The Complete Guide to Laundry Symbols & Care Labels
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Laundry can often feel like a daunting task, especially for clothing that comes with a myriad of symbols on its care labels.
Understanding these symbols is essential for maintaining the quality of your garments and ensuring they last longer, as well as making sure you do not accidentally damage them.
This guide will break down the most common laundry symbols you’ll encounter on care labels, helping you confidently navigate the cleaning processes.
If you're still unsure about handling certain laundry at home, we advise you to find a professional laundry service or dry cleaner to help you get the job done.
Washing symbols are essential for understanding how to properly care for your clothing during laundering. Some materials are sensitive to water, which can cause damage if not handled correctly, while others may react to temperature changes, leading to shrinkage or expansion of fibres. Checking care labels before washing helps prevent accidental damage to your garments.
Machine Wash: This symbol indicates that the item can be machine washed.
Hand Wash: A hand in a tub symbolises that the item should only be hand washed. This is typically for delicate fabrics that could be damaged in a machine.
Do Not Wash: A crossed-out tub signifies that the item should not be washed at all. This is common for items that could be ruined by water.
Water Temperature: If there’s a dot inside the washing machine icon, it indicates the maximum water temperature allowed. For example, a single dot means you should wash the item in cold water up to 30°C, two dots indicate warm water up to 40°C, and two dots indicate hot water up to 50°C.
Cycle Type: A machine symbol with a line underneath indicates that the item should be washed on a certain cycle to prevent damage. One line means a “permanent press” cycle, while two lines call for a “delicate” cycle.
Drying symbols are essential for understanding how to properly care for your clothing after washing. Some materials are sensitive to heat, which can cause damage if not handled correctly, while others may react to drying methods, leading to shrinkage or distortion of fibres. Checking care labels before drying helps prevent accidental damage to your garments.
Tumble Dry: A square with a circle inside indicates that the item can be tumble dried. The dots inside the circle represent the heat setting: one dot for low heat, two dots for medium, and three dots for high.
Do Not Tumble Dry: A square with a circle and a cross means that the item should not be tumble-dried and should be air-dried instead.
Line Dry: A square with a curved line on the inner top indicates that the item should be hung to dry on a line.
Dry Flat: A square with a horizontal line inside indicates that the item should be laid flat to dry, which is essential for maintaining its shape.
Drip Dry: A square with three vertical lines inside indicates that the item should be hung to dry, allowing excess water to drip off.
Do Not Wring: A square with a hand wringing the fabric indicates that you should not wring out the item, as this can cause distortion or damage.
Heat Setting: Dots inside the square indicate the maximum heat setting allowed for drying. One dot means low heat, two dots mean medium heat, and three dots mean high heat.
Shade: Any symbol with two lines diagonally inside the top left on the square indicates that the drying should be done under shade to prevent shade. This is important for preventing fading or damage from direct sunlight, especially for vibrant colours and delicate fabrics.
Dry cleaning symbols are essential for understanding how to properly care for your clothing during the cleaning process. Some materials are sensitive to the chemicals used in dry cleaning, which can cause damage if not handled correctly, while others may react adversely to certain solvents, leading to fabric deterioration. Check your care labels before dry cleaning to prevent accidental damage to your garments.
Dry Clean: A circle indicates that the item can be dry cleaned.
Do Not Dry Clean: A crossed-out circle means the item should not be dry cleaned and must be washed by other means to prevent damage.
Solvent Type: If there’s a letter inside the circle, it specifies the type of solvent that should be used for cleaning. An "A" symbolises that any type of solvent can be used, while a “P” stands for any solvent except for perchloroethylene and a “F” refers to petroleum.
Wet Cleaning: A "W" symbolises that the garment requires a specialised process known as wet cleaning.
Low Heat: A diagonal line on the bottom right of the circle indicates that the item should be dry-cleaned on a low heat setting to prevent damage to delicate fabrics.
No Steam: A diagonal line on the top right of the circle indicates that you should avoid using steam, as it can warp or ruin certain materials.
Short Cycle: A diagonal line on the bottom left of the circle indicates that the item should be dry-cleaned for a shorter duration to avoid overheating.
Reduced Moisture: A diagonal line on the top left of the circle indicates that the item should be dry-cleaned with minimal moisture to maintain its shape and integrity.
Bleaching symbols are essential for understanding how to properly care for your clothing during the cleaning process. Some materials are sensitive to bleach, which can cause damage if not used correctly, while others may react adversely to certain bleaching agents, leading to fabric deterioration. Check your care labels before bleaching to prevent accidental damage to your garments.
Bleach Allowed: A triangle signifies that bleach can be used on the garment. If there’s a "CL" inside, it indicates only chlorine bleach is permitted. If there are two diagonal lines inside the triangle, it indicates only a non-chlorine bleach can be used.
Do Not Bleach: A crossed-out triangle indicates that bleaching agents should not be applied, as they could discolour or damage the fabric.
Ironing symbols are essential for understanding how to properly iron your clothing. Some materials are sensitive to high heat, which can cause damage if not handled correctly, while others may react to steam, leading to fabric damage. Check your care labels before ironing to prevent accidental damage to your garments.
Ironing: An iron symbol indicates that you can iron the garment.
Do Not Iron: A crossed-out iron means you should avoid ironing this item altogether to maintain its integrity.
Heat Setting: The dots on the iron represent heat settings: one dot for low heat (delicate fabrics), two dots for medium heat (synthetics), and three dots for high heat (cotton and linen).
Do Not Steam: If there are two opposite diagonal lines with a cross between them beneath the iron symbol, it signifies that steam cannot be used while ironing, which is to prevent fabrics from getting ruined by moisture.
Understanding laundry symbols is vital for maintaining the quality and longevity of your garments. By familiarising yourself with these icons, you empower yourself to make informed decisions about cleaning and caring for your clothing.
Remember that each symbol carries specific instructions tailored to different fabrics and finishes. Ignoring these guidelines can lead to irreversible damage or premature wear.
If you're still unsure about handling certain laundry at home, we advise you to find a professional laundry service or dry cleaner to help you get the job done.
If you're looking for more helpful laundry content, check out our other popular guides:
How to Remove Yellow Stains from White Clothes?
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