Child lock
The buttons are locked so a programme cannot be changed or started by accident. It does not by itself mean the door is locked.
What it is for
Turned on by holding a button or pair of buttons for about 3 seconds (Hotpoint: hold CONFIRM / KEY LOCK) and off the same way. If the machine ignores every button, check for this symbol first.
Makes differ, check your machine’s manual: the same drawing can mean different things on different brands, and only your model’s manual says exactly what a programme does, how hot and how long.
- What it looks like
- A key lying on its side. Samsung uses a smiley face with a padlock; AEG’s dryer a small box with a keyhole.
- Names makers use
- Childproof lock (Bosch); Child Lock (Samsung, Hoover); Key Lock (Hotpoint); Control Lock (Whirlpool)
Where makes differ
Bosch and Hoover draw a key; Samsung uses a smiley face icon, and says on some models the door also locks; Hotpoint writes KEY LOCK on the display; Whirlpool calls it Control Lock. Samsung also uses a key for its door lock, so check which your manual means.
Often confused with
The door is locked because a programme is running or it is not yet safe to open — water in the drum, the drum still turning, or the door still hot.
Sources
No single published standard defines washing-machine or dryer programme icons, so this meaning is taken from 5 makers’ own guides and manuals, each fetched and read on the date shown:
- Bosch: Bosch Home UK — Washing machine symbols guide — Childproof lock symbol (a key): “When the child lock is activated, all the washing machine buttons will be disabled.” Checked 2026-09-25.
- Samsung: Samsung UK support — What do the symbols on my Samsung washing machine mean? — “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. Checked 2026-09-25.
- Hoover: Hoover UK — What do the symbols on your washing machine actually mean? — “A key, for the child lock.” Checked 2026-09-25.
- Hotpoint: Hotpoint washing machine Quick Guide (GB, PDF) — Key Lock: press and hold the CONFIRM / KEY LOCK button for roughly 3 seconds; the display shows “KEY LOCK” and the panel is locked except ON/OFF. Checked 2026-09-25.
- AEG: AEG — LAVATHERM 7DEE835R / 7DEE832R tumble dryer user manual (PDF) — Display symbols table: “child lock on” (a box with a keyhole); the child lock locks all touch buttons. Checked 2026-09-25.
Written in our own words; quotations are the makers’ wording.