Drain (spin and drain)
Empties the water out of the drum, with or without a final spin. It does not wash or rinse.
What it is for
Emptying a machine stopped mid-programme, or spinning out hand-washed items. Hotpoint: turn the spin off and “the washing machine will drain only”. Beko spins at the highest speed by default and advises a lower speed for delicates.
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 wash tub with an arrow pointing down through it.
- Names makers use
- Drain (Hoover); Spin & Drain (Hotpoint); Spin + Drain (Beko)
Where makes differ
Hoover draws “a basin with a downward arrow for the drain cycle”. Hotpoint and Beko combine it with spin, so the dial shows a spiral beside the tub or the words Spin & Drain; set the spin to 0 or no-spin to drain only.
Often confused with
The spin: the drum turns fast to throw water out. As a button it sets the spin speed; as a lit phase symbol it means the machine is spinning now.
Other symbols with the same shapes
Sources
No single published standard defines washing-machine or dryer programme icons, so this meaning is taken from 3 makers’ own guides and manuals, each fetched and read on the date shown:
- Hoover: Hoover UK — What do the symbols on your washing machine actually mean? — “A basin with a downward arrow for the drain cycle.” Checked 2026-09-25.
- Hotpoint: Hotpoint washing machine Quick Guide (GB, PDF) — Spin & Drain: “Spins the load then empties the water. For resilient garments. If you exclude the spin cycle, the machine will drain only.” Table: 1600 rpm, 10 kg. Checked 2026-09-25.
- Beko: Beko UK — WI 1382 washing machine user’s manual (PDF) — Spin + Drain: spins with maximum possible rpm by default after the water drains; use a lower spin speed for delicate laundry. Checked 2026-09-25.
Written in our own words; quotations are the makers’ wording.