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Care symbols on garments

Laundry Symbols Explained: Complete Care Label Guide

Before reading this guide, let me ask you:

• Does your head spin when you stare blankly at the laundry symbols on your most prized possessions? 

• Have you ever bought a beautiful garment, worn it, looked at the care label symbols and thrown it in the laundry basket promising a hand wash that never happens?

• We’re all guilty of speed reading the label and hurriedly throwing our favorite items in the wash at 30 in the hope that it will come out of the wash just fine, right?

If the responses are yes, well, this laundry symbols guide will definitely help you!

All laundry symbols have a specific meaning so, with the very best London Dry Cleaners, we have put together a downloadable essential guide that you can use today to maximize the lifetime of your most prized threads.

1. Dry cleaning symbols
2. Ironing symbols
3. Drying symbols
4. Hand washing symbols
5. Synthetic washing symbols
6. All-in-one laundry symbols

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DRY CLEANING

• If the care label has a small circle the manufacture is stating you must dry clean this item.
• If there is a little letter inside the circle it’s indicating to the dry cleaner what chemical to use.
• The more bars underneath the circle indicate the level of precaution the dry cleaner must take.
• If there is a cross over the circle symbol you should not dry clean the item.

Why not leave your dry-cleaning in our expert hands and book a collection with our industry professionals. 

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IRONING

• Your item can be ironed at any temperature if the care label iron symbol has no dots.
• The more dots on the iron symbol suggests the temperature of heat that can be applied:
  • 1 dot: delicates i.e, silk and wool.
  • 2 dots: synthetics.
  • 3 dots: linen and cotton.
• If there is a cross over the iron symbol you should not iron the item.

We know how much you hate ironing, so why not get a crisp, professional press from an expert and instead spend that time doing something you love.

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DRYING

• If the care label has a circle inside a square, your item can be tumble dried.
• The more dots on the iron symbol suggests the temperature of heat that can be applied:
  • 1 dot = low temperature
  • 2 dots = medium temperature
  • 3 dots = high temperature
• If there is a cross over the tumble dry symbol, you should not tumble dry the item.

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HAND WASHING

• If the care label has a tub with a hand, your item can be hand washed or put in a delicate washing cycle of 40°C/104°F, or lower.
• Hand washing is better suited for delicate items, like cashmere or silk, because the wash is gentle preventing shrinking or snagging.
• If the care label has a twisted symbol, your item can be wrung.
• If the care label has a cross over the twisted symbol you should not wring the item.

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SYNTHETIC WASHING

• Your item can be washed in the washing machine if your care label has a tub symbol.
• The number on the tub symbol indicates the maximum temperature that can be applied.
• The more bars underneath the tub indicates a reduction of spinning and rinsing:
  • No bar: The item can be spun and rinsed as normal.
  • 1 bar: Spin speed should be reduced.
  • 2 bars: Mild wash but can be spun and rinsed as normal.
• If there is a cross over the tub symbol you should not wash the item.

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If these laundry symbols seem like too much hard work, our on-demand laundry service is on hand to help. We can collect, clean and deliver your laundry back to you, freshly washed and smelling fabulous.

In the meantime, you can download our complete care label guide and print it out for reference.

Download Care Label Guide

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Your Guide to Laundry Symbols (Plus a Handy Washing Symbols Chart!)

You know those hieroglyphic-like laundry symbols on clothing labels? They relay important cleaning information.

Here's what they mean and how to use them.

A picture may be worth a thousand words, but sometimes it’s more confusing than text. That goes double when it’s one of the many laundry symbols found on the care label of your clothes. What are all those circles, squares, and triangles—and why should you care about them?

Clothing manufacturers use washing symbols to help you extend the life of your clothes. Sure, you may think you know how to wash clothes, how to use a washing machine, how to separate laundry, and how to put liquid fabric softener in the fabric softener dispenser. You might even use the best laundry detergent and take the time to set the washing machine temperature just right. But that doesn’t guarantee your clothing will stay in the same condition, color, or size.

“You risk destroying your clothes by not following the laundry care instructions,” says Alicia Sokolowski, president and co-CEO of Aspen Clean. “What might happen if you put a dry-clean-only garment in a washing machine? The garment could shrink—not just a little, but significantly. Garments made of wool can shrink two to three sizes or more, and drapes can shrink to half their size.” Instead of making it a guessing game—no, that’s not an envelope, suggesting you send the item to your mom to clean; it’s the sign for “hang to dry”—we asked the experts to decipher the most common washing instruction symbols. Here’s your comprehensive laundry symbols guide, complete with laundry symbols charts.

rd.com, Getty Images

What are international laundry care symbols?

Because people do laundry all around the world, the industry has created a standard of five basic symbols that form a kind of universal language. To make it even easier, laundry symbols are always featured in the same order on a label. From left to right, they are:

• Washtub (washing)
• Triangle (bleaching)
• Iron (ironing)
• Circle (dry cleaning)
• Square (drying)

“As you go through the five basic international symbols, you’ll start to see a pattern,” said Annette Grant and Sarah Karakaian, full-time short-term rental managers and hosts of the “Thanks for Visiting” podcast. “It’s like its own language where, for example, two lines under an icon or three dots inside an icon always mean the same thing. Once you learn these, you’ll be fluent in care tags in no time.”

According to fashion stylist Leena Alsulaiman, one of the most important symbols to pay attention to is a large X. “When a symbol is crossed out,” she warns, “that’s your sign not to do that thing.”

Laundry symbols for how to machine wash clothes

The washtub symbol indicates instructions for every step of the washing process, whether you’re using a traditional or HE washer. If the garment is machine washable, you’ll see either dots or numbers inside it, representing the recommended maximum water temperature.

• Washtub with numbers: Because the temperature is shown in degrees Celsius, the number 30 indicates a cold-water wash, 40 indicates a warm-water wash, and 50 indicates a hot-water wash.
• Washtub with dots: Dots inside the washtub indicate the same thing as a number: the water temperature. The more dots there are (there can be up to six of them), the hotter the temperature. So if you see a single dot, wash your garment in cold water. If you see three dots, though, wash the item in hot water.

Lines under the washtub signify that the garment needs to be washed on a special cycle.

• No lines: Normal wash cycle
• One line: Permanent press cycle
• Two lines: Gentle cycle

“Just remember, the more lines under the washtub, the more careful you should be,” says Alsulaiman. And finally, if your washtub has an X through it, back away from the washing machine. This means “do not wash.”

rd.com, Getty Images

Laundry symbols for how to hand-wash clothes

If you see a hand reaching into the washtub, that means your garment should be hand-washed only. Do not put it in the washing machine. There’s another washing symbol that indicates how to hand-wash clothes: If you see an icon that looks like a wrapped, hard candy with an X through it, don’t wring or twist the garment. Gently squeeze the water out after hand-washing it.

rd.com, Getty Images

Laundry symbols for how to bleach clothes

The triangle tells you everything you need to know about bleaching an item. Here’s how to decipher the symbols:

• Empty triangle: You can use any type of bleach
• Triangle with two lines through it: You can use non-chlorine (or oxygen) bleach only
• Triangle with an X: No bleach should be used at all

rd.com, Getty Images

Laundry symbols for how to dry clothes

Everything you need to know about how to dry an item can be found in the square on the care label. Be sure to check this before tossing your clothing in the wash to avoid shrinkage—unless, of course, you’re trying to shrink clothes. First, look for a circle in the square, which tells you it’s okay to dry the item in the dryer. If your square has both a circle in its center and an X through it, do not put the item in the dryer.

Just like with the washtub, the number of dots signifies the maximum temperature to be used:

• One dot: Cold
• Two dots: Warm
• Three dots: Hot

You may also notice lines beneath the square. As with the washtub icon, these indicate the proper dryer settings to use.

• One line: Permanent press cycle
• Two lines: Gentle cycle

All of that explains how to machine dry an item (and if you should). But if your square doesn’t have a circle at all, it should air-dry. Here’s how to interpret the various air-dry laundry symbols:

• One horizontal line: Lay it flat to dry.
• Three vertical lines: Hang it to drip dry.
• A square that looks like an envelope: Line dry it.
• Two diagonal lines: Dry it in the shade only.

rd.com, Getty Images

Laundry symbols for how to iron clothes

With the abundance of wrinkle-free garments options, you might not spend much time wondering how to get wrinkles out of clothes. But there comes a time when your clothes really need to be ironed. The iron is the most self-explanatory of all the clothes-washing symbols. Once again, the number of dots signifies the maximum temperature that can be used.

• One dot: Cool
• Two dots: Warm
• Three dots: Hot

And, of course, an X means don’t iron it at all. When it comes to wrinkles, the steamer vs. iron debate comes down to fabric—and therefore the laundry symbols you see on your clothing tag. The following symbols relate to whether or not you should use steam on a garment. (P.S.—here’s how to clean an iron so your clothes don’t get damaged.)

• Three little bursts of steam under the iron symbol: It’s safe to steam the garment.
• An X over an iron with three bursts of steam: Avoid steaming.

rd.com, Getty Images

Laundry symbols for dry cleaning clothes

You can try your hand at dry cleaning at home, but chances are you’ll want to leave it to the pros, so pay attention to the clothing label. The symbol for dry cleaning is a circle, and if it doesn’t have an X through it, it means you can take it to the dry cleaner. If the label specifies “dry clean only,” you should definitely take it to the dry cleaner. An item with this label is one of the things that should never end up in your washing machine.

Sometimes there are letters inside the circle, but don’t worry about those. They indicate the kinds of chemicals that can be used on a garment and are meant for professionals. Your dry cleaner will understand.

rd.com, Getty Images

Sources:

• Leena Alsulaiman, fashion stylist, style consultant and coach
• Annette Grant and Sarah Karakaian, professional short-term rental managers and hosts of the “Thanks for Visiting” podcast
• Alicia Sokolowski, president and co-CEO of Aspen Clean

what do they mean? Business-style

When purchasing a new item, we often face the problem of washing it. After all, over time, it gets dirty and needs to be cleaned, while not all clothes have the same care conditions. To learn how to wash, dry and iron a thing, it is not necessary to contact the store or the manufacturer. You just need to look at the label, where the various signs of clothing care are indicated. Finding a tag with symbols is easy, but you will have to think about deciphering it. As you know, careful and proper care of clothes increases their service life and preserves the intensity of color, shape, quality of the material. Therefore, it is important to learn to understand the symbols and designations of washing, drying, ironing and other processes in order to use the purchased item for a long time. If you don't understand clothing care labels, don't worry. Our helpful tips will help clarify the situation. nine0003

Caring for suede and other materials

One of the main advantages of the fabric is its quality of use. The material is elastic, durable, absorbs moisture well and allows the skin to breathe. Suede is not very practical, but it looks luxurious. With proper care, you can wear clothes made of this material for a long time and enjoy its beauty. It is better to wash suede by hand, trying not to rub or squeeze it too hard. Suede clothes should be dried on a horizontal surface with periodic blotting in order to prevent the appearance of creases. There are also such recommendations regarding the care of products from:

• knitwear - wash clothes according to the symbols on the label, spin without twisting, dry flat at room temperature;
• wool - hand wash with mild detergents, dry flat;
• cotton - wash clothes according to the designations on the tag, you can dry in the machine, iron with a humidifier;
• linen - it is important to strictly comply with the temperature specified by the manufacturer during care, since this natural fabric shrinks; nine0013
• silk - dry products from the material away from sunlight and batteries, and iron exclusively from the inside out.

On the label of any clothing, the manufacturer indicates the required care conditions, denouncing them in signs and symbols. They are placed in a strict order approved by international organizations. Compliance with these instructions will guarantee a long and flawless operation of the textile product.

Laundry: what clothes care signs are used in the world?

The most requested and frequently requested conditional values ​​are wash characters. After all, it is this process that raises the most questions. So, in world practice, the interpretation of the signs of clothing care regarding washing is as follows:

Basin with a wave symbol - the item can be washed both by hand and in an automatic machine.
	A basin with a wave symbol and a single line at the bottom indicates a gentle wash cycle. nine0003
	A basin with a wave sign and two lines at the bottom tells us about the delicate wash cycle.
	The crossed-out basin makes it clear that clothes cannot be washed either by hand or in a washing machine.
	Basin with wave symbol and central dot - wash at 30°C.
	A basin with a wave sign and two dots in the center indicates a maximum wash temperature of 40 °C.
	Basin with wave sign and three dots in the center - washable at 50 °C and above.
	A basin with a lowered hand is a symbol of hand washing.

Deciphering clothes care signs is not as complicated as it seems at first glance. However, laundry symbols are not the only ones that are important to learn. nine0003

Drying and spinning: basic symbols on care clothes

These two modes are as important as washing. Their observance allows you to keep the shape of things and an attractive appearance even after prolonged use. Among the most important symbols to remember when caring for clothes are:

	Empty square - item can be dried in any way.
	A crossed-out blank box warns that this garment must not be tumble dried.
	A square with an empty circle inside makes it clear that the item is suitable for wringing and drying in the washing machine.
	A crossed-out square with a circle inside is a sign that prohibits spinning.
	A square with a circle inside of which there is one dot - clothes care means drying at a low temperature.
	Square with a circle with two dots inside, allows drying at medium temperature.
	A square with a circle with three dots inside means you can dry the item at high temperature. nine0003

There are other care symbols. For example, a square with three vertical lines indicates a drying mode without spinning. A horizontal line inscribed in a square means drying exclusively on a flat surface.

Dry cleaning and bleaching: international symbols for clothing care

There is a category of things that, after getting dirty, you want to entrust to specialists. As a rule, these are branded expensive clothes, the cleaning of which requires special delicacy and professionalism. However, before contacting a particular service, study the label. It contains care symbols for cleaning and bleaching. In particular, they are:

	Empty circle allows clothes to be dry cleaned.
	Crossed circle prohibits dry cleaning.
	Circle with inscribed letter A allows cleaning with any solvent.
	Circle with letter P - use of solvents based on ethylene chloride and hydrocarbons is allowed. nine0003
	F Circle - Hydrocarbon based solvents can be used.
	An empty triangle is a sign that allows you to bleach a thing.
	A triangle with two slashes is the symbol for bleaching without chlorine.

Failure to follow the care labels for dry cleaning and bleaching can result in garments completely unwearable. It will simply tear, lose color, strength, in some cases irreversible damage appears. nine0003

How to iron things: care label

After washing and drying, all textiles lose their presentable appearance. To be able to wear them, you need to tidy up with an iron. The manufacturer indicates the symbols indicating the desired ironing mode for a particular item of clothing. In particular, these are the following pictograms:

	Iron sign with handle - can be ironed without any restrictions. nine0003
	Crossed-out iron - garment care prohibits ironing.
	Icon of an iron with steam crossed out at the bottom - the manufacturer allows ironing, but prohibits steaming.
	Iron, center dot - Low temperature ironing allowed (max. 110°C).
	Iron with two dots in the center – clothes can be ironed at a maximum temperature of 150 °C.
	Iron with two dots in the center - ironing at temperatures above 200 °C is allowed.

When you have a good understanding of the signs on the tags, the care of clothes is much easier. No need to search the Internet for information about washing, drying, spinning, bleaching, ironing products, based on the type of fabric. Knowing the symbols and their meanings will tell you which mode and temperature to choose, whether to dry-clean, bleach and iron. With proper care, your clothes will always be clean, soft, pleasant to the touch with a minimum of effort. nine0003

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Clothes care badges — Printing House "Two Maples"

". .. or give it to your mother.
She knows how to do it" .
(Written on label). nine0003

Seamstresses and printers who print clothing labels will, of course, smile, but many "ordinary citizens" do not know that the squares of fabric often attached to clothes are not intended for making patches at all, but to test the susceptibility of the product to various types of care - washing , ironing, dry cleaning.

To make it easier for the consumer to choose the modes of care for clothing and other garments, they are provided with a fabric tag (label), which indicates specific recommendations for choosing all types of operations. nine0003

Compliance with the rules of processing the product is extremely important for the correct operation of the product, which, in turn, can significantly extend its life and avoid premature damage.

Care badges are printed on so-called “sew-on fabric labels” that are sewn into the seams of the product from the wrong side. Labels are made from materials that match the fabric used to make the garment: cotton, nylon, polyester, etc.

Recommendations are in the form of pictograms, the meaning of many of which is intuitive. However, some characters still need to be decoded, which is what this article is devoted to. nine0007
Symbols for the care of clothes, underwear, hats and other textiles are divided into five groups:

1. Washing.
2. Whitening.
3. Drying.
4. Ironing.
5. Professional cleaning.

The clothing care icon system is built around a few basic and additional symbols that are easy to remember.

Symbols for basic operations

Symbol image	Operation description
	Washing clothes and other textiles
	Drying textiles
	ironing
	Bleaching of textiles
	Professional clothes cleaning

Additional restriction badges

Icon image	Deciphering the restriction
	Delicate operation mode
	Extra gentle mode
	Operation prohibition

Wash.

Washing refers to the physical and chemical process of cleaning textiles (clothing, underwear and bed linen, stockings, socks, etc.) carried out in an aqueous medium with the addition of detergents. Distinguish between hand, machine and ultrasonic washing. nine0003

The number on the sign specifies the maximum possible water temperature for this product, expressed in degrees Celsius.

The horizontal line under the washing symbol on the label means that the amount of laundry in the washing machine should not exceed 75% of its maximum possible load, and the rotation should be gentle. Machine spin should also be carried out at low speeds.

The two lines under the washing symbol indicate that the load of textiles in the washing machine is 30-35 percent of the maximum capacity. The drum speed of the machine should be as low as possible. Spinning should also be carried out at the minimum speed of rotation of the drum, or spinning should be completely abandoned. nine0003

Clothes washing symbols	Symbol decoding
	Normal wash up to 95°C. The possibility of this mode allows the boiling of laundry.
	Normal wash up to 60°C.
nine0039	Normal wash up to 30°C.
	Delicate wash at water temperatures up to 30 °C.
	Extra delicate wash at water temperatures up to 30 °C.
	Hand wash at water temperature up to 40 °C. The product must not be rubbed. Press without twisting. nine0007
	Washing is prohibited.

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Whitening.

By bleaching (whitening) is understood the chemical treatment of fabric in order to remove unwanted dyes from it and give it the maximum white color.

Bleach limits are placed as symbols on sewn-in care labels. nine0003

nine0044

Whitening mode icon on the label	Acceptable bleaching modes
	Whitening is allowed by any oxidizing bleaches
	Whitening allowed only with oxygen-containing (non-chlorine) bleaches
	Whitening prohibited

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Drying.

Drying or drying is a heat and mass transfer process of removing water from a fabric and transferring it to the surrounding air.

There are two types of drying: natural drying and drying in a tumble dryer.

In turn, natural drying can be “normal” and drying in the shade, i.e. without direct sunlight on clothes and underwear. nine0003

All of the above types of drying are regulated by symbols placed on fabric labels that are supplied with textile products.

Conventional air dry
	Drying in a vertical position.
	Vertical drying without spin.
nine0039	Horizontal drying on a flat surface in a stretched state.
	Horizontal drying without wringing on a flat surface in a stretched state.

Natural drying.

nine0044

Drying in the shade
	Vertical drying in the shade.
	Vertical drying in the shade without spinning.
	Horizontal drying in a straightened state in the shade.
	Horizontal drying in the shade in a straightened state without wringing.

Machine dry in a tumble dryer.

Symbol on fabric tag	Description of the drying mode
	Normal tumble dry at 80°C
	Gentle tumble dry at 60°C. This mode requires a reduced amount of laundry and drying time. nine0039
	Mechanical tumble drying is prohibited.

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Ironing.

Ironing or ironing is the process of giving a fabric a smooth surface by pressing it with a heated plate (for example, the sole of an iron).

As with washing, the main limitation when ironing is the maximum temperature that can be exposed to the fabric. However, unlike the washing symbols, the ironing symbols on fabric labels do not contain numerical temperature values, but symbols in the form of dots corresponding to similar symbols on the iron's thermostat. nine0003

Symbol on sewn-in fabric label	Characteristics of the ironing mode
	Ironing at soleplate temperature up to 200°C (three points on the thermostat of the iron).
	Ironing at soleplate temperature up to 150°C (two points on the thermostat of the iron). nine0039
	Ironing at soleplate temperature up to 110°C (one point on the thermostat of the iron). Steaming is prohibited in this mode.
	Ironing is prohibited.

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Professional cleaning.

Professional cleaning of clothes is carried out only in the conditions of specialized consumer services enterprises. nine0003

Currently, two cleaning technologies are used: dry (dry cleaning) and wet (aqua cleaning).

The letters used in the symbols placed on fabric labels have the following meanings:

• "P" - perchlorethylene, tetrachlorethylene ( English Perchloroethylene ).
• "F" - flammable ( English Flammable ).
• "A" - any ( English Any ). This symbol is no longer used at this time. nine0013
• "W" - wet ( English Wet ).

Dry cleaning
	Normal dry cleaning using perchlorethylene and tetrachlorethylene.
	Gentle* dry cleaning with perchlorethylene and tetrachlorethylene.
	Conventional dry cleaning using hydrocarbons with a boiling point of is 150-210 °C, and the ignition temperature is 38-60 °C.
	Gentle* dry cleaning with hydrocarbons, temperature the boiling point of which is 150-210 °C, and the ignition temperature is 38-60 °C. Learn more Decorate sitting room Entry hall closet ideas Matte vs satin spray paint Are zinnias annual Why clean grill with onion Small apartment kitchen cabinets Best time to plant pampas grass White shelf decorating ideas Best bushes for shady areas Cottage modern decor Narrow kitchens designs ideas Home About Residential Commercial Unique & Historical News & Tidbits Blog Video Gallery