Did you use a tub cleaning product on the Clean Machine cycles, such as Affresh or Lemishine (citric acid) powder? Don't use Tide Washer Cleaner, it makes tons of suds.

What temperature is used for the wash cycle? Temps below that needed to re-liquify/suspend oils may mean they are not properly removed. Rinses are in cold so if the main wash doesnt get hot enough oils may remain.

Try Tide in the drawer and see if the same thing happens. I dispense 29ml of Tide, but have medium/hard water. It works good for us.

@dadoes, I did not use any special cleaning agent, just the Clean Machine cycle. I believe it uses the TwinDos detergent and steam to clean.

@luna123456, I use cold for most cycles. My understanding is that low detergent with low temps is ok if water is soft, it will still rinse. At least that is how every other washing machine I've own has worked. Do you use warm for most things?

Thank you - I will try Tide! Probably dial it back to ~15ml since I have pretty soft water.

I cant help but wonder if the "pretty soft water" is a major factor.

I agree with Luna that the cold water washing is the primary cause of your issue. I also used the Ultra Phase Sensitive formula and it is excellent but very concentrated. My water is similar to Luna's and got excellent wash results with the Phase 1 set to 17 ml and the Phase 2 set to 13. Try dialing down your dosage and washing in warmer water (105F) to see if that makes a difference.

You need to use a washer cleaning product when you use the Clean Machine function--TwinDos is not dispensed. Use Affresh or Lemi Shiine.

@Cavimum, both the Miele test strip and independently purchased strips indicate the lowest level of hardness. According to my water agency, the mineral content averages 32ppm, which looks to be on the very-to-mid level of softness. From what I've read, that means that I should use less detergent than average. Do you think that's part of the problem?

@luna123456, thank you, I will definitely read more about using warmer water! What's puzzling though is that I did not have this "oily" problem with previous washing machines, which I used to wash in cold as well. Perhaps Miele detergent efficacy is more sensitive to water temperature than other detergents?

@littlegreeny, thank you, good to know! I've hesitated to use third-party cleaners/agents since Miele seems so particular about using their products, ha. Do you just put the Affresh tablet in the drum?

I will try lower dose/higher temp!

@cybergripe, Yes, put it right in the drum.

Don't be afraid to use different products in your washer. Miele detergents are very expensive so I've been refilling mine with Tide Ultra Stain Release Free (available at Target) or Tide Free & Gentle for the Phase 1 and Ecover non-chlorine bleach for the Phase 2 and get results that are comparable to using Miele's detergent.

@littlegreeny Thanks again! Do you have any tips on how to refill the cartridges? I tried using a plastic spoon to hold the stopper open and managed to get about 1" into it. But more ended up spilled, haha.

You need a funnel. I bought a set from Amazon.

I tried using a funnel but the detergent wouldn't drain into the cartridge. It passed through the funnel into a cup so viscosity isn't the issue. The neck on your funnel looks longer than the one I was using, perhaps it wasn't holding the stopper open enough. I will get a longer one!

Try using a funnel with a smaller spout.

I forgot to mention do not overfill the cartridge. Only fill about 3/4 full to allow the air valve to work correctly.

The things we can't see over the internet when we talk about detergent dosing are someone else's machine capacity, size of their average laundry load, level of "dirty" on that laundry, and soft/hard water quality.

I suspect dosing might be part (or all) of the issue. You mention in your OP that your water is soft and averages 32 ppm. IIRC, Miele detergents are formulated in Europe, where water generally runs hard to very hard, IIRC.

My current SQ FL has a 3.5 cu ft capacity. I rarely fill the machine 3/4 full with laundry; usually more like 1/2 to 3/4 full. Our average water hardness is 90 ppm per the 2020 city report. I never use more than half of whatever the detergent package recommends for a 3/4 full load. Usually loads are smaller so even less than that is used. Our clothes generally aren't very dirty, except for hubby's golf clothing that is quite sweaty and grimy with sunscreen on the collars and shorts hems and pockets, which get a half-dose. Everything gets less than a half-dose.

Currently, the water here is running softer (we had over 7" rain in July and water supply is sourced from a local large river) and I'm using even less detergent, based on the small pile of suds I see in the gasket after the final spin (I'm retired and have the time to look...LOL) even though there are no visible suds in the wash or rinse water. On small loads (half-full or less), I'm currently using a teaspoon (5 ml) of detergent. And our water has 3x the ppm that yours has.

Your machine, at 2.5 cu ft, is even smaller than mine, so dosing might be part (or all) of the problem, IMHO. Using a detergent you've used in the past will help, I think, because you know it.

I find this thread really interesting. I am intrigued by what seems to be common usage of liquid products. My MIL uses liquid in her Miele; she does leave the door open when it is not in use. I notice the smell in the detergent drawer is not fresh but not necessarily mildew laden. The machine has a heater and all the usual cycles Miele is well known for, but I don't know how often she uses a Hot wash. When I saw littlegreeney's bottle of Tide that includes Downey I was envious, but I just can't use liquid. Very interesting indeed this thread.

@littlegreeny, I think I found the funnels you have and look forward to trying them. Will not fill the cartridges too full ... at <5mL/load even a half-filled cartridge will last a long time!

Also, I ran a Clean Machine cycle with Lemi Shine - makes such a difference! Thanks for all your tips!

@Cavimum, all good points! Maybe it's not surprising that I'm having trouble threading the needle, given that my circumstances are out of step with what all of this was designed to support.

Tonight, I tried a load using 7ml of my "old" detergent. With only ~0.5 gallon of water in the drum, that was far too much. I'm going to drop back to 2ml. Hopefully a combination of dosage change and detergent change will do the trick.

Thanks for your note! I'm jealous of your observation time :-)

For what it's worth: Germany and thus German brands, define water hardness as soft being below 8 grains per gallon, medium is below 14 grains per gallon and hard is above 14 grains per gallon.

To clarify, I'm referring to boxes of Persil from Germany for example. I suppose American Persil does not stick to our German rating system.