Machine care light (the dishwasher itself)
The machine reminds you to clean its inside — grease and limescale in the tub, spray arms and pipes — by running a hot cleaning programme with the dishwasher empty.
What to do when it lights up
Clean the filters and spray arms first (AEG), then put a dishwasher cleaner or descaler in as its pack says and run the Machine Care or self-clean programme with no dishes inside. Bosch and AEG turn the light off by themselves when the programme has run. Beko suggests its InnerClean every 1–2 months; Miele suggests Intensive 75 °C once a month if you switch its hygiene reminder off.
What it does not mean
It is not a fault code and does not mean the machine is broken, and it is not a filter warning — the filters still need cleaning by hand. Never run it with dishes inside: Beko warns the high temperature is harmful for them.
Makes differ, check your dishwasher’s manual: the same drawing can mean different things on different brands, and only your model’s manual says exactly what a light means and which programmes an option works with.
- What it looks like
- On AEG a square box — the machine — with a sparkle; other makes print Machine Care or Self Clean. Hotpoint uses a separate DESCALE light and the code dES.
- Names makers use
- Machine Care indicator and programme (Bosch, AEG); Self Clean programme and DESCALE light (Hotpoint); InnerClean programme (Beko); Hygiene info message (Miele)
Where makers differ
AEG lights it when the appliance senses the need; Miele shows its message after several low-temperature programmes. Hotpoint’s DESCALE is stricter: if you ignore it, the machine allows only a set number of cycles and then blocks everything except Self Clean until it is descaled.
Other symbols with the same shapes
Sources
No single published standard defines dishwasher panel icons, so this meaning is taken from the manuals of 5 different maker groups (Bosch, AEG, Hotpoint, Beko, Miele), each fetched and read on the date shown:
- Bosch: Bosch — User manual, dishwasher SMV4HVX32E (PDF) — “Run the Machine Care programme if the indicator for Machine Care lights up on the control panel”; Machine Care 70 °C, “Only when using unloaded appliance”; the indicator goes out automatically after Machine Care is run. Checked 2026-09-26.
- AEG: AEG — User manual, dishwasher FSK52917Z (PDF, Electrolux media library) — “Machine Care indicator. It is on when the appliance needs internal cleaning with the Machine Care programme”; “When the appliance senses the need for cleaning, the indicator is on … Before starting … clean the filters and spray arms.” Checked 2026-09-26.
- Hotpoint: Hotpoint — Dishwasher Daily Reference Guide, 15 place settings with 3D Zone Wash and ActiveDry (PDF, 05/2023) — DESCALE alarm: limescale detected; use a descaling product with Self-Clean; if no action is taken the appliance allows a limited number of cycles and is then “BLOCKED … with only the Self-Clean program available.” Checked 2026-09-26.
- Beko: Beko — Dishwasher user’s manual, BDEN38640FG / BDEN38530FX (PDF) — InnerClean: “recommended to be operated on each 1-2 months for machine cleaning and necessary hygiene … operated while the machine is empty … it is harmful for the dishes.” Checked 2026-09-26.
- Miele: Miele — Operating instructions, dishwashers with touch display, M.-Nr. 11 831 681 (PDF) — Hygiene cycle setting: a message recommends a high-temperature programme after several low-temperature programmes; if deactivated, “run the Intensive 75 °C programme once per month.” Checked 2026-09-26.
Written in our own words; quotations are the makers’ wording.