Have you ever looked at the tiny little symbols on the labels on your clothes and wondered what they actually mean? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. But if you want your favourite T-shirt or trousers to last longer than just a few wears, it might be worth learning how to decipher them.
In this article, we’ll give you a crash course in clothing label symbols so you can start taking proper care of your clothes.
Why is it Crucial to Decipher Laundry Symbols on Clothing Labels?
Laundry symbols on clothing labels contain exact information on how to take proper care of each item of clothing. Knowing what each little symbol means will stop you damaging your clothes or shrinking your favourite jumper.
What Does Each Laundry Symbol Mean?
On every label, you’ll find 5 types of symbol, which tell you how to care for that particular item of clothing:
- Washing symbols
- Bleaching symbols
- Drying symbols
- Dry cleaning symbols
- Ironing symbols
Washing symbols
The most important symbols that you need to understand refer to the washing temperature. The washing symbol looks like a tub filled with water. Inside the tub, there is often a number indicating the highest recommended washing temperature. For example, the number 30 means that the garment should be washed at a maximum of 30 °C.
This first sign can also contain these symbols:
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Hand symbol: The tub symbol with a hand in it means that the item should be hand washed.
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Washing machine symbol: If you don’t see a hand symbol, the garment can be machine-washed.
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Crossed-out tub symbol: This sign means that the item should not be washed and must be handled with extra care when wet.
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Underlined tub: If there is a horizontal line under the tub, this means that the fabric requires gentle care.
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Tub symbol with a dot inside: Sometimes, temperature can also be indicated by dots. Clothes with one dot should be washed at up to 30 °C, two dots indicate up to 40 °C, and three dots refer to 60 °C.
Bleaching symbols
On the clothing label, there may also be a triangle, which indicates whether the clothes can be bleached.
- Triangle: This symbol indicates that the garment can be bleached by various methods.
- Triangle with CL: Fabric can be bleached with chlorine.
- Triangle with two lines: The item can be bleached, but without using chlorine.
- Crossed-out triangle: This symbol indicates that bleaching is not allowed.
Drying symbols
The drying symbol often resembles a dryer and is a circle inside a square. Under this symbol, there may be various markings that specify the drying method.
- One horizontal line: The garment should be dried at a low temperature in PERMANENT PRESS mode.
- Two horizontal lines: The item should be dried gently, often referred to as DELICATE.
- Dots inside a circle: These dots again symbolise the recommended drying temperature.
- Solid circle: The garment should be dried without heat.
- Crossed-out circle in a square: The item should not be tumble dried.
There are also other specific drying symbols:
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Empty square: The garment should be line-dried.
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Square with three vertical lines: The item should be drip-dried in a way that allows the water to drip off freely, for example by hanging it on a hanger. Clothes dried in this way often do not need ironing.
Dry cleaning symbols
The dry cleaning symbol is a circle with the letter A, F, or P in it. These letters stand for different kinds of solvents used by professional dry cleaners. As these signs are mainly for dry cleaners, you don't need to understand them for normal washing at home.
Ironing symbols
Ironing is represented by an iron, while the dots inside it indicate the ironing temperature.
- One dot: The garment must be ironed at a low temperature.
- Two dots: Ironing should be done at a medium temperature.
- Three dots: The garment can be ironed at a high temperature.
- Crossed-out iron: This symbol warns you that the garment must not be ironed.
- Iron with crossed-out diagonal lines at the bottom: This indicates that you should not use steam while ironing.
Do Not Underestimate the Importance of Laundry Symbols
If you want to keep your clothes in perfect condition for a long time, it’s important to pay attention to the information on the labels. These labels provide valuable advice on how to protect our clothes from unwanted damage or changes. For example, high washing temperatures can cause delicate fabrics to change, shrink, or stretch out. So we always recommend checking the labels carefully before putting your clothes in the washing machine to avoid unpleasant surprises.
And as an extra bonus, if you’re also looking for a way to make your clothes smell amazing, we recommend trying our laundry perfumes. These perfumes are a great alternative to traditional fabric softeners and will give your clothes an unmistakable, long-lasting scent. They will make every wear of your clothes a real treat for your senses.