Samsung washing machine symbols
15 symbols that Samsung 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 Samsung 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
Samsung’s UK support page draws every symbol below as a light or button icon, and warns that “Available icons and their appearance will vary between models.” Two Samsung habits to know: Child Lock is a smiley face, while a plain padlock or a key means the door is locked; and the sink with a + means extra rinse is on, while the sink alone sets the rinse count, up to 5. Samsung also says icons are not error codes: they tell you what the machine is doing, not that something is wrong.
The 15 symbols
Prewash
Maker’s name: Prewash
Shown in:
- Samsung UK support — What do the symbols on my Samsung washing machine mean?, checked 2026-09-25: Prewash: “This will add a preliminary washing cycle before the main wash cycle.”
Soak
Maker’s name: Bubble Soak
Shown in:
- Samsung UK support — What do the symbols on my Samsung washing machine mean?, checked 2026-09-25: Bubble Soak: the light next to this symbol lights when the function is on; “helps remove a wide variety of stubborn stains.”
Rinse
Maker’s name: Rinse
Shown in:
- Samsung UK support — What do the symbols on my Samsung washing machine mean?, checked 2026-09-25: “The button with a sink and no + icon is used to set the rinse count for a current cycle” — up to 5, depending on the cycle.
Extra rinse
Maker’s name: Extra Rinse
Shown in:
- Samsung UK support — What do the symbols on my Samsung washing machine mean?, checked 2026-09-25: “The sink of water with a + icon indicates that the extra rinse feature has been turned on. Extra rinse adds additional time onto the rinse portion.”
Spin
Maker’s name: Spin and No Spin
Shown in:
- Samsung UK support — What do the symbols on my Samsung washing machine mean?, checked 2026-09-25: Spin and No Spin: with the no-spin icon on, the drum will not spin after the final drain; use the spin button to change between spin settings.
Iron: easy iron (washer) or iron dry (dryer)
Maker’s name: Easy Iron
Shown in:
- Samsung UK support — What do the symbols on my Samsung washing machine mean?, checked 2026-09-25: Easy Iron: operates alongside certain wash cycles to make ironing easier “by reducing wrinkles during the spin”.
Intensive
Maker’s name: Intensive
Shown in:
- Samsung UK support — What do the symbols on my Samsung washing machine mean?, checked 2026-09-25: Intensive: “For badly soiled laundry. When this light is on the operation time for each cycle is longer than normal.”
Steam and steam refresh
Maker’s name: Steam
Shown in:
- Samsung UK support — What do the symbols on my Samsung washing machine mean?, checked 2026-09-25: “The clouds icon indicates that the steam option has been turned on. Steam is used to improve stain treatment and use less water when washing colourfast clothing.”
Drum clean (tub clean, self clean)
Maker’s name: Pure Cycle / Self Clean
Shown in:
- Samsung UK support — What do the symbols on my Samsung washing machine mean?, checked 2026-09-25: Pure Cycle / Self Clean: “The icon of a washing machine drum will be displayed after a certain number of washes… lets you know that a cleaning cycle should be run.”
Child lock
Maker’s name: Child Lock
Shown in:
- Samsung UK support — What do the symbols on my Samsung washing machine mean?, checked 2026-09-25: “The smiley face icon indicates that Child Lock has been turned on” — all buttons other than power and the control dial disabled; on some models the door is also locked.
Door locked
Maker’s name: Door Lock
Shown in:
- Samsung UK support — What do the symbols on my Samsung washing machine mean?, checked 2026-09-25: “The padlock (without a smiley face) or the key icon indicates that the door is locked… Do not attempt to open the door while this icon is lit.”
Add garment (reload)
Maker’s name: Garment +
Shown in:
- Samsung UK support — What do the symbols on my Samsung washing machine mean?, checked 2026-09-25: Garment +: “The T-Shirt with a + icon indicates that you can pause the cycle to add more clothing”; some machines have an Addwash door.
Delay start (end time)
Maker’s name: Delay Start
Shown in:
- Samsung UK support — What do the symbols on my Samsung washing machine mean?, checked 2026-09-25: “The clock icon indicates that delay start is in use. Delay start prepares a cycle to begin at a designated time.”
Hourglass (time left, or delay)
Maker’s name: Time Remaining
Shown in:
- Samsung UK support — What do the symbols on my Samsung washing machine mean?, checked 2026-09-25: Time Remaining: “The hourglass icon indicates how much time is left in the cycle. The number shown on the display while the hourglass appears is the time remaining.”
Wi-Fi (connected to the app)
Maker’s name: Smart Control
Shown in:
- Samsung UK support — What do the symbols on my Samsung washing machine mean?, checked 2026-09-28: Smart Control: “The Wi-Fi icon indicates that your washing machine is connected to your home's Wi-Fi and the SmartThings app.”
Samsung symbols with no page here
Samsung’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:
- Interior Lamp (a light bulb): “The lightbulb icon indicates that the light inside the washing machine has been turned on.” — Samsung UK support — What do the symbols on my Samsung washing machine mean?
- Signal Off (a speaker or a bell, crossed out): “The crossed-out speaker icon and the crossed-out bell indicate that the signal sounds that happen at the end of a cycle have been turned off.” — Samsung UK support — What do the symbols on my Samsung washing machine mean?
- Smart Check: “This is a mode used to get detailed information about problems that occur with your washing machine using the SmartThings app.” — Samsung UK support — What do the symbols on my Samsung washing machine mean?
Not listed for Samsung
The Samsung 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, Timed dry, Cupboard dry, Anti-crease, Empty the water tank, Clean the filter, Check the heat exchanger, Cooling phase, Remote start, Main wash, Fabric softener. That does not mean no Samsung machine has them — only that no Samsung 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 Samsung 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.
- Samsung: Samsung UK support — What do the symbols on my Samsung washing machine mean? Checked 2026-09-25.