Let’s face it, the laundry symbols found on clothes tags can be incredibly confusing and difficult to decipher.
Although some of the best washing machines do offer some assistance in the form of their companion smart apps which tell you how clothes should be washed, you still may find yourself needing some extra help.
That’s why we’ve put together this handy guide explaining all the laundry symbols. Keep reading to see all the washing icons explained.
Laundry symbol meanings in a nutshell
Before we go into specific detail about the meaning of washing icons, we’ll start with an overview of what each symbol represents. In general, washing symbols are divided into five categories: washing, bleaching, dry cleaning, ironing and drying and are depicted respectively as: wash tub, triangle, circle, iron and square.
Washing symbols
Put simply, the wash tub symbol on its own simply means that the garment is machine washable.
In the UK, you’ll see a number inside the wash tub which shows the maximum temperature which the garment should be washed at and can range from 20°C up to 95°C.
In lieu of a number, in the US you’ll see a dot in the wash tub instead. Just one dot means the garment should be washed at a maximum of 30°C, while two dots means a maximum of 40°C and three dots reflects an optimum temperature of 50°C or below. This continues, with four dots equating to 60°C, five dots meaning 70° and so on.
Finally, if you see a hand icon in the wash tub then this means the garment is for hand-wash only. This means you shouldn’t put this in the washing machine and, instead, wash it by hand in a sink or basin.
A cross through the wash tub means that the garment shouldn’t be hand or machine washed at all. In this instance, you should check for dry clean symbols instead.
If you see bars underneath the wash tub then this refers to its intended wash cycle, specifically rinsing and spinning. While no bars means the item can be spun and rinsed as normal, one bar shows that you should reduce the spin speed.
Two bars means that although the garment requires a mild wash, it can be spun and rinsed as usual.
Ironing symbols
First and perhaps most intuitively, if the iron symbol has a cross through it then this means you should simply not iron the garment. Plus if the iron has two or three lines from the bottom along with a cross over it, then this means you can only dry iron and not steam iron.
If the iron symbol has no dots inside, then this means the garment can be ironed at any temperature. Otherwise, just one dot in the iron means the garment is delicate and can only withstand a maximum temperature of around 110°C.
Two dots allows for ironing up to 150°C while garments sporting three dots can withstand a maximum temperature of 200°C.
Tumble Drying symbols
Although many of the best tumble dryers are partnered with a companion washing machine, and can automatically set its programmes to best suit the wash, you should still take a look at the garment’s tag beforehand to avoid damage.
Luckily, the tumble drying symbols are fairly easy to understand and work in a similar way to the US version of the wash tub cycles. If the square has a cross through it, then this means the item simply cannot and should not be tumble dried.
If the square has a circle inside then this means it’s safe for tumble drying at all temperatures. If the circle inside has one dot then the garment should only be tumble dried on a low heat, two dots means it can cope with a medium heat while three dots allows for a high heat.
Things start to get a bit more complicated when it comes to general drying.
A plain square means it should be air dried instead. A line running horizontally across the middle of the square means the garment should be dried flat and a square with two diagonal lines in the top-left corner means the garment should dry in the shade.
A square with three vertical lines inside means your clothes can be dried on a rack indoors while one drooping line means they can be hung outside to dry.
Dry Cleaning symbols
There are lots of symbols for dry cleaning, which explain how a garment should be cleaned, however more often that not you won’t need to worry about this as it’s more for the dry cleaner to deal with.
For the most part, you just need to look out for a circle which shows that the item can be dry cleaned. Naturally, a crossed out circle means the item cannot be dry cleaned.
You may see a letter inside the circle, which explains how the garment should be dry cleaned. If, however, you see a letter inside the circle which then has a cross through it, then this means that particular dry cleaning method should not be used on the item.
A ‘W’ in the circle means that you should seek professional wet cleaning only, while one line underneath means it needs gentle wet cleaning. Finally, two lines underneath shows the garment needs extra-gentle, wet cleaning.
Bleaching symbols
Bleaching can be a risky business so it’s imperative that you check your labels carefully before starting.
If you see a blank triangle then this means any type of bleach can be used on the garment but if the triangle is crossed-out then this means bleach is not allowed.
Two diagonal lines inside the triangle means you can use non-chlorine bleach only while a triangle with CL inside means you can only use chlorine bleach.
If in doubt, use your iPhone
If you’re still not certain how you should wash or dry your clothes then you can actually turn to your iPhone for further assistance.
Simply take a photo of the laundry tag on your item, then open the image up in your Photos app. From here, tap the i button in the bottom panel then tap Look Up Laundry Care, which should tell you exactly how you should wash your garment.
