LG dishwasher symbols
10 lights, programmes and buttons that LG shows in its own manual or support pages, each in our own drawing, with the maker’s own name for it next to ours. Tap a symbol for what it does, what to do, where makes differ and every source.
Check your manual — models differ. Two LG dishwashers can carry different programmes, options and lights, and the same drawing can mean different things on different brands; only your model’s manual says exactly what a light or button does on your machine.
Read this first
The source here is one LG Canada help-library article on the dishwasher control panel. Two LG habits to know: the Machine Clean icon flashes every 30 cycles as a reminder (and, on some models, stays lit after a Steam cycle to say the dishes were sanitized), and several LG cycles, Machine Clean, Rinse and Express among them, are started by holding another button for three seconds rather than from a button of their own. LG’s Control Lock locks the buttons but, LG says, “does not lock the door”.
The 10 symbols
Rinse aid refill light (starburst)
Maker’s name: Rinse Aid Icon
Shown in:
- LG Canada — Control Panel Icons and Settings [Dishwasher] (help library article, 02/14/2024), checked 2026-09-29: “Rinse Aid Icon: This icon illuminates when the rinse aid level is low. The LED automatically shuts off when the rinse aid is refilled or the level is set to 0.”
Auto programme (sensor, 45–65°)
Maker’s name: Auto
Shown in:
- LG Canada — Control Panel Icons and Settings [Dishwasher] (help library article, 02/14/2024), checked 2026-09-29: “Auto: This cycle senses the soil amount and soil toughness and is optimized to achieve the best cleaning.”
Intensive programme (pot or pan)
Maker’s name: Heavy
Shown in:
- LG Canada — Control Panel Icons and Settings [Dishwasher] (help library article, 02/14/2024), checked 2026-09-29: “Heavy: This cycle is for heavily soiled dishes and dishes with hardened on soil. This cycle defaults to the strongest spray intensity.”
Glass or delicate programme (wine glass)
Maker’s name: Delicate
Shown in:
- LG Canada — Control Panel Icons and Settings [Dishwasher] (help library article, 02/14/2024), checked 2026-09-29: “Delicate: Use this cycle to clean delicate items such as fine china and stemware.”
Extra dry option (heat waves)
Maker’s name: Extra Dry
Shown in:
- LG Canada — Control Panel Icons and Settings [Dishwasher] (help library article, 02/14/2024), checked 2026-09-29: Express and Turbo have no drying: “Select the Extra Dry and Night Dry option or another cycle for better drying.”
Machine care light (the dishwasher itself)
Maker’s name: Machine Clean icon and cycle
Shown in:
- LG Canada — Control Panel Icons and Settings [Dishwasher] (help library article, 02/14/2024), checked 2026-09-29: “The Machine Clean icon flashes every 30 cycles”; the Machine Clean cycle “is for cleaning the inside of the dishwasher. Use the cycle without dishes in the machine.”
Quick or rapid programme (stopwatch)
Maker’s name: Express
Shown in:
- LG Canada — Control Panel Icons and Settings [Dishwasher] (help library article, 02/14/2024), checked 2026-09-29: “Express: This cycle will quickly clean lightly soiled dishes. This cycle does not have drying.”
Pre-rinse or soak programme (drops over a plate)
Maker’s name: Rinse
Shown in:
- LG Canada — Control Panel Icons and Settings [Dishwasher] (help library article, 02/14/2024), checked 2026-09-29: “Rinse: This cycle is a quick rinse for dishes that will not be washed immediately … No detergent should be used. This cycle does not have drying.”
Child lock or key lock (key)
Maker’s name: Control Lock
Shown in:
- LG Canada — Control Panel Icons and Settings [Dishwasher] (help library article, 02/14/2024), checked 2026-09-29: “Control Lock: The Control Lock feature helps prevent settings from being changed during a cycle … This feature does not lock the door.”
Delay start (clock or hourglass)
Maker’s name: Delay Start
Shown in:
- LG Canada — Control Panel Icons and Settings [Dishwasher] (help library article, 02/14/2024), checked 2026-09-29: “If Delay Start is selected, the display shows the delay time in hours.”
Not listed for LG
The LG documents checked here do not show these dishwasher symbols from this site, so they are left off this page: Salt refill light, Water supply light, Eco programme, Half load, Hygiene or sanitise option, Speed option, Tablet or all-in-one option, Automatic door opening, Light on the floor. That does not mean no LG dishwasher has them — only that no LG manual or support page cited here shows the symbol. If your machine shows one, see all dishwasher symbols by shape.
Other brands
Sources
A symbol is listed here only when one of these LG documents shows it. Each was fetched and read on the date shown; the maker’s names and quotations are the maker’s wording, everything else is ours.
- LG: LG Canada — Control Panel Icons and Settings [Dishwasher] (help library article, 02/14/2024) Checked 2026-09-29.