Before washing, we’ve all encountered the tiny symbols on clothing labels, but do we really know what they actually mean?
These symbols provide important information on how to care for our clothes to maintain their quality and ensure a long lifespan. In this article, we’ll go through the most common washing symbols and explain how they can help keep your clothes clean and fresh without damaging them.
Washing Symbols – What You Need to Know
Washing symbols on clothing labels follow an internationally recognized system that indicates the proper methods for washing, drying, ironing, and cleaning. Ignoring these instructions can easily ruin your favorite garments. But what exactly do these symbols mean?
Washing
The washing symbol is a tub-shaped icon with a number inside. This number indicates the maximum washing temperature in Celsius. For example:
- 30 – Low-temperature wash, suitable for delicate fabrics.
- 40 – Normal wash, for everyday clothing.
- 60 – High-temperature wash, for heavily soiled or white garments.
If there is a line under the tub, a gentle cycle is recommended. What makes it gentle? Less mechanical action, meaning the drum rotates with less force and for a shorter duration.
If there are two lines under the tub, very gentle treatment is required.
If there is a hand in the tub, only hand washing is allowed.
If the tub is crossed out, the item cannot be washed in a household washing machine.
Bleaching
The triangle-shaped symbol refers to bleaching options:
- Empty triangle – Bleach can be used.
- Triangle with two lines – Only non-chlorine bleaching agents may be used.
- Crossed-out triangle – Do not use any bleach.
Drying
The square-shaped symbol indicates drying instructions.
- Square with a circle inside – Refers to machine drying. If crossed out, do not tumble dry. The number of dots indicates the temperature:
- One dot – Low-temperature drying
- Two dots – Normal-temperature drying
- Crossed-out circle – Do not tumble dry
- Square without a circle – Shows different lines indicating hanging and drying methods, like an envelope: drying on a line.
- Vertical lines – Hang to dry vertically
- Horizontal line – Dry flat
- Diagonal line – Dry in the shade
Ironing
The iron-shaped symbol indicates the temperature at which a garment can be ironed:
- One dot – Low temperature (e.g., synthetic fabrics), maximum 100°C, steaming not recommended.
- Two dots – Medium temperature (e.g., blended fabrics, viscose, wool, silk), maximum 150°C.
- Three dots – High temperature (e.g., cotton or linen), up to 200°C.
- Crossed-out iron – Do not iron.
A new symbol introduced at the end of 2023 according to the updated ISO standard indicates iron without steam, for certain printed or film-patterned garments.
Professional Cleaning
The circular symbol refers to professional cleaning, commonly known as dry cleaning. If the circle is crossed out, the garment must not be dry cleaned.
The letter inside the circle indicates the type of solvent that can be used for cleaning:
- P – Perchloroethylene
- F – Petroleum-based solvents or other hydrocarbons
- W – Wet cleaning
- A – Any solvent
An underline indicates gentle cleaning, which means reduced mechanical action and limited or prohibited use of additives. Since the dry cleaning machine also dries the garment, it may also indicate reduced temperature.
Why Is It Important to Interpret Washing Symbols Correctly?
If you ignore the labels on your clothes and don’t follow their care instructions, you may quickly find that your favorite garments have faded, shrunk, or become damaged. Washing at the wrong temperature or drying and ironing improperly can cause clothes to lose their quality rapidly. For delicate fabrics in particular, following the symbols is essential to avoid causing any harm.