Quick or rapid programme (stopwatch)
A short programme for a small or lightly soiled load with fresh, not dried-on, food — usually 30 to 60 minutes.
What the manuals say to do
Use it straight after a meal for lightly used plates and glasses. Hotpoint and Whirlpool say the 30–40 minute version has no drying phase, so open the door to let the load air-dry; Whirlpool recommends it for a half load. AEG’s Quick runs 30 minutes at 50 °C.
What it does not mean
It does not dry the dishes on many machines (Hotpoint Rapid 45°, Whirlpool Rapid 30’), and it is not meant for dried-on food. It also does not save energy compared with Eco — it trades time for energy, not the other way round.
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
- A stopwatch or clock with speed lines, often with 30’ or 1h beside it.
- Names makers use
- Express 65° – 1h (Bosch); Quick, 30 min (AEG); Rapid 45° (Hotpoint); Rapid 30’ (Whirlpool); Mini 30’ (Beko); QuickPowerWash 65 °C (Miele)
Where makers differ
Lengths and temperatures vary a lot: Beko Mini 30’ at 35 °C, AEG Quick 30 min at 50 °C, Hotpoint Rapid 45° 30–40 min, Bosch Express 65° in 1 h with drying, Miele QuickPowerWash 65 °C under an hour. The speed option that shortens another programme has its own page.
Often confused with
An option that shortens the programme you have chosen, by washing hotter or harder, at the cost of more energy and water.
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 (AEG, Hotpoint, Bosch, Beko, Miele), each fetched and read on the date shown:
- AEG: AEG — User manual, dishwasher FSK52917Z (PDF, Electrolux media library) — “Quick is the shortest programme (30min) suitable for washing a load with fresh and light soil.” Wash 50 °C, final rinse 45 °C. Checked 2026-09-26.
- Hotpoint: Hotpoint — Dishwasher Daily Reference Guide, 15 place settings with 3D Zone Wash and ActiveDry (PDF, 05/2023) — “Rapid 45° – Program is recommended for limited amount of lightly-soiled dishes with no dried food residues. Does not include the drying phase.” 0:30–0:40 h. Checked 2026-09-26.
- Bosch: Bosch — User manual, dishwasher SMV4HVX32E (PDF) — Express 65° – 1h: “Time-optimised: Cleaning 65 °C, Intermediate rinse, Final rinse 69 °C, Drying” for lightly dried-on household food remnants. Checked 2026-09-26.
- Beko: Beko — Dishwasher instruction manual, GB booklet with child lock, half load and combi tablet (PDF) — Programme 2 “Mini 30’”, 35 °C, for dessert and coffee dishes with food leftovers that are not dried on; degree of soiling: few. Checked 2026-09-26.
- Miele: Miele — Operating instructions, dishwashers with touch display, M.-Nr. 11 831 681 (PDF) — QuickPowerWash 65 °C: “Short programme taking less than an hour” for mixed crockery with lightly dried-on normal food deposits. Checked 2026-09-26.
Written in our own words; quotations are the makers’ wording.