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Clothing label wash symbols


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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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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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.

Icons and symbols on clothing labels: meaning and interpretation

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What do the washing symbols on your clothes mean?

Laundry labels contain a lot of information, but once you understand the basic logic, they are easy to decipher.

Laundry symbols on labels are divided into five main categories: washing, drying, ironing, dry cleaning and bleaching. The icons on clothing labels provide detailed care instructions for each step - always read them before turning on the washer or dryer. nine0004

Explanation of icons on clothing labels and a detailed description will help you wash, clean and dry things correctly. An explanation of the individual washing symbols can be found below. Want a quick overview of icons? Download and print the Clothing Label Symbols so you can always have them at hand (you can hang the clothing label icons on the wall or put them next to the washing machine):

Download the overview of the washing symbols (PDF).

Wash symbols nine0004

General washing symbols

Do not wash
Be careful when you see this symbol on your clothes. Clothing with this washing symbol on the label must not be washed in a washing machine. Never put them in the washing machine or wash them by hand. They will most likely require dry cleaning (see below). nine0029 		Hand wash
This wash symbol indicates that the garment may only be washed by hand. But don't worry, many washing machines have hand wash programs that are just as gentle on your clothes. 		Do not spin
If you see this symbol, do not twist the fabric to remove excess water, as spinning may damage the fibres. Instead, gently press the cloth (or roll it into a thick towel) to remove the water. nine0029

Gentle wash, delicate spin

Constant pressure cycle (gentle wash)
Washing symbol with one line under the basin symbol indicates that the laundry can be washed on a short wash cycle (e.g. program for synthetic fabrics) and short spin cycle or spin at low speed .

The basin symbol without lines means that your clothes can be washed in the washing machine . You will see this symbol on the labels of strong fabrics such as denim. The correct washing temperature is usually displayed inside the symbol (see below).

Delicate wash
The wash symbol with two lines means that your clothes require a delicate wash. Laundry should only be washed on delicate programs, e.g. for wool, and only with suitable detergents. nine0012 If possible, do not use the spin cycle.
Delicate wash at the recommended water temperature
The basin symbol with one or more lines at the bottom and the temperature indicates that the garment can be washed on the delicate program at the indicated temperature. If possible, do not use the spin cycle.

Wash temperature

nine0028 Wash at or below 50°C
Can be washed at 50°C or less.
nine0029
Wash at 30°C
This symbol on the label means that your clothes can be machine washed, but only in cool water up to 30°C. 		Wash at or below 40°C
Can be washed at 40°C or less.
Wash at or below 60°C
Can be washed at 60°C or less. 		Wash at or below 70°C
Clothes can be washed at a maximum water temperature of 70°C. 		Wash at or below 80°C
This wash symbol allows you to wash the fabric at hot temperatures up to a maximum of 80°C.
Wash at or below 90°C
Your clothes will withstand very hot washing up to 90°C. 		Wash at or below 95°C
Your clothes can be machine washed at a maximum temperature of 95°C.

American washing symbols

nine0028 nine0028 Wash at or below 40°C
The wash symbol with two dots indicates laundry that can be washed at 40°C.
Wash at 30°C
In the US, a dotted basin symbol indicates that your laundry can only be washed at 30°C or lower. 		Gentle wash at or below 30°C
If you see an extra line under the basin symbol with a dot inside, this means that your clothes should be washed on the delicate cycle.
Wash at or below 50°C
The three-dot basin symbol indicates garments that can be washed at temperatures up to 50°C. nine0029 		Wash at or below 60°C
Care symbols with four dots indicate that items can be washed at temperatures up to 60°C. 		Washable at or below 70°C
Laundry that can be washed up to 70 degrees is identified in the US with a five-dot basin symbol.

Whitening symbols nine0004

A triangle or bleach symbol usually comes after the wash symbol on a clothing label. It is important to know that whitening can be carried out in two ways: using oxygen or chlorine. Each method has its own symbol. Here is an overview of all whitening symbols:

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nine0028 Do not bleach
This is the previous version of the "do not bleach" symbol that you can still find on old garments.
Bleach allowed
The triangle symbol on a clothing label indicates that any type of bleach is allowed. 		Do not bleach
The symbol of a crossed out triangle means that bleach must not be used. If you see this symbol, make sure you are using a good color detergent or one that does not contain optical brighteners that would brighten your clothes.
Bleach only without chlorine
The two diagonal lines inside the triangle mean you can use bleach to bleach clothes, but make sure it's not chlorine. nine0029 		Chlorine bleach
The letters CL in a triangle on the laundry label stand for chlorine. That is, your clothes can be bleached with chlorine bleach.

Ironing symbols

The ironing symbol on the laundry label speaks for itself - it looks like an iron. The symbol is often supplemented with dots , which define the maximum allowed ironing temperature . See them all.

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Do not iron
The crossed-out iron symbol means that ironing is dangerous as ironing can permanently damage the fabric. 		Do not iron with steam
If only the lower part of the steam iron is crossed out, the clothes can be ironed, but the steam function cannot be used. nine0029 		Ironable
The iron symbol indicates that ironing is possible.
Ironing at 110°C
The iron symbol with a dot indicates extremely delicate ironing at a maximum temperature of 110°C. On many iron models, this temperature regime is also marked with one dot. nine0029 		Ironing at 150°C
The iron symbol with two dots indicates ironing at a maximum temperature of 150°C. On many iron models, this temperature setting is also marked with two dots. 		Ironing at 200°C
If the iron symbol has three dots, the highest ironing temperature up to 200°C can be used. On many iron models, this temperature regime is also marked with three dots. nine0029

Dry cleaning symbols

The empty circle is a generic symbol for dry-cleaning clothing. Letters in a circle indicate the type of dry cleaning.

Like other washing symbols, lines or stripes below the circle indicate the need for gentle care. A crossed out circle indicates that the garment should not be dry cleaned.

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nine0028 Dry Cleaning, Petroleum Solvents
The letter F inside the dry cleaning symbol indicates that dry cleaning should only be done with petroleum solvents. nine0028
Dry Cleaning
Circle is the general designation for dry cleaning on clothing labels. 		Do not dry clean
A crossed out circle means that dry cleaning is not allowed for this garment. 		Dry cleanable with any solvent
The letter "A" inside the circle means that dry cleaning is allowed with all solvents.
Dry Clean, Perchlorethylene (PCE)
The letter P inside the dry cleaning symbol indicates that dry cleaning can be done with PCE or petroleum-based solvents. 		Professional wet cleaning
The cleaning symbol with a W stands for professional wet cleaning.
Dry cleaning method not permitted
If any dry cleaning method is indicated by a crossed circle, it should not be used. 		Mild Professional Wet Clean
A circle with a W and a line below it indicates that the garment needs a gentle professional wet cleaning. 		Very gentle professional wet cleaning
A circle with a W and two lines below it indicates that the laundry needs to be professionally wet cleaned extremely gently.

Drying symbols

A square with a circle inside is a common symbol for a dryer. If this symbol is on the laundry label, the clothes can be tumble dried unless the square is crossed out. The various variations of this drying symbol provide information about the programs and temperature settings at which the laundry can be dried. nine0004

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Tumble dryable
A square with a circle in the middle means the garment can be tumble dried. 		Do not tumble dry
Clothes must not be tumble dried, indicated by the crossed out square symbol. nine0012 Do not put clothes in the dryer. 		Air dry
The laundry care symbol is a simple square without a circle means air dry. You must dry this laundry by hanging it on a clothesline or dryer.

Find answers to your drying questions and lots of practical tips.

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Drying symbols

Laundry icon FAQ

What if the care label is missing?

If your label is missing or you can't read the markings, don't worry. The fabric of your clothes will usually give you advice on the correct washing, drying or ironing temperatures. Common fabrics such as denim or knitwear are easy to recognize. They can easily withstand washing at temperatures up to 40 degrees. If you're still unsure, you can always refer to the care instructions for single-material garments. nine0004

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Are the same symbols used all over the world?

Laundry care symbols are internationally standardized (ISO 3758:2012) and were introduced by GINETEX (International Textile Care Label Organization) in 1963. Only South Korea and the United States do not use this system: these countries use different characters, but are also subject to national laws and standards.

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Why do I need to follow the washing symbols and instructions?

The symbols on the label will help you take better care of your clothes, so you can wear and enjoy even longer. Failure to follow label care instructions can cause your new dress or jumper to shrink or your favorite blouse to fade.

Very delicate fabrics such as wool or silk can be damaged if washed or ironed at high temperatures. But washing all the clothes at extremely low temperatures, so as not to harm, is also not a good solution. On the one hand, some detergents are designed to perform better at higher temperatures, and on the other hand, many garments, such as underwear, should be washed at higher temperatures for hygiene reasons. nine0004

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Designation of symbols on the label - decoding of symbols on the clothing label

How to properly care for clothes, bed linen and other fabric products, what do the symbols for washing, drying, cleaning clothes mean? Bonus: how ordinary people perceive these symbols.

In order for a thing to last as long as possible, you need to properly care for it. How exactly, the clothes care symbols placed on a special label (ribbon) on almost any item will best tell you. They can be woven, embroidered or printed. These signs are duplicated on a paper label. Everything is important: washing temperature, type of washing, drying method and other indicators. When buying new clothes, study them and try to follow these micro-instructions. nine0004

Clothing care symbols are regulated by the international standard GOST ISO 3758-2014 (this is an adaptation of the international ISO 3758:2012).

Can you tell right off the bat what a circle means and what a triangle means?

A survey conducted among subscribers of Roskachestvo social networks showed that only the icons associated with the temperature regime of washing and ironing do not cause difficulties. None of the respondents could identify some other signs. nine0004

“Square”, “bricked pig”, “cyclops” - this is how our respondents defined some symbols of drying.

In the tables below, we provide not only a complete decoding of the meanings of symbols, but also how ordinary people perceive these designations! We have selected the most interesting answers from those presented. If you have your own version, you can write it in the comments to this material.

What do the symbols on clothing labels mean? nine0004

There are only five basic, basic characters.

In addition to the basic five, additional symbols are used: one or two lines, dots (numbers) and the cross of St. Andrew. nine0004

Symbols on laundry labels

The symbols on laundry labels are the easiest to understand. The number on the "Water basin" symbol indicates the maximum allowable water temperature for washing. As a rule, the number varies from 30°C to 95°C.


Drying and spinning

The square image indicates the drying process. The symbols will tell you whether the clothes can be wrung out and dried directly in the washing machine, or only normal drying is possible. nine0004

If there is no circle in the square, this indicates that clothes should be dried in natural conditions, not in a typewriter.


The image of a circle inscribed in a square indicates tumble drying after the washing process, the maximum temperature being indicated by one or more dots placed inside the symbol.


Ironing

The image of an iron indicates domestic ironing and pressing processes with or without the use of steam, the maximum temperature levels are indicated by one, two or three dots inside the symbol. nine0039

Important. If there is one dot on the iron symbol, then ironing should be done without steam. Steam ironing can cause permanent damage.


Whitening and professional cleaning

The triangle on the label indicates bleaching requirements, and the circle indicates professional cleaning (dry cleaning) requirements. Professional cleaning includes wet cleaning (with the exception of washing in a washing machine) and dry cleaning with various solvents.

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