Prewash
Adds a short, cooler wash before the main wash, using detergent from compartment I of the drawer.
What it is for
Heavily soiled laundry: muddy sportswear, workwear. Beko says a pre-wash “is only worthwhile for heavily soiled laundry”, and that without it you save energy, water, detergent and time; it recommends pre-wash without detergent for lace and curtains.
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 a single vertical line dropping into it — the Roman numeral I of the detergent drawer’s pre-wash compartment. Hoover prints the word “pre”.
- Names makers use
- Prewash (Bosch, Samsung); Pre-wash (Beko, Hoover)
Where makes differ
Bosch draws a tub with one line; Beko’s phase symbols show a tub with one line for pre-wash and a tub with two lines for the main wash, matching the drawer’s I and II. Hoover prints “pre”. A tub with a line of water in it is Soak, not prewash.
Often confused with
The laundry is left to stand in the water for longer before the main wash starts, to loosen dirt and stains.
Other symbols with the same shapes
Sources
No single published standard defines washing-machine or dryer programme icons, so this meaning is taken from 4 makers’ own guides and manuals, each fetched and read on the date shown:
- Bosch: Bosch Home UK — Washing machine symbols guide — Prewash symbol (a tub with a single vertical line): “A low temperature cycle before the main wash. Ideal for washing heavily soiled laundry.” Checked 2026-09-25.
- Beko: Beko UK — WI 1382 washing machine user’s manual (PDF) — Display phase symbols (tub with I for pre-wash, tub with II for main wash); Prewash auxiliary function (“F1”): only worthwhile for heavily soiled laundry; powder pre-wash detergent in compartment I. Checked 2026-09-25.
- Samsung: Samsung UK support — What do the symbols on my Samsung washing machine mean? — Prewash: “This will add a preliminary washing cycle before the main wash cycle.” Checked 2026-09-25.
- Hoover: Hoover UK — What do the symbols on your washing machine actually mean? — “The word ‘pre’ for pre-wash”; the drawer compartment marked with a single line is for stain removers or extra detergent. Checked 2026-09-25.
Written in our own words; quotations are the makers’ wording.