Washing Symbols and Labels on Clothes Explained (2024)

FAQs

Washing Symbols and Labels on Clothes Explained? ›

The icon that looks like a bucket of water instructs how to wash a garment, the square with a circle in the center instructs how to dry it, and the iron symbol instructs how to iron it. The remaining laundry tag symbols refer to bleaching (triangle), dry-cleaning (circle), and non-machine drying (square) instructions.

Washing symbols

A tub icon with a wavy line means an item can be machine washed. A tub icon with a hand indicates an item should be hand washed. A tub icon with cross through it means do not wash. A circle indicates dry clean only. A circle with a cross through it means do not dry clean.

Triangle: A triangle symbol means 'bleaching allowed' when necessary in a dilute solution, so one with a cross through it is the 'do not bleach symbol'. One with diagonal lines means you can use a non-chlorine colour-safe bleach only.

Delicate/gentle – The delicate/gentle symbol has two lines running under a full bucket. If you have this symbol on your tag, it's probably a wool, silk, or other type of delicate, so always use the delicate or gentle cycle on your machine.

A single dot inside the bucket indicates machine wash on cold, not exceeding 26.67°C or 80°F. Two dots washing symbol indicates machine wash on warm, not exceeding 40°C or 105°F. Three dots indicate machine wash on hot, not exceeding 50°C or 120°F. Four dots indicate machine wash on hot, not exceeding 60°C or 140°F.

You'll want to select the Normal cycle for everyday laundry items made of cotton, linen, and articles made of durable synthetics such as sheets, towels, T-shirts, socks, and underwear. In short, the Normal wash cycle is the ideal choice for your casuals and everyday linens.

The letters A, F or P inside a circle on your garment's care tag indicates that the item should be dry cleaned and instructs the dry cleaner what type of cleaner to use. An A means they can use any solvent, an F means any solvent except Trichloroethylene and a P directs them to use petroleum solvents only.

Care labels on clothes play a very important role. Laundry symbols on care label, explains the accurate temperature and correct way of washing of our clothes. Therefore, care label acts as a guideline for increasing lifespan of our clothes. Different fabric needs different treatment.

HE laundry detergent, which stands for high-efficiency laundry detergent, is marked with a small "HE" symbol on the product's label. HE detergents only create a small amount of suds and must be used in high-efficiency washing machines.

The number 40 corresponds to 40°C, or 104°F. This is a warm wash setting that is often used for a colored wash. The number on the wash symbol indicates the maximum temperature the item should be washed at.

Which washing machine symbol is for detergent? ›

The detergent for the main cycle goes into the slot marked "II" (or 2). This is the most frequently-used slot. The amount of detergent you put in it depends on how dirty your laundry is. You can read the dosage on the detergent packaging.

A black triangle with an X running through it means that it may not be bleached. Dry. The Dry symbol often features a circle inside it to show which cycle you should tumble dry your item. Dots inside the circle further explain the temperature: low, medium or high.

The triangle with the dot in the middle reflects upon sexual orientation and represents bisexuality.

Line dry/Drip dry

The line drying symbol consisting of one vertical line in the middle means that laundry should be hung out to dry on a clothesline (or similar device). Two vertical lines mean that you should drip-dry your laundry, or, in other words, hang it on the line when it is still dripping wet.

Do Not Wash. The Do Not Wash symbol is the standard Wash Symbol with a cross through it. If the label instructs you not to was the item, it will have to be dry cleaned after it gets dirty.

Dry Cleaning symbols

An empty circle indicates to dry clean only. A circle with an A means dry-clean with any solvent. A circle with an F means dry-clean with petroleum solvent only. A circle with a P means dry-clean with any solvent except trichloroethylene.

Is there a 'do not spin dry' symbol? The drying symbol is a square, with either a circle or lines. The do not spin dry symbol is the one with the line(s). The lines indicate you should not put the item into a tumble dryer or use the drying setting on a washing machine.

When connecting the inlet hoses to your shut-off valves and the washer, make sure you connect the hot and cold water hoses properly. Traditionally, the home hot water shut-off if on the left and is marked red, while the cold water shut-off is typically on the right and is marked blue.

When to Use Warm Water – For man-made fibers, knits and jeans, use warm water (90°F). Most of your clothes can be washed in warm water. It offers good cleaning without significant fading or shrinking. When to Use Cold Water – For dark or bright colors that bleed or delicate fabrics, use cold water (80°F).

In most clothes washers, the hot water setting is 130 degrees Fahrenheit (54.4 Celsius) or above. Check your washer manual and your home water heater settings for specifics. If you have a washer with a steam cycle, that will increase the temperature in each load.

What is the best cycle for towels? ›

Generally, warm or hot water is recommended for washing towels. Use a cycle specifically for towels or a normal/regular cycle. A sanitizing cycle can also be used, but may not be recommended for every wash, depending on the towel fabric.

A single line beneath a dry clean symbol (a circle with a P or F) calls for a mild cycle, and two lines under a wet clean symbol (a circle with a W) means very mild cycle. By the way, the P or F indicate which dry cleaning solvent to use: tetrachloroethylene or petroleum (P) or petroleum solvent only (F).

If the garment is machine washable, then you'll either see dots or numbers inside the bucket symbol, representing the recommended maximum temperature: one dot means 30 °C (meaning that you have to wash your clothing in cold water), two dots 40 °C (warm water), and four dots 60 °C. In case you see one line drawn ...

The Do Not Wash symbol is the standard wash symbol with a cross through it. If the label instructs you not to wash the item, it will have to be dry cleaned after it gets dirty – see the section on Dry Cleaning Symbols below.

Avoid Using Fabric Softeners on Certain Fabrics

You'll also want to skip the fabric softener on specialty fabrics like wicking sportswear, flameproof children's clothes or pajamas, or water-resistant items, and synthetic fabrics like polyester or anything containing elastane and nylon (think skinny jeans or leggings).

What is the symbol for fabric softener? There is currently no symbol for fabric softener; it's better not to use fabric softener at all. Fabric softener is a liquid chemical added to the washing machine to penetrate and soften fibers.

Flower symbol - Fabric softener

Because the point of fabric softeners is to coat fabric in compounds which reduce static cling and keep garments feeling soft.

The powder detergent goes into the largest section of the drawer, usually on the left hand side. If in any doubt, check your washing machine's manual. The liquid softener goes into the partially covered section of the drawer with the flower symbol.

The simple answer- yes, it does matter which laundry detergent you buy. Finding the right laundry detergent requires a combination of choosing what works best on your clothes, with what your personal preferences are. If you have a high efficiency washer, then using a traditional detergent can cause excess suds.

Dryer icons

If you see a circle inside of a square on your care label, this icon breaks down drying instructions. If the dryer icon is crossed out, don't dry in the machine and instead opt to line or air dry.

What does P mean on clothing tag? ›

For clothes that are dry clean only, the circle has a letter 'P' inside it. The clothes that should be dry-cleaned under normal conditions will have a letter 'F' inside the circle. A crossed-out circle means that you should not dry-clean the item.

Machine wash, hot

This symbol may also be depicted with the number 50 or 60, instead of the three to five dots, to depict a maximum temperature of 50 or 60 degrees celsius.

Adding it to the drum may result in an uneven wash and oily residue. When adding liquid laundry detergent to your washing machine, it is best that it goes into the drum directly rather than into the drawer for an even wash.

In most machines, the compartment for washing powder (or other detergents) is marked “II” or “2”. This is likely to be the compartment you use the most. If you are using a pre-wash cycle, any pre-wash detergent you are using will go in the compartment marked “I” or “1”.

The circle is a universal symbol with extensive meaning. It represents the notions of totality, wholeness, original perfection, the Self, the infinite, eternity, timelessness, all cyclic movement, God ('God is a circle whose centre is everywhere and whose circumference is nowhere' (Hermes Trismegistus)).

The symbol composed of the capital letter A surrounded by a circle is universally recognized as a symbol of anarchism and has been established in global youth culture since the 1970s.

Circle represents totality and completeness

Thus a circle is a complete unit on its own. Nothing further can be added to make the circle complete. This is why circles are symbols of wholeness, completeness, perfection, totality and divine symmetry/balance.

In logical argument and mathematical proof, the therefore sign, ∴, is generally used before a logical consequence, such as the conclusion of a syllogism. The symbol consists of three dots placed in an upright triangle and is read therefore.

The symbol for divergence is the upside down triangle for gradient (called del) with a dot [ ]. The gradient gives us the partial derivatives ( ∂ ∂ x , ∂ ∂ y , ∂ ∂ z ) , and the dot product with our vector ( F x , F y , F z ) gives the divergence formula above.

valknut, Old Norse symbol composed of three interlocking triangles. One version of the valknut, called tricursal, features the three separate triangle shapes linked together, and another, called unicursal, uses a single line to form all three triangles.

What does a circle inside a square mean on clothes? ›

If the care label has a circle inside a square, your item can be tumble dried. The more dots on the iron symbol suggests the temperature of heat that can be applied: 1 dot = low temperature. 2 dots = medium temperature.

30°C (86°F) This laundry symbol features just the bucket with 30 inside and suggests the maximum temperature the garment should be washed at. Usually, 95°C is the highest this number goes to. A hand over or inside the bucket indicates you should hand wash the item with a gentle detergent and water.

Washing dry clean only clothing can ruin the garment, so it's best to take it to a professional cleaner. If you don't see washing instructions, look instead at the material the clothing is made from – leather, suede, beaded or sequined items, silk, acetate, velvet, wool and taffeta should be dry cleaned.

Answers to your 30-degree wash questions

No, a 30ºC wash is generally considered a warm wash. A cold wash is below 20°C and is usually reserved for clothes that are very delicate. Washing at 40ºC is also considered a warm wash, while 60ºC is a hot wash and 90ºC is a very hot wash.

The number 40 inside a wash bucket means the item should be washed at a maximum of 104°F, or a colored wash setting.

As a general rule, if the laundry instructions on a garment's label feature the dry clean symbol alongside other washing options, the clothing doesn't have to be dry cleaned – it's simply the manufacturer's recommendation. However, if the label says 'dry clean only', you must obey!

Despite the name, dry cleaning isn't actually dry. It uses liquid solvents. At home, you'll have to replace the chemical solvents with water and mild detergent. The usual candidates for dry cleaning are wool, cashmere, silk, rayon, and any other co*cktail fabrics, but you can wash them at home.

While most fabrics can be dry cleaned safely, those that cannot include synthetic materials composed of plastic, PVC, and polyurethane. In any event, seeking advice from a certified professional can also offer valuable information.

If instead of a “P” you see the letter “F” inside the standard Dry Clean Symbol this means you professional dry cleaner will be using petroleum based solvents and cannot be machine dry cleaned. This is usually needed for fine, delicate fabrics that can be damaged by solvents used in standard dry cleaning.

The Do Not Wash symbol is the standard Wash Symbol with a cross through it. If the label instructs you not to was the item, it will have to be dry cleaned after it gets dirty.