We all know that the best way to ensure your dishes leave the dishwasher sparkling clean is by selecting the best dishwasher cycle.
However, the cycle you decide to use can be influenced by several factors such as how soiled the dishes are, the temperature sensitivity of the dishes, the load size, how much time you have, and so on.
This means that there’s no one cycle for all your cleaning needs.
That being so, in this Miele dishwasher cycles explained guide, I shall tell you all there is to know about the different cycles… We shall see when to use them, their wash & rinse temperatures, water & energy consumption, and much more.
Miele dishwasher cycles explained
Before we dive in, let me mention that when I talk about energy consumption with a hot water supply, it will include the energy used to heat the water.
One more thing, the amount of water used might vary from one model to the other – some models require more water than others.
The Normal cycle
This is inarguably the most common dishwashing cycle and it’s perfect for washing daily use utensils.
Pro tip: This wash cycle can adjust its water and energy consumption based on the dishes’ soil load.
And, this makes it excellent for washing different dish types at the same time.
Once you select this wash cycle, here’s the program sequence it runs through to clean your dishes:
Pre-wash → Main wash → Interim rinse → Final rinse → Drying
Another thing: During the main wash part, the Normal wash cycle will heat the water to 140-158⁰F and use water heated to 133-149⁰F for the final rinse.
How long does it take for the Normal wash cycle to finish (with no extra options chosen)?
On average, if the water flowing to the dishwasher is cold (50⁰F), it will take around 3 hours and 4 minutes for this cycle to finish.
However, if the water going to the dishwasher is hot (120⁰F), it will take around 2 hours and 43 minutes for the cycle to complete.
Normal wash cycle energy and water consumption (without options)
- Water consumption: Uses around 3.2 gallons
- Energy consumption: Uses 1.06 kWh for cold water (50⁰F) and 20 kWh for hot water (120⁰F).
Miele dishwasher Quick Intense wash program (the Express cycle)
Commonly known as the Quick program, this cycle is best for washing dishes if the soils have not dried on.
And just like its name suggests, this cycle is the quickest dishwasher cycle – it completes in around 1 hour.
This is because when you run this cycle, it will not go through the pre-wash part of the program. Instead, it will go through this wash sequence:
Main wash → Interim rinse → Final rinse → Drying
How long does the Quick cycle time take (no extra options chosen)?
When using cold water (50⁰F), the quick cycle will take around 1 hour and 13 minutes to finish.
On the other hand, it will complete in around 58 minutes if you are using hot water (120⁰F).
How much energy & water does the Quick cycle use?
- Water consumption: Around 2.9 gallons
- Energy consumption:10 kWh for cold water (50⁰F) and 1.55 kWh for hot water (120⁰F).
The Pots & Pans cycle
The Pots & Pans cycle is best for washing heavily soiled dishes and normally soiled pans & pots.
The cycle is also a good option if you have utensils that have dried-on residue.
Having said that, this cycle will use around 20% more detergent thereby ensuring thorough cleaning.
Usually, the Pots & Pans cycle will go through the following program sequence when running:
Pre-wash → Main wash → Interim rinse → Final rinse → Drying
One more thing: The Pots & Pans dishwashing cycle will heat the water for the main wash to around 167⁰F and around 131-158⁰F for the final rinse cycle.
Miele Pots & Pans dishwashing cycle wash time (no extra options selected)
If you’ve connected your dishwasher to cold water (50⁰F), this cycle will complete in around 3 hours 29 minutes.
On the other hand, if it’s connected to hot water (120⁰F), the cycle will take around 3 hours 11 minutes.
Miele Pots & Pans dishwashing cycle water and power consumption (when no extra options are chosen)
- Water usage: Around 3.4 gallons
- Energy consumption:40 kWh for cold water (50⁰F) and 1.55 kWh for hot water (120⁰F).
The China & Crystal wash cycle
Normally, you should use the China and Crystal cycle for washing temperature-sensitive glassware and other lightly soiled dishes.
Pro tip: The reason why it’s suitable for lightly soiled dishes is because it uses 50% of the recommended detergent.
Once you select the China & Crystal cycle, it will go through this program sequence:
Pre-wash → Main wash → Interim rinse → Final rinse → Drying
Something else: During the main wash portion, this cycle will heat the water to around 113⁰F. As for the final rinse part, the cycle will heat the rinsing water to around 131-158⁰F.
China & Crystal dishwashing cycle time (if no extra options are chosen)
This cycle will finish in around 2 hours 45 minutes if you are using cold water (50⁰F) and around 2 hours 25 minutes when using hot water (120⁰F).
Energy and water consumption for China & Crystal cycle
- Energy consumption: 90 kWh for cold water (50⁰F) and 1.05 kWh for hot water (120⁰F).
- Water consumption: Approximately 3.3 gallons
The SaniWash cycle
Commonly known as the Sanitize cycle, the SaniWash cycle is best suitable for sanitizing sensitive dishware such as cutting boards, baby bottles, and preparation dishes.
This is because it heats water to quite high temperatures (167⁰F) both for the main wash and the final rinse.
Speaking of wash portions, it’s good to know that the SaniWash cycle does not run through the pre-wash program sequence.
That said, here’s is the SaniWash’s cycle program sequence:
Main wash → Interim rinse → Final rinse → Drying
How long does it take the SaniWash cycle to complete with no extra options?
On average, the cycle will take around 2 hours 43 minutes for cold water (50⁰F) and 2 hours 27 minutes when using hot water (120⁰F).
How much water and energy does the SaniWash cycle use?
- Water usage: Around 2.4 gallons
- Energy usage:45 kWh when using cold water (50⁰F) and 1.55 when using hot water (120⁰F).
Rinse & hold cycle
This is the shortest cycle in Miele dishwashers (though we don’t really consider it a wash cycle since it doesn’t remove soils).
You see, you can only use this cycle when you need to rinse dishes as it only runs the pre-wash program and then stops.
How long does the Rinse & Hold cycle take?
Unlike the other cycles, the Rinse & Hold cycle will finish in around 21 minutes irrespective of the water temperature.
Water and energy consumption for the Rinse & Hold cycle
- Water consumption: 1 gallons
- Energy consumption: 1 kWh for cold water (50⁰F) and 0.15 kWh when using hot water (120⁰F).
Miele dishwasher cycles explained – more dishwashing cycles
Pro tip: The dishwashing cycles we are about to see below are not available in all Miele dishwashers.
The Energy Saver wash cycle
This cycle is best for washing light to normally soiled dishes.
In addition, for this program to run, it’s important you make sure that your dishwasher is connected to warm water (at least 115⁰F).
During the washing and rinsing portions of the cycle, the dishwasher will not heat the water anymore.
As such, for your dishes to dry well when using this cycle, it’s advisable you slightly open the dishwasher door after the cycle (around 2-3”).
One more thing, the Energy Saver cycle will consume approximately 0.20 kWh of electricity.
The Hygiene wash cycle
This cycle is a little bit similar to the SaniWash cycle.
It’s best for washing baby bottles, chopping boards, and other dishes you might want to keep thoroughly clean and bacteria-free.
The SolarSave wash cycle
This cycle is ideal if your house uses heated water supplied by a heat pump, solar-thermal panels, or gas/oil central heating.
This is because the cycle does not reheat the water entering the dishwasher.
And, this results in extremely low electricity consumption (0.05 kWh) by your dishwasher.
Eco dishwashing cycle
This cycle is extremely economical when it comes to water and energy consumption.
This makes the cycle suitable for cleaning a mixed load of normally soiled dishes.
ExtraQuiet dishwashing cycle
When you select this wash cycle, your dishwasher will run so quietly (around 38 decibels) that it’s almost imperceptible.
This makes the cycle ideal for running if you have an open-plan kitchen or when washing dishes at night.
With that in mind, the cycle is best for cleaning mixed loads with slightly dried-on food residue.
Final thoughts on Miele dishwasher cycles explained
As you have seen, there’s no winner (or loser) when it comes to the different dishwashing cycles.
Instead, it depends on what you want to clean since each cycle is suited for washing specific dishes.
For instance, when cleaning baby bottles, the SaniWash cycle is the best just like the China & Crystal cycle is best for cleaning glassware.
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