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Clothes drying symbols


How to Read Laundry Symbols

Laundry symbols seem like another language, but the washing instruction symbols on your garments’ care labels tell you exactly how to do the washing and drying, as well as give extra information on bleaching and ironing. Read on for our quick guide to what the symbols mean, or download and print your own laundry symbols chart to refer to when you see a symbol you don’t recognize.

Washing Symbols

Getting the temperature and wash cycle right is important for seeing great laundry results, and can even prevent damage to your clothes. The clothes washing symbols below can give you an idea for temperature, indicated by the number of dots in the tub of water symbol, whereas different cycle types are represented by a tub with one or two lines drawn under it.

Washing cycle symbols

Washing temperature symbols

Washing machine symbols

Important: Don't forget to look out for dry clean signs, given by a circle, or hand wash symbols, indicated by a tub of water with a hand sign, so you'll know when to avoid putting garments in the washing machine.

Drying Symbols

Drying is an important part of the clothing care process, but we’ve all heard those scary stories of cashmere sweaters that come out of the wash three sizes too small.

Knowing your dryer symbols, like the square with a circle in the middle that indicates tumble drying allowed, can help you avoid putting the wrong garment in the tumble dryer. Other symbols can give you additional information, such as a square with a horizontal line in the middle means you should dry the item flat, or the crossed-out twisted symbol, which tells you not to wring the garment. The temperature is given by the increasing number of dots inside a circle.

General drying symbols

Drying temperature symbols

Tumble dry laundry symbols

Bleaching symbols

If you want to use bleach, you’ll want to take a look at your garment’s fabric care label to see if there is a bleach symbol, given by a triangle ormore importantly a do not bleach symbol, a triangle crossed out. Recognizing these signs can save your garment from getting permanently damaged by chlorine bleach.

Bleaching symbols

Ironing Symbols

Some fabrics look great after ironing but others, like more delicate materials, can be damaged. There are even some fabrics that simply need special care when ironing.

For example, if you want to iron your new dress shirt and you want to know if it can be ironed safely, lookout for the iron symbol on your garment, represented by a little iron symbol with dots in the middle that denote the temperature setting, like those shown below.

Ironing symbols

Download Your Laundry Symbols Guide

Don’t let laundry symbols confuse you. Get this printable laundry symbols guide and keep it to hand the next time you do the laundry. Once you download this laundry symbols pdf you’ll be a pro when it comes to doing your laundry. Download now

Laundry symbols are there to guide you, so your clothes get the care they deserve. Make sure you use the right laundry detergent for the wash cycle you pick, like Tide Plus Coldwater Clean for cold washes, or use a detergent like Tide PODS® that’s suitable for any temperature. Get the best out of your laundry, with a little help from Tide, and if you need more detailed information, visit our comprehensive guide on how to do laundry.

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.

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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:

“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.

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

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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.

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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:

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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:

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

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:

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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.

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.)

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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.

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Sources:

Symbols for washing and drying on clothing labels and their interpretation (Table)

Any clothes that you wear and wear, and other things, have special labels with signs and symbols. These symbols tell you how to properly wash, dry, iron and clean items made of various fabrics so as not to spoil them in the future. What do these symbols mean and how to read and decipher them correctly will be shown in our table below.

Table for deciphering washing and drying symbols on clothing labels

nine0011

Prohibition of soaking and rinsing, washing and boiling. The thing must be cleaned in a dry way - use the services of dry cleaning.

nine0019 nine0019

Symbol image

Symbol value

Laundry symbols and signs on clothing labels

These symbols tell you how to wash clothes properly, whether they can be soaked, rinsed and boiled. Which washing temperature to choose. Hand wash or machine wash allowed.

The symbol permits washing and boiling, soaking and rinsing.

Hand and machine wash at a temperature not exceeding 30°C. The temperature on the symbols can be indicated in numbers or in the form of dots, depending on the manufacturer of the item. nine0003

Hand and machine wash at a temperature not exceeding 40°C. Laundry should be washed in warm water, the so-called gentle wash cycle. Wash with neutral detergents and wash colored laundry at 40°C.

Symbol hand and machine wash at 50°C and above. nine0003

Gentle wash sign. Accurately maintain the temperature of the water, do not subject to strong mechanical processing, during the spin cycle - a slow centrifuge mode.

Delicate wash symbol. Large amount of water, minimal mechanical processing, fast rinsing.

The symbol says that only hand washing is allowed at a maximum temperature of 30°C. Do not rub, do not squeeze.

This sign indicates that things must not be twisted during washing, after washing - do not wring out.

Drying and wringing symbols

These symbols and signs will tell you how to select the right spin and dry mode for this particular item in the washing machine, at what temperature. Is it possible to dry or wring out this thing at all. nine0003

The symbol says that spinning and drying in the washing machine is prohibited

May be tumble dried and tumble dried

Sign gentle spin and dry

Delicate spin and dry sign

Dry at low temperature symbol

Symbol dry at medium temperature

Symbol dry at high temperature

This symbol allows you to dry the item

Do not tumble dry (use in conjunction with the Do Not Wash symbol)

only vertical drying is allowed

nine0002

Can only be dried without spinning

Dry flat

Shade drying allowed

Ironing symbols and signs

They say which clothes can or cannot be ironed and at what temperature, with or without steaming. nine0003

Symbol forbidding ironing

Symbol for ironing the item

May be ironed at a maximum temperature of 100°C

nine0014

Allowed to iron at a maximum temperature of 150°C

Allowed to iron at a maximum temperature of 200°C

No steam sign

Dry cleaning symbols and signs on labels

These symbols tell us whether it is possible to dry clean certain things, if possible, with which active substance. nine0003

Do not dry clean

Only dry cleaning (dry cleaning) is allowed for this item

The symbol indicates that dry cleaning is permitted with any solvent

The symbol indicates that dry cleaning is only permitted with hydrocarbon, ethylene chloride, monoflotrichloromethane

The symbol indicates that dry cleaning is allowed only with hydrocarbon, chlorine ethylene, monoflotrichloromethane at limit. adding water, controlling fur. exposure and t drying

The symbol indicates that dry cleaning is permitted using hydrocarbon and trichloromethane

Dry cleaning with hydrocarbon and trichloromethane at limit. adding water, controlling fur. exposure and t drying

Symbols of bleaching things

This category of symbols speaks of the possibility and ways of bleaching certain things. nine0003

The symbol says that bleaching is prohibited

Whitening possible

Chlorine bleach approved; use only cold water, watch for complete dissolution of powder

nine0014

Bleach allowed but only without chlorine

Labels on laundry clothes: explanation

Clothing labels are used to label textiles. The applied symbols help to determine the rules for processing things, their operation by the buyer, preventing premature wear and damage. The label or tag looks like a small piece of fabric attached to the wrong side of the product. In production, it is sewn into the side or back seam; on the shirt, the label can be found on the collar. nine0003

Today, images printed on tags are established by the international standard “ISO 3758-2012. Textile products. Care labeling with symbols. There is also already outdated, but used on the territory of our country - GOST ISO 3758-2014 / Textile products. Care symbol marking. /ISO 3758-2014. Textiles - Care labeling code using symbols (IDT) ”, which replaced GOST ISO 3758-2012.

Since the beginning of 2021, “marking” has become double meaning for light industry. Each product must have a label with relevant information about the product, however, now some types of clothing items must also have mandatory labeling for tracking a unit of goods by the “Honest Sign” system (we wrote an article about this labeling earlier: “Textile labeling. Who needs it and why? "). nine0003

Wash marks: decoding

Let's immediately define what the washing marks mean - the basic designations in the marking, which look like a basin of water. In addition to the basin, the pattern includes a number (temperature), dots, and horizontal stripes. The meaning of signs for washing is easy to decipher.

nine0011

Basic symbols

Number

The number in the picture is the maximum water temperature in which the item can be washed. It is indicated in degrees Celsius, for example, 60 ° C.


One or two horizontal lines

A single, double underline advises the user to select a shorter wash cycle, as well as to reduce the load of the washing machine and the intensity of the machine spin.

Symbol

Conditions of the washing process

- maximum washing temperature 95°C

- normal mode

- maximum washing temperature 95°C

- soft mode

nine0002

- maximum washing temperature 60°C

- normal mode

- maximum washing temperature 60°C

- soft process

nine0014

- maximum washing temperature 50°C

- normal mode

- maximum washing temperature 50°C

- soft mode

nine0002 - maximum washing temperature 40°C

- normal mode

- maximum washing temperature 40°C

- soft mode

- maximum washing temperature 40°C nine0003

- very soft mode

- maximum washing temperature 30°C

- normal mode

- maximum washing temperature 30°C

nine0002 - soft mode

- maximum washing temperature 30°C

- very soft mode

- handwash

- maximum temperature 40°C nine0003

- washing is prohibited

It is strictly forbidden to increase the washing temperature recommended by the manufacturer. If the laundry is not very dirty, you can wash it in water at a lower temperature. In this way, you can not only extend the life of your clothes, but also save energy.

Whitening

Since this is an aggressive processing process, many products have a tag with a triangle designation. Often this symbol is crossed out - this means that the thing cannot be bleached.

What other symbols with a triangle mean, see the table below.

nine0019

Symbol

Whitening process

- bleaching with any oxidizing agent is allowed

- bleaching is allowed only with an oxygen-containing / non-chlorine agent

- do not bleach

Before bleaching an item (even if the label allows), use a spare piece of fabric. Test your bleach on this piece and see how the fabric performs.

Professional cleaning (dry or wet)

Dry cleaning on the clothing label is indicated by variable symbols and their various combinations - square, circle, dots, horizontal lines. Let's figure out what exactly the label can contain.

Letters

The letter icon in a circle indicates that a certain type of solvent can be used.


One horizontal line

The underlined image is a delicate processing mode.


Two horizontal lines

A couple of lines under the circle - the most gentle cleaning.


Dry cleaning (dry professional cleaning)

If the product can be dry processed, a circle is applied to the label.

nine0011 - professional dry cleaning in tetrachlorethylene and in all solvents listed for symbol F
- soft mode

Symbol

Dry cleaning mode
- professional dry cleaning in tetrachlorethylene and in all solvents listed for symbol F
- normal mode
- professional dry cleaning in hydrocarbons (distillation temperature from 150°C to 210°C, flash point from 38°C to 70°C)
- normal mode
- professional dry cleaning in hydrocarbons (distillation temperature from 150°C to 210°C, flash point from 38°C to 70°C)
- soft mode
- dry cleaning is prohibited

Aqua cleaning (wet professional cleaning)

Items that can be professionally wet cleaned are marked with a W surrounded by a circle.

- professional wet cleaning

- normal mode

- professional wet cleaning

- soft mode

- professional wet cleaning

- very soft mode

- professional wet cleaning is prohibited

If you notice the dry cleaning symbol (circle) on the label, consider whether you are ready to regularly spend money to properly care for the item. These items cannot be washed by yourself.

Drying

Traditionally, information about spinning and drying clothes is placed in one icon. If a thing requires detailed care, the label has several designations.

Tumble dryer


A horizontal line inside a square - you can dry it on a horizontal surface, a vertical line - drying without wringing.

Symbol

Drum Drying Process


- drum drying possible
- normal temperature; maximum outlet temperature 80°C nine0014
- drum drying possible
- lower temperature; maximum outlet temperature 60°C
- do not tumble dry

Natural drying

A square without a circle - drying only in natural conditions.

Normal drying

nine0501

Square without additional designations - there are no restrictions in natural drying.

nine0011

- drying on the flat after washing without spinning

Symbol

Natural drying conditions


- drying on a line or hanger after washing with a spin cycle

nine0014


- drying on a line or hanger after washing without spinning


- drying on the flat after washing with spin


Dry in the shade (no direct sunlight)

The restriction will be indicated by two oblique stripes in the corner of the square.

Symbol

Natural drying conditions

nine0002

- drying on a line or a hanger in the shade after washing with a spin cycle


- drying on a line or a hanger in the shade after washing without spinning

- drying on the flat in the shade after washing with spin


- dry flat in the shade after washing without spinning

Symbols no longer used

The table below lists the symbols in the topic "drying" that are no longer used.

If a label on a garment bothers you, you can carefully cut it off, but don't throw it away. Having saved the tag, you can at any time peep whether the product can be dried in a typewriter, whether it can be squeezed and twisted. nine0003

Ironing

Icons of this type contain an image of an iron, temperature indicators, which correspond to dots. See the table below for details.

Symbol Ironing process
- iron at a maximum temperature of 200°C
- iron at a maximum temperature of not more than 150 ° C nine0014
- iron at a maximum temperature of 110°C, without steam

- ironing with steam can cause irreversible damage


Lettering

Most often, manufacturers “tell” customers about the features of product care using icons. However, some tags on clothing and other textiles contain inscriptions in English, which have the following meaning: nine0003

It is rare to find a tag on clothes that says "Wash with similar colors", which means "only wash with things of similar colors. " Or, for example, "Keep away from fire" - "keep away from sources of fire." nine0003

Fabrics

The composition of the fabric on the labels determines the duration of the service life of the product, its appearance. Since things can be made from one material or several, the manufacturer needs to indicate the percentage of components on the badges on T-shirts, dresses, jackets, hats, etc. Such clothes have sewn-in tags or tags.

Among the most popular fibers:

Specific symbols for clothing care in other countries

Above, we talked about international designations on clothes, uniform marking icons, the design and meaning of which do not depend on the country. However, in the standards of different states, there were or still are features, differences, which are worth saying a few words about. nine0003

Australia

Product labels of Austrian manufacturers contain the same "pictograms", "squares" and "circles". Warning signs are highlighted in red. Others are blue. The order of designations is similar to the international one.

Canada

Prior to updating the Canadian labeling system, it included only 5 classic symbols that were applied to the tags in red (prohibiting), green (permitting) and amber (warning) colors. In 2003 the system was updated and brought up to international standards. nine0003

Japan

The symbols on the Japanese manufacturer's tag can be black, dark blue, and the prohibition symbols can only be red on a white background. On the label of products that are not usually ironed, they may not draw an “iron” at all. The only exception is the "no ironing" icon.

China

The designations on the labels of Chinese textiles are practically no different from those described above.

Learn more