Machine dry symbol
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:
- 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.”
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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:
- 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
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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:
- 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.
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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.
- 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.
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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:
- 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
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.
🏷️ Explanation of icons on clothes for washing how to use it correctly?
Many people do not pay attention to the tag and calmly wash wool, velveteen and cashmere in the washing machine. Today we will tell why you should not neglect the manufacturer's recommendations, how to choose the most correct cleaning method, what mean icons on clothes and in what cases it is better to seek help from specialists.
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The symbols on the labels indicate the types of garment care allowed. They are made up by manufacturers based on on the properties of the fabric from which it is sewn. Most often, badges are presented on tags in the form of pictograms designed in in accordance with the international system standard ISO .
Designations are divided into 5 main groups:
1. WASHshows the recommended washing modes and temperatures. | |
2. DRY CLEANINGtells professional cleaners how to clean safely and effectively your product and what reagents to use. | |
3. WHITENINGpermits or prohibits the use of bleach. | |
4. DRYINGindicates the recommended drying and spinning cycle. | |
5. IRONINGshows at what temperature to iron. |
and 3 additional designations:
| Horizontal bottom underline soft mode recommended processing. | |
| Double underline at the bottom only delicate and gentle processing. | |
| Crossed cross prohibition to use this processing mode. |
🌊 1. WASHING
The manufacturer does not just indicate the recommended washing temperature. Many fabrics are afraid of high temperatures, for example, wool shrinks after washing in hot water, and silk wrinkles so that it is impossible to smooth it out later.
Therefore, we advise you to pay more attention to clothing tags.
1.1 Wash temperature
| Cold wash Hand or machine wash at the recommended temperature of 30℃. | |
| Warm wash Hand or machine wash at the recommended temperature of 40℃. | |
| Hot wash Hand or machine wash at the recommended temperature of 50℃. | |
| Hot wash Hand or machine wash at the recommended temperature of 60℃. | |
| Hot wash Hand or machine wash at the recommended temperature of 70℃. nine0020 | |
| Very hot wash Hand or machine wash at the recommended temperature of 95℃.  |
1.2 Washing programs
delicate.
| Hand wash only Forget about the washing machine, just a neat, delicate hand wash. | |
| Machine washable This symbol permits washing, soaking, heating, rinsing, rubbing and mechanical impact. | |
| No washing Do not wash at home. The product must be dry-cleaned. | |
| Hand or delicate machine wash at 30℃ Rub gently. You can rinse. Spin at low speed. | |
| Hand or very delicate machine wash at 30℃ Minimum mechanical impact.  Quick and gentle rinse. Hand spin prohibited. Use lots of water. | |
| Hand or very delicate machine wash at 30℃ Minimum mechanical impact. Quick and gentle rinse. Hand spin prohibited. Use lots of water. nine0020 | |
| Hand or delicate machine wash at 40℃ Rub gently. You can rinse. Spin at low speed. | |
| Hand or very delicate machine wash at 40℃ Minimum mechanical impact. Quick and gentle rinse. Hand spin prohibited. Use lots of water. nine0020 | |
| Hand or very delicate machine wash at 40℃ Minimum mechanical impact. Quick and gentle rinse. Hand spin prohibited.  Use lots of water. | |
| Hand or delicate machine wash at 50℃ Rub gently. You can rinse. Spin at low speed. nine0020 | |
| Hand or very delicate machine wash at 50℃ Minimum mechanical impact. Quick and gentle rinse. Hand spin prohibited. Use lots of water. | |
| Hand or very delicate machine wash at 50℃ Minimum mechanical impact. Quick and gentle rinse. Hand spin prohibited. Use lots of water. nine0020 | |
| Hand or delicate machine wash at 60℃ Rub gently. You can rinse. Spin at low speed. | |
| Hand or very delicate machine wash at 60℃ Minimum mechanical impact.  Quick and gentle rinse. Hand spin prohibited. Use lots of water. nine0020 | |
| Hand or very delicate machine wash at 60℃ Minimum mechanical impact. Quick and gentle rinse. Hand spin prohibited. Use lots of water. | |
| Hand or delicate machine wash at 70℃ Rub gently. You can rinse. Spin at low speed. nine0020 | |
| Hand or very delicate machine wash at 70℃ Minimum mechanical impact. Quick and gentle rinse. Hand spin prohibited. Use lots of water. | |
| Hand or very delicate machine wash at 70℃ Minimum mechanical impact. Quick and gentle rinse. Hand spin prohibited.  Use lots of water. nine0020 | |
| Hand or delicate machine wash at 95℃ Rub gently. You can rinse. Spin at low speed. | |
| Hand or very delicate machine wash at 95℃ Minimum mechanical impact. Quick and gentle rinse. Hand spin prohibited. Use lots of water. nine0020 | |
| Hand or very delicate machine wash at 95℃ Minimum mechanical impact. Quick and gentle rinse. Hand spin prohibited. Use lots of water. |
👨🔬 2. DRY CLEANING
These symbols are for dry cleaning professionals. They will tell them how to properly clean your product, what compositions are allowed for cleaning clothes, and which are strictly prohibited.
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2.1 Dry clean
| Dry clean only It is forbidden to use large volumes of water. | |
| No chemicals allowed You can not use chemicals to strip the product. | |
| Dry cleaning with tetrachlorethylene etc. Product cleaning without water using PE tetrachlorethylene PCE tetrachlorethylene, ethylene chloride hydrocarbons or monofluorotrichloromethane. | |
| Gentle dry cleaning with tetrachlorethylene etc. Cleaning with a small amount of water using tetrachlorethylene (PCE), hydrocarbon, ethylene chloride, monofluorotrichloromethane.  nine0020 | |
| Dry cleaning with hydrocarbon etc. Product cleaning using hydrocarbon, monofluorotrichloromethane. | |
| Mild dry cleaning with hydrocarbon etc. Gentle cleaning of the product using the hydrocarbon, monofluorotrichloromethane. | nine0025 |
| Reduced dry cleaning An abbreviated cleaning cycle of the product is allowed. | |
| Low temperature dry cleaning Cleaning the product in cool water. | |
| Dry clean without steam Do not use steam at the final stage of dry cleaning. nine0020 | |
| Dry cleaning at low humidity It is allowed to clean the product at low humidity.  |
Wet cleaning
| Wet cleaning Wet cleaning is allowed. | |
| nine0019 Wet cleaning prohibited | |
| Gentle wet cleaning Only gentle wet cleaning is allowed | |
| Very gentle wet cleaning A very gentle wet cleaning is recommended. nine0020 | |
| Dry cleaning with any solvent You can clean the product with any solvents. |
⚪ 3. BLEACH
Bleach is sometimes used in the washing process.
At this stage, you need to be extremely careful. Some of them can leave a white spot, and in the worst case, a hole. Therefore, carefully look at your label and check if washing with bleach is allowed.
| Whitening allowed You can clean the product with chlorine-containing and oxygen bleaches. | |
| No bleaching Do not clean the product with chlorine-containing and oxygen bleaches. nine0020 | |
| Chlorine bleaching prohibited Can only be bleached with oxygen bleaches. | |
| Chlorine bleaching permitted You can clean the product with chlorine bleaches. |
♨️ 4 SPIN AND DRY
One of the most important washing steps.
Some fabrics cannot stand intensive machine and hand spinning. To have your things have not lost their shape, you should pay attention to the following icons:
| Tumble dryer Allowed to wring and dry in the washing machine. | |
| Low temperature dry It is allowed to wring and dry in a washing machine at a temperature not exceeding 40 ℃. | |
| Gentle drying at low temperature It is allowed to wring out and dry in the washing machine in a delicate mode at a temperature no higher than 40℃. | |
| Very gentle drying at low temperature It is allowed to wring out and dry in a washing machine at a very low speed in delicate mode at a temperature not higher than 40 ℃.  | |
| Normal temperature dry It is allowed to wring and dry in a washing machine at a temperature not exceeding 60 ℃. nine0020 | |
| Gentle drying at normal temperature It is allowed to wring out and dry in the washing machine in a delicate mode at a temperature no higher than 60℃. | |
| Extra gentle drying at normal temperature It is allowed to wring out and dry in a washing machine at a very low speed in delicate mode at a temperature not higher than 60 ℃. nine0020 | |
| High temperature drying It is allowed to wring and dry in a washing machine at a temperature not exceeding 80 ℃.  | |
| High temperature gentle drying It is allowed to wring out and dry in the washing machine in a delicate mode at a temperature no higher than 80℃. nine0020 | |
| Extra gentle drying at high temperature It is allowed to wring out and dry in a washing machine at a very low speed in delicate mode at a temperature not higher than 80 ℃. | |
| Dry without heat Drying by blowing in the washing machine is allowed without heating the air. nine0020 | |
| Do not tumble dry Do not wring and dry in the washing machine. |
How to properly wring and air dry clothes?
| Vertical dryer You can dry things in an upright position.  Can be pressed. nine0020 | |
| Shade drying You can dry things in the shade. Can be pressed. | |
| Vertical shade dryer You can dry things in an upright position in the shade. Can be pressed. | |
| Vertical drying no spin You can dry things in an upright position. Can't be pressed. | |
| Vertical shade dry, no spin You can dry things in an upright position in the shade. Can't be pressed. | |
| Horizontal dryer You can dry things in a horizontal position. Can be pressed. nine0020 | |
| Horizontal shade dryer You can dry things in a horizontal position in the shade.  Can be pressed. | |
| Horizontal spin dryer You can dry things in a horizontal position. Can't be pressed. | |
| nine0019 Horizontal shade dry, no spin | |
| Hanger drying, gentle spin You can dry things in a vertical position on a hanger. Can be squeezed gently water without twisting the product. | nine0025 |
| No twisting You can not twist the linen with your hands. You can gently wring out the water, without twisting. |
🔥 5. IRONING
One of the most important washing steps.
Some fabrics cannot stand intensive machine and hand spinning. To have your things have not lost their shape, you should pay attention to the following icons:
| Ironable Ironing allowed. | |
| Do not iron Ironing is prohibited. | |
| Can be ironed at low temperature Ironing is allowed at temperatures up to 110 ℃. nine0020 | |
| Can be ironed at medium temperature Ironing is allowed at temperatures up to 150 ℃. | |
| High temperature ironable Ironing is allowed at temperatures up to 200 ℃. | |
| nine0019 Do not steam |
Congratulations, now you can decipher any pictogram on your clothing labels. We hope you are now understand the importance of the manufacturer's recommendations for cleaning products. More often pay attention to the icons for washing, and your things will be safe and sound for a long time.
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washing, temperature, spin, ironing, bleaching and drying tags and labels
Improper care of clothing causes rapid deterioration of the fabric and the loss of an attractive appearance, therefore, before washing, drying or bleaching any clothing, you should carefully look at its label with an icon. There, in the form of symbols, the nuances of caring for a particular fabric are indicated.
Washing
Washing is the main care process for most types of clothing.
On the label sewn on the inside of the item, you will see what kind of washing is recommended by the manufacturer, at what temperature it is allowed to wash the item, whether it can be bleached and wrung out. nine0005
The icon, by which you can understand how to wash this or that thing, looks like a bowl of water. If only such a “basin” is shown on your label, then the thing is washed in a typewriter on any program, that is, it is permissible to both soak it and wring it out.
Other variants of this icon are deciphered as follows:
- The underlined “basin” indicates the need to use gentle washing. Such a thing cannot be washed on a program with a high number of revolutions, and it is advised to load the machine only 2/3 of the allowable amount of laundry. nine0895
- If under the "basin" you saw two lines , such a thing can only be washed on the "delicate wash" mode.
The volume of laundry in the machine is advised to be reduced to 1/3 of the maximum recommended. If you want to wash such a thing with your hands, then you should rinse such clothes in a large amount of water, and wring out very gently or not wring out at all. - "Basin" with a hand immersed in it indicates the need to wash such a thing by hand. The washing temperature should not be higher than +40 C. In addition, such clothes should not be strongly rubbed and wrung out. As a rule, you will see such an icon on clothes made of guipure, chiffon, knitwear, satin and similar delicate materials. nine0895
- The image of a washing machine placed in a circle indicates a ban on machine washing. This designation refers to fabrics that may shed, tear or stretch while being tumbled. You will also see this icon on outfits with sequins, beads, rhinestones and other decor that can come off when washing in a typewriter.
- The crossed-out basin will tell you that this item cannot be washed at all.
You will see such an icon on products that are dry-cleaned, since even gentle hand washing can damage them. nine0895
Temperature range
It is important to pay attention to the indications of water temperature when washing so that the item does not shrink, lose its color and become shapeless.
You can find out about the permissible temperature by two designations - inside the "basin" with water you will see either a number or dots in different quantities: should be minimal. nine0895 An incorrectly selected spin intensity can cause shrinkage or damage to clothing. The icon, which will tell you about the features of wringing out a thing, is a square with a circle inside. Seeing such a sign, you can not worry that the item will be washed with a high spin intensity. In addition, this designation allows the use of machine drying. Other options for a circle inside a square are deciphered as follows: Drying recommendations for clothes after washing are represented by a square. If you see just an empty square, you can dry such a thing. nine0005 Other variants of the square should be deciphered as follows: Always look for the triangle on the label before using bleach: Although most garments are labeled with wash marks by manufacturers, there are also clothes that have labels in English. You can decipher them like this: Dry cleaners are mainly interested in the designations associated with the chemical treatment of clothes, since they indicate which kind of cleaning is allowed for a particular garment. During ironing, the fabric is exposed to high temperatures, so each manufacturer marks on the label the optimal temperature regime depending on the fabric. For example, linen or cotton fabrics can be ironed with a strong iron, and the use of steam will only help smooth out wrinkles. The ironing mode is marked with an iron on the label. If you just saw “iron” without dots , then such a thing can be either ironed with any heat or steamed. Other images of the "iron" decipher as follows: Spin
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nine0895 Tumble dry
Whitening
The triangle has the same meaning, inside of which there are two diagonal lines. No badges
Dry cleaning
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Ironing
If you overheat the iron when ironing synthetics or wool, the item will be damaged. nine0005
