Where to Put Detergent in a Bosch Washing Machine: Manual Drawer, i-DOS, and How Much to Use

Bosch makes two kinds of detergent drawer, and the first question on any "where do I put detergent" search is which one you own. A manual drawer has three compartments and you pour in each dose yourself. An i-DOS drawer has tanks that hold several washes of liquid detergent and softener, and the machine doses them for you. The same series name can come with either, so a search for "Serie 6 where to put detergent" has two different answers.

This guide works from Bosch's own material: manuals for specific models, and support pages from the UK, Ireland, Singapore and Qatar. We say which source each fact comes from. Bosch's UAE site has a page on cleaning the dispenser, which we use, but we found none on where to put detergent. The booklet for your model code is the document that decides, and where it differs from us, follow the booklet.

We are an independent Bosch appliance repair company, not the manufacturer, and we are not an authorised Bosch agent. If your washing machine is inside Bosch's warranty, contact Bosch first. For faults and prices see our Bosch washing machine repair page.

At a glance

• Manual drawer: compartment I is prewash detergent, compartment II is main-wash detergent plus water softener, bleach and stain remover, and the third compartment, marked with a flower or similar symbol, is fabric softener or starch. That is Bosch UK's and Bosch Ireland's description, and the manuals we read agree.
• Prewash: use compartment I only if you select a prewash. Without one, all the detergent goes in compartment II.
• i-DOS drawer: liquid detergent goes in the detergent tank and softener in the softener tank, both filled up to the max mark. Powder and anything not dosed automatically goes in the manual compartment. Use only easy-pour liquid products, and do not mix detergent and softener.
• How much, on a manual machine: follow the detergent bottle. Bosch UK and Bosch Singapore both cite 35 ml of liquid for normal soiling in a front loader, with soft to medium water.
• Too much: foam. Bosch's manuals give a fix: a tablespoon of fabric conditioner in half a litre of water into compartment II, then use less detergent next time.
• Not covered by the manuals we read: powder quantities, tablets, capsules and dosing balls.
• Stop and message us if: the drawer fills with water and cleaning does not stop it, an i-DOS machine keeps flashing a refill symbol after you refill it, or water or foam leaks around the drawer.

Which drawer do you have?

You can tell in a few seconds, and the answer changes everything that follows.

By looking at the drawer

• A manual drawer has compartments marked I, II and a symbol for softener. Bosch Ireland's page says the marking varies by model and shows an extra flap for liquid detergent on some drawers, with no further detail. The manuals we read for the WLX20261BY and the WAB28060GB describe the three compartments.
• An i-DOS drawer has two large tanks with lids. The manuals we read for i-DOS machines describe a liquid detergent dispenser, a softener dispenser, and a separate manual dosing compartment for powder and other products. Bosch Qatar's i-DOS page says the detergent tank holds 1.3 litres.
• The display tells you too. The i-DOS manuals describe an i-DOS button, and flashing symbols when a tank needs refilling.

By series

Our model guides sort the Bosch ranges sold in the UAE as follows. Each fact comes from Bosch's series and model pages, which our guides cite.

The rule that follows is that a Serie 2 or Serie 4 has a manual drawer, and a Serie 6 or Serie 8 might have either. The model code on the rating plate settles it. Our model numbers guide explains how to read it.

The manuals behind this page

The manuals we read each cover a specific model or family. One is for the WLX20261BY, one for the WAB28060GB, and two for i-DOS machines whose model numbers are cut off in the copies we could read. The i-DOS manuals say that where they describe different models, differences are pointed out at the relevant points in the text. If you search for your booklet, search by the full model code and not by series.

How to use it, start to finish

Searches for "how to use" a Bosch washing machine are mostly about the sequence. Two Bosch manuals, for the WLX20261BY and the WAB28060GB, set it out in nearly the same order. Where they differ, we say so.

1. Switch on. Insert the plug with dry hands, holding the plug and not the cable. Turn on the tap. The WAB28060GB manual says the tap step is not needed on AquaStop models. The WLX20261BY manual says never to switch on a damaged machine.
2. Sort and load. Sort by type, colour, soiling and temperature, following the care labels. Empty the pockets and brush out sand. The WAB28060GB manual says to fasten zips and wash delicates, underwired bras among them, in a laundry bag, and to load large and small items together. Do not exceed the maximum load for the programme.
3. Close the door properly. Both manuals warn about trapping clothing between the door and the rubber seal.
4. Add detergent and care products. Dose by the amount of laundry, the soiling, the water hardness and the maker's instructions. Compartment II for the main wash, I for a prewash, and the softener compartment for softener or starch. Dilute thick softener. The WLX20261BY manual adds to take care when opening the drawer during operation.
5. Set the programme. Turn the selector to the programme you need and check the manual's overview for the maximum load and temperature.
6. Choose options. The WLX20261BY manual lists Speed Perfect, Eco Perfect and Water Plus as options, and a Ready in delay of up to 24 hours. Some options are not available for every programme. The WAB28060GB manual names Express Wash and a reduced spin speed.
7. Start. If you chose the wrong programme, the WAB28060GB manual says to reselect it and press Start, and the new programme begins from the start. On the WLX20261BY, a flashing door symbol means the door is not properly closed.
8. Pausing. The WLX20261BY manual says to press Start and wait at least 2 minutes before the door opens. The door can become very hot.
9. When it ends. The display shows the end of the programme, and on the WLX20261BY the buzzer sounds.
10. Remove the laundry and leave the door and drawer open. Both manuals say to leave the door and the detergent drawer open so that the interior dries. The WAB28060GB manual adds to remove foreign objects from the drum to avoid rust.
11. Switch off, and turn off the tap on machines that need it.

What the sequence leaves out

Neither manual, in the sections we read, gives a per-programme dose. The advice to leave the door and drawer open is the routine step both give, and it lines up with the seal and smell advice in our door seal guide.

The manual drawer, compartment by compartment

This section applies to a machine without i-DOS.

Compartment II: main wash

Compartment II is where the main-wash detergent goes. Bosch UK and Bosch Ireland both say it also takes water softener, bleach and stain remover. The WLX20261BY manual lists it as "detergent for the main wash, water softener, bleach, stain remover". The WAB28060GB manual says the same. If you never use a prewash, this is the only compartment you need for detergent.

Compartment I: prewash only

Compartment I is for prewash detergent. The WLX20261BY manual says it is only used when a prewash programme is selected. The WAB28060GB manual says that without a prewash, detergent goes in compartment II, and that with one it is split between compartments I and II.

The same manual says that for lightly soiled laundry you should not pre-wash, and that normally soiled laundry should be washed without a prewash. The manuals do not say what happens if detergent sits in compartment I and no prewash is selected. Our suggestion is to match the compartment to the programme every time.

The third compartment: softener, starch and conditioner

The third compartment, marked with a flower on Bosch's UK and Ireland pages and rendered as a tilde in the manual text we read, holds fabric softener. The WLX20261BY manual lists "fabric softener, impregnating agent, starch". Bosch Ireland adds liquid starch and says not to exceed the max mark.

Two rules from the manuals:

• Dilute thick softener. Both the WLX20261BY and WAB28060GB manuals say to dilute viscous fabric softener and fabric conditioner with water to prevent blockages.
• Do not combine starch and softener. The WAB28060GB manual says laundry treated with starch must not also get fabric softener, and says to pour liquid starch into the softener compartment.

The max mark

Bosch UK says: "Please make sure you do not exceed the marked maximum capacity in any of the chambers." Bosch Ireland's page repeats it for the softener and starch compartment. The WAB28060GB manual, as we read it, mentions no maximum fill line on the drawer, so its "maximum" references concern the laundry load. Where your drawer has a mark, stay below it.

What the manual drawer does not tell you

• No source we read says what happens if detergent goes in the softener compartment.
• None gives a dose for compartment I.

Liquid, powder, tablets and capsules

Searchers often ask where capsules go, and the honest answer is that the Bosch material we read does not say.

What the manuals say

What this means

• Liquid is covered in all of them, and on an i-DOS machine it is the only thing the tanks accept.
• Powder goes in the manual compartment on an i-DOS machine, per the manuals. On a manual machine, the manuals we read give no separate powder instruction, so main-wash powder goes where the main-wash detergent goes, which is compartment II. That is our reading.
• Tablets and capsules. None of the four manuals mentions them. The packaging of the product is the source of the instruction. Our suggestion is to follow the pack, and to ask us if the pack says something that does not match your drawer.

Why detergent type still matters

The i-DOS manual's section on correct selection of detergent sets out a pairing of detergent type and programme:

This is from one manual, whose model number is cut off in our copy, so treat it as an example of how Bosch pairs them and check your own booklet.

How much detergent

Bosch's answer is that the dose depends on the load, the soiling and the water.

The three factors

Bosch UK's laundry tips page lists three.

• Washing load. Larger loads need more. The page says to follow the bottle's instructions and use the cap as a measure.
• Soiling. Heavily stained clothes need more than lightly worn ones. Some stains need pre-treating.
• Water hardness. Hard water needs more detergent and soft water needs less. The page says to check with your local water supplier or use test strips.

Bosch Singapore's page gives the same first two and the same 35 ml reference. The WLX20261BY and WAB28060GB manuals say to dose by laundry quantity, soiling, water hardness and the detergent maker's instructions, and to ask your local water supply company about hardness.

The 35 ml reference

Both Bosch UK and Bosch Singapore give 35 ml of liquid detergent for a front loader with normal soiling. The UK page adds soft to medium water. Neither gives a figure for powder or for a heavy load. The Singapore page does not include a dosage table, and the UK page is Bosch marketing content and not a manual.

Our reading is that 35 ml is a starting point for a half-full drum of normally soiled clothes, not a rule, and the bottle of the detergent you actually use decides. We do not give powder figures because we found none.

Two Bosch numbers that do not match

Put the sources side by side and a conflict shows. Bosch UK and Bosch Singapore cite 35 ml of liquid for a front loader with normal soiling, and the UK page adds soft to medium water. The i-DOS manuals' example table gives 55 ml for normal soiling with soft or medium water on a standard 4 to 5 kg load.

Both are Bosch, both describe normal soiling and soft to medium water, and the figures differ by more than half. Neither source explains it. The UK and Singapore figure is a reference on a marketing and support page, and the manual's figure is an example for the i-DOS system's basic dosage. Our reading, and it is ours, is that the load size and the detergent's concentration are doing the work, and the figures were never meant to be compared. That is why the bottle's own instructions come first on both pages. Use the number on the pack of the detergent you actually buy, and use Bosch's figures only as a sense of scale.

The table also shows how much the dose is meant to move. From light soiling in soft or medium water (40 ml) to heavy soiling in hard or very hard water (105 ml) is a bit more than two and a half times as much. A household that doses the same amount for every wash is therefore over-dosing some and under-dosing others, whichever figure it starts from.

Hardness in Dubai

Bosch's advice to ask your supplier is simple, but the answer is less obvious in Dubai. As we explain in our descaling guide, the one set of figures we found for Dubai tap water is a secondary report of DEWA's data, with a typical total hardness of about 61 mg/L, which is about 3.4 °dH and soft on the German scale. We could not check DEWA's report ourselves, and softener sellers quote far higher numbers with no public data behind them. The water in your building depends on its tanks and any filter.

What follows for detergent is cautious. If your water is soft, Bosch UK's note says you need less detergent than in a hard water area, which argues against adding extra. If you are not sure, test it. Bosch US describes a test strip for coffee machines: dip it in fresh tap water, let it drain, and read it after a minute. A strip measures the water and not the appliance, but follow the instructions of the strip you buy.

Too little is a problem too

Bosch UK's page on keeping whites white says that too much or too little detergent can lead to poor washing results, and that dosage instructions are based on drum size. Bosch Qatar's i-DOS page makes the same link in both directions: under-dosing to poor stain removal, over-dosing to extra wash cycles and residue.

The first wash

Both manuals describe an empty first wash. The WLX20261BY manual says to run an Easy-Care programme at 40 °C with about half a measuring cup of detergent in compartment II. The WAB28060GB manual says to run Cottons at 60 °C with detergent in compartment II. They differ, and each is for its own model. Follow yours. Our Serie 4 guide lists a first empty wash with a small amount of detergent as part of setting up.

i-DOS: filling, setting and warnings

i-DOS is Bosch's automatic dosing system. The material we read comes from two i-DOS manuals (model numbers cut off in our copies), Bosch Qatar's i-DOS page, and Bosch UK and Bosch Ireland pages.

What it is

Bosch Qatar's page describes two large chambers, one for liquid detergent and one for fabric conditioner, with the detergent tank holding 1.3 litres. Sensors detect the load volume, the fabric type and the degree of soiling, and the machine sets the dose for each wash. Water hardness is set once. You can select the Automatic programme and press start, or dose manually.

Bosch UK says you can fill the drawer reservoir with up to a whole bottle of liquid detergent so that you do not refill every wash.

What to put in the tanks

The i-DOS manuals are specific.

• Use easy-pour liquid products that the manufacturer recommends for the detergent drawer.
• Do not mix detergent and fabric softener.
• Do not use products with solvents, caustic agents or volatile substances, with bleach given as an example.
• Do not use expired or highly congealed products.
• Do not mix different types of liquid detergent or softener in a dispenser. If you change type or brand, empty and clean the dispenser first.
• Do not fill above the max mark. The method is to pull out the drawer, open the lids, fill, close the lids and push the drawer back.
• Always use the same type of product when refilling.

One manual adds that the softener dispenser can be set to hold a second liquid detergent. If both dispensers hold liquid detergent, only the one activated by the i-DOS button is used.

What goes in the manual compartment

Powder, other detergents and care products that are not dosed automatically go in the manual dosing compartment. The manuals name stain remover, starch, softener and bleach as examples of care products for it. They say not to put softener in the manual compartment, because it should be added later in the wash. For a prewash with manual dosing, one manual says to add the prewash detergent to the drum. With i-DOS and a prewash, detergent is dispensed for both the prewash and the main wash.

The dosage table

The i-DOS manuals give a basic dosage for a typical 4.5 kg load, and an example table for a standard 4 to 5 kg load.

Three points on reading it. These are the manual's example figures, and your booklet gives yours. The manual does not define the bands in the text we read, so the boundary between medium and hard comes from the booklet or your supplier. And the table is for liquid detergent in the i-DOS system, so it does not tell you a manual-dose figure.

Changing the dose

The manuals say to press and hold the i-DOS button for about 3 seconds, then change the value with the arrow or spin and ready-in-time buttons. A short press moves to the second dispenser. Settings are kept after the machine is switched off. Bosch Ireland's page describes a simpler choice before the programme starts: Light, Medium or Heavy, for lightly, normally or very soiled laundry. Automatic dosing is available only for certain programmes and can be switched off per programme.

The warning symbols

• A flashing detergent or softener symbol means that dispenser needs refilling.
• A drawer warning symbol that stays lit means the drawer is not fully pushed in or the pump unit is not inserted. The manual text we read renders the symbol as a garbled character, so we cannot show it, and the booklet does.

The claims, and where they differ

We cannot reconcile these, and neither page explains how its figure was reached. Treat them as marketing claims, not as something your household will measure. What is not marketing is the manual's list of what the tanks accept.

Cleaning and keeping it clean

The manuals say to empty and clean the drawer if the product type changes or the dispenser clogs. The pump unit should be cleaned with a damp cloth, not in a dishwasher or under water. They also say to leave the drawer slightly open when the machine is not in use, to prevent residue and odours.

Cost of a dosing fault

Our model guides list a dosing fault on an i-DOS machine, with a tank sensor, dosing pump or blocked line as the causes, at typically AED 280 to 620 before 5% VAT. The written quote after inspection gives the exact figure.

Too much detergent: foam, and an extra rinse

Foam is the visible sign of over-dosing, and Bosch's manuals deal with it directly.

What the manuals say

• The cause. The WLX20261BY manual says too much detergent causes foam and a flashing foam symbol. The WAB28060GB manual lists, under foam escaping from the drawer, the question "Too much detergent used?"
• The fix. Both manuals say to mix 1 tablespoon of fabric conditioner (the WAB28060GB manual says fabric softener) with half a litre of water, pour it into compartment II, and reduce the detergent dose for the next wash.
• The exception. The WAB28060GB manual says not to use this fix on outdoor or down fabrics.

The longer cycle

The WAB28060GB manual also says that a longer cycle may be caused by the foam detection system, which adds an extra rinse. If your cycles are longer than usual and you have been dosing generously, this is one place to look. Our washing machine repair page explains other reasons a cycle runs long.

Residue

Bosch UAE's page on smells says to use the right amount of detergent. Our Serie 4 and 8 kg guides say over-dosing is a common cause of smell and residue, which is our reading. The WLX20261BY manual says damp or lumpy detergent can leave residue in the dispenser, which should be cleaned.

A drawer that fills with water, and keeping it clean

When the drawer fills with water

Bosch UK's support page says water in the drawer could be caused by blocked nozzles, and it gives one cause only. Its steps are three.

1. Remove the drawer by pressing the middle lock and sliding it out.
2. Soak it in a wash basin, then scrub stubborn residue with a cloth or a small brush such as a toothbrush.
3. Dry it thoroughly before sliding it back into the housing.

The page does not say how to clear the nozzles themselves, and links to the user manuals and the contact page. If cleaning the drawer does not stop the filling, the next step is a visit.

How often to clean the drawer

Bosch UAE's page on cleaning the dispenser says to do it about every two months to avoid unpleasant odours and bacteria. It says to remove the drawer by operating the middle lock, soak it in a washbasin, and remove residue with a cloth or a small brush such as an old toothbrush. For stubborn limescale it names the Bosch washing machine cleaner, 00311927. It does not say how to reinsert the drawer or clean the housing.

Bosch UK's page says the drawers are self-cleaning, with jets that flush the chambers, so manual cleaning is only needed if you want to remove stubborn residue. The UAE page gives a routine and the UK page says it depends on residue. The WLX20261BY manual says to clean the drawer if it has residue, remove the insert, clean both with water and a brush, refit them and leave the drawer open to dry.

The rest of the routine

The drawer is one item on a short list. Our filter cleaning guide covers the drain and inlet filters and the rest of the monthly routine, and our door seal guide covers the seal. Bosch UAE's pages on smells recommend washing at 60 °C or higher from time to time. The WAB28060GB manual suggests a Cottons 90 °C wash without laundry, with standard detergent, for odour, and says descaling should not be necessary with correct dosing.

Series by series: the quick answer

Common mistakes

What to tell us if you need a visit

• The model code, as a photo of the rating plate.
• Which drawer you have, manual or i-DOS, and what you put in it.
• What you saw: foam, residue, a drawer filling with water, a flashing symbol, a long cycle, or a leak at the drawer.
• What detergent you use, a photo of the pack, and how much.
• Your hardness reading, if you have a test strip result.
• What you already tried, including whether you cleaned the drawer.
• Access: your building, apartment number and parking, and any approval your building needs.

If you are asking whether under-dosing means you must descale, see our descaling guide.