contains a higher % level hydrogen peroxide and the machine mixes these two together in the wash to handle things like stains.

You should go to the Miele web site and download the user manual for the models you may be interested in. Read them, look at the cycles each has to get a better idea of what you might want.

 

[brisnat81]

I have a 7.5kg W1 and a 6.5kg W3933, Plus a Duet Sport.

Our normal weekly Darks load was always too much for the W3933, you had to pack it in to get it to fit. In the Duet Sport, it 3/4 fills the tub.

In the W1, it fits comfortably, with some room left over. The Drum in the W1 model, basically fills the cabinet, there's very little space, between the drum and the cabinet, even compared to the W3933.

I would look at a Powerwash model, Generally I put most things through a Cottons cycle, however for smaller loads or when I'm in a hurry, I'll run the powerwash cycle which churns things out in about 50ish minutes.

 

[tomdawg]

Looked at compact machines

I didn’t find a Miele as the sales guy said that it was sold just two days ago, but they told me, bosch had a similar capacity. They had an asko set as well, one with towels in it. I was able to see how full the bosch was. 14 thin bath towels fit comfortably in the bosch with plenty of room to spare. A whirlpool front loader was across from it and it filled it about 2/3 way up. I did have a whirlpool duet 2015 model and I never filled it all the way up. I felt in didn’t get as clean. Still, I would like to see a Miele.

I don’t see in the manuals of number of rinses, but I see on this thread and on YouTube that you can control how many rinses on the Miele?