Bosch, Neff and Siemens washing machine symbols
21 symbols that Bosch 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, where makes differ and every source.
Check your manual — models differ. Two Bosch, Neff and Siemens machines can carry different sets of symbols, and the same drawing can mean different things on different brands; only your model’s manual says exactly what a programme or light does on your machine.
Read this first
Bosch, Neff and Siemens are all BSH brands. Bosch’s two UK guides, one for washing machines and one for tumble dryers, draw more display symbols than any other maker checked here, and include the detergent drawer: I is prewash detergent, II main-wash detergent and the flower fabric softener. Bosch names to know: Intensive Plus extends the programme “by up to 30 minutes”, and on a Bosch dryer the clock with a circling arrow is Ready in time, a delayed finish. No Neff- or Siemens-branded laundry guide has been checked yet, so on those machines confirm in your manual.
The 21 symbols
Prewash
Maker’s name: Prewash
Shown in:
- Bosch Home UK — Washing machine symbols guide, checked 2026-09-25: Prewash symbol (a tub with a single vertical line): “A low temperature cycle before the main wash. Ideal for washing heavily soiled laundry.”
Soak
Maker’s name: Soaking
Shown in:
- Bosch Home UK — Washing machine symbols guide, checked 2026-09-25: Soaking symbol (a tub with a low wavy line): “Before the main wash cycle starts, the laundry remains in the water for longer.”
Rinse
Maker’s name: Rinse
Shown in:
- Bosch Home UK — Washing machine symbols guide, checked 2026-09-25: Rinse symbol (a tub full of wavy water): “The programme process is shown as rinsing.”
Extra rinse
Maker’s name: Extra rinse
Shown in:
- Bosch Home UK — Washing machine symbols guide, checked 2026-09-25: Extra rinse symbol (tub of water with a plus): “Up to three additional rinse cycles can be activated or deactivated.”
Spin
Maker’s name: Spin speed
Shown in:
- Bosch Home UK — Washing machine symbols guide, checked 2026-09-25: Spin speed symbol (a spiral): “The programme is shown as spinning. You can change the spin speed before and during the programme.”
Iron: easy iron (washer) or iron dry (dryer)
Maker’s name: Easy iron (washer); Iron dry (dryer)
Shown in:
- Bosch Home UK — Washing machine symbols guide, checked 2026-09-25: Easy iron symbol (a plain iron): “Reduces creasing in the laundry by adapting the spin cycle and the spin speed.”
- Bosch Home UK — Tumble dryer symbols and settings, checked 2026-09-25: Dryer display: Iron dry symbol (an iron) — the laundry remains slightly damp after drying, suitable for ironing.
Intensive
Maker’s name: Intensive Plus
Shown in:
- Bosch Home UK — Washing machine symbols guide, checked 2026-09-25: Intensive plus symbol (water jets with a plus, over the words): “The programme duration is extended by up to 30 minutes. Suitable for heavily soiled laundry.”
Drum clean (tub clean, self clean)
Maker’s name: Drum clean
Shown in:
- Bosch Home UK — Washing machine symbols guide, checked 2026-09-25: Drum clean symbol (the drum with a drop): “If there are odours in the washing machine or drum, run a Drum clean programme with no clothing in.”
Child lock
Maker’s name: Childproof lock
Shown in:
- Bosch Home UK — Washing machine symbols guide, checked 2026-09-25: Childproof lock symbol (a key): “When the child lock is activated, all the washing machine buttons will be disabled.”
Add garment (reload)
Maker’s name: Start/Reload, Adding laundry
Shown in:
- Bosch Home UK — Washing machine symbols guide, checked 2026-09-25: Start/Reload: pause the running cycle and open the door to reload forgotten items. Adding laundry symbol (drum with a padlock): “If this symbol goes out on the display panel, it is possible to add more laundry.”
Delay start (end time)
Maker’s name: Ready in time (dryer)
Shown in:
- Bosch Home UK — Tumble dryer symbols and settings, checked 2026-09-25: Dryer display: Ready in time symbol (a clock with a circling arrow) — “Ready in time selected”.
Timed dry
Maker’s name: Timed programme
Shown in:
- Bosch Home UK — Tumble dryer symbols and settings, checked 2026-09-25: Dryer display: Timed programme symbol (a clock) — “Timed programme activated”.
Cupboard dry
Maker’s name: Cupboard dry
Shown in:
- Bosch Home UK — Tumble dryer symbols and settings, checked 2026-09-25: Dryer display: Cupboard dry symbol (a two-door wardrobe) — the laundry is fully dried and ready to put away.
Anti-crease (dryer)
Maker’s name: Anti-crease
Shown in:
- Bosch Home UK — Tumble dryer symbols and settings, checked 2026-09-25: Dryer display: Anti-crease symbol (a circle with turning arrows) — reduces creasing during and after the programme.
Empty the water tank
Maker’s name: Empty condensate container
Shown in:
- Bosch Home UK — Tumble dryer symbols and settings, checked 2026-09-25: Dryer display: Empty condensate container symbol (a container with water and a drop) — “Empty the condensate container”.
Clean the filter (fluff, lint)
Maker’s name: Clean fluff filter or base unit
Shown in:
- Bosch Home UK — Tumble dryer symbols and settings, checked 2026-09-25: Dryer display: Clean fluff filter or base unit symbol (a round mesh with a drop) — “The fluff filter or base unit need cleaning”.
Check the heat exchanger (condenser)
Maker’s name: Automatic heat exchanger rinse
Shown in:
- Bosch Home UK — Tumble dryer symbols and settings, checked 2026-09-25: Dryer display: Automatic heat exchanger rinse symbol (a grid in perspective) — “Heat exchanger is cleaned automatically. Do not pull out container or cancel programme”.
Cooling phase (dryer)
Maker’s name: CoolDown (the word Hot)
Shown in:
- Bosch Home UK — Tumble dryer symbols and settings, checked 2026-09-25: Dryer display: CoolDown process symbol (the word “Hot”) — “The appliance can reach high temperatures when drying”.
Remote start
Maker’s name: Remote start
Shown in:
- Bosch Home UK — Washing machine symbols guide, checked 2026-09-28: Remote start symbol (a phone with signal waves): “If you briefly press the button, the appliance will be enabled for remote start via the Home Connect app” and “If you press the button for approx. 3 seconds, the Home Connect menu opens.”
Main wash (II)
Maker’s name: II, main-wash compartment
Shown in:
- Bosch Home UK — Washing machine symbols guide, checked 2026-09-28: Detergent drawer: “II = Detergent for the main wash, water softener, bleach, stain remover Compartment”, beside “I = Detergent for prewash” and the flower for fabric softener.
Fabric softener (flower)
Maker’s name: Flower, fabric softener
Shown in:
- Bosch Home UK — Washing machine symbols guide, checked 2026-09-28: Detergent drawer: “Flower = Fabric softener, liquid starch; Do not exceed max. mark.” i-Dos flower symbol: “Fabric softener dosage for a medium level of softness”, with Light, Medium and Heavy settings.
Bosch, Neff and Siemens symbols with no page here
Bosch, Neff and Siemens’s own page shows these too, but no second maker’s source confirms them yet, so this site has no drawing or page for them. The meaning is the maker’s own wording, quoted:
- Rinse hold: “The laundry will remain in the water after the last rinse cycle.” — Bosch Home UK — Washing machine symbols guide
- Silent wash: “The audible signal at the end of programme is deactivated and the final spin speed is reduced.” — Bosch Home UK — Washing machine symbols guide
- Water plus: “Wash with more water. Recommended for particularly sensitive skin and for treating laundry more gently.” — Bosch Home UK — Washing machine symbols guide
- Foam detection: “If this washing machine symbol lights up in the display panel, the appliance has detected too much foam during the wash cycle and will automatically activate an additional rinse cycle to remove the foam.” — Bosch Home UK — Washing machine symbols guide
- Tap: “The water pressure is too low or the supply hose is blocked or kinked.” — Bosch Home UK — Washing machine symbols guide
- Water consumption: “This washing machine symbol indicates the water consumption for the selected programme. Low is shown as one dash, high is shown with 5 dashes.” — Bosch Home UK — Washing machine symbols guide
Not listed for Bosch, Neff and Siemens
The Bosch, Neff and Siemens sources checked here do not show these symbols from this site, so they are left off this page: Cottons, Eco 40-60, Synthetics, Mixed, Wool, Delicates and silk, Quick wash, Cold wash, Drain, Steam and steam refresh, Door locked, Hourglass, Wi-Fi. That does not mean no Bosch, Neff and Siemens machine has them — only that no Bosch, Neff and Siemens manual or support page cited here shows the symbol. If your machine shows one, see all washing-machine symbols by shape.
Other brands
Sources
A symbol is listed here only when one of these Bosch, Neff and Siemens pages shows it. Each was fetched and read on the date shown; the brand names and quotations are the maker’s wording, everything else is ours.
- Bosch: Bosch Home UK — Washing machine symbols guide Checked 2026-09-25.
- Bosch: Bosch Home UK — Tumble dryer symbols and settings Checked 2026-09-25.