What Laundry Labels Actually Mean — Because We’re Still Clueless

If there is one chore that’s easy to half-arse, it’s definitely laundry. Chuck the clothes in the washing machine, wash at 40, job’s a good ’un.

However, and we did all know this deep down, those laundry labels really do mean something and not following them correctly could reduce the lifespans of our favourite garments and bedspreads.

The same goes for the drying and ironing process, too. 

Clothing brand Chums explains: “It’s not only the misuse of bleach that can impact your clothing’s condition and longevity, but washing, drying and ironing, too.”

Chums goes on to say that exposing certain materials such as wool to high temperatures at any point in the laundry process can cause fibres to weaken, leading to garments shrinking or becoming misshapen.

They add: “This can also happen if you dry them in the wrong way without a tumble dryer, as hanging some materials can cause the fabric to stretch with the weight of the water.”

The experts provided a full guide to laundry labels, so we no longer need to wing it.

A full guide to laundry labels and what they mean

Washing machine symbols

Almost all the washing symbols will be based on an image that looks like a bowl of water. The only one that doesn’t look like this is the do not wring symbol, which resembles a twisted garment with a cross over it.

Machine washable – this is the basic symbol of a bowl of water. In most cases, you’ll get one of the following symbols instead to give you more information:

• Wash cold – a bowl of water with 30°C printed inside it, or a single dot
• Wash warm – a bowl of water with 40°C printed inside it, or two dots
• Wash hot – a bowl of water with 60°C printed inside it, or four dots

These are the three most common temperature symbols, although it is possible to have others. For instance, you might have a garment that specifies it shouldn’t be washed at over 50°C, which could also be represented with three dots inside the washing bowl.

Symbols that designate how you should wash the item

These typically come with four separate instructions:

• Use a synthetics cycle – a bowl of water with a single horizontal line underneath it.
• Use a gentle or wool wash cycle – a bowl of water with two horizontal lines underneath it.
• Hand wash – a bowl of water with an image of a hand inside. This symbol means you should either wash the item by hand, or you could use your machine’s hand wash cycle if it has one.
• Do not wash – a bowl of water with a cross over it.

Bleaching symbols

Chums explains: “All bleaching symbols are based on the shape of an equilateral triangle.

“There aren’t as many bleaching symbols as there are washing symbols, but it’s important to pay attention to them as using the wrong type of bleach – or using bleach when it’s not recommended – can drastically alter the condition of your garments.”

The standard bleaching symbols are as follows:

• Bleaching allowed – a single, empty triangle with the point facing upwards.
• Use non-chlorine bleach – a triangle with two parallel diagonal lines inside.
• Do not bleach – a triangle with a cross over it.

Laundry drying symbols

“Washing and bleaching aren’t the only things that can potentially cause damage to your garments – drying them incorrectly can as well.”, Chums warns.

“Fortunately, your garments come with symbols that help you to understand the best method to dry them after washing. Drying symbols all come in the shape of a square with various details inside.”

First, let’s take a look at the tumble-drying symbols:

• Tumble dry allowed (on any heat) – a square with a circle inside it, touching each edge of the square. It can be easier to remember if you see the image as a picture of a tumble dryer, with the circle representing the door
• Tumble dry on low heat – a square with a circle inside it, and a single dot at the centre of the circle
• Tumble dry on medium heat – a square with a circle inside it, and two dots in the middle of the circle
• Tumble dry on high heat – a square with a circle inside it, and three dots in the middle of the circle
• Permanent press or synthetics cycle – a square with a circle inside it, and a single horizontal line underneath the square
• Delicate or gentle cycle – a square with a circle inside it, and two horizontal lines underneath the square
• Do not tumble dry – a square with a circle inside it, with a cross over the whole symbol

You might also receive instructions on how to dry the garment without the tumble dryer. These include:

• Drip dry – a square with three vertical lines inside
• Dry flat – a square with a single horizontal line inside. Many people find drying flat easiest with a clothes airer that has a flat portion, as this allows air to flow under and around the garment, rather than laying the garment flat on a solid surface
• Hang to dry – a square with a curved line inside going from one upper corner to the other. This looks a bit like a washing line suspended from the top of the square

Ironing symbols

Ironing symbols are usually easy to spot because they are shaped like an iron. Like washing and drying symbols, ironing symbols mostly relate to allowable temperatures, as well as a few other helpful tidbits:

• Iron cool (max 110°C) – an iron with a single dot inside
• Iron medium (max 150°C) – an iron with two dots inside
• Iron hot (max 200°C) – an iron with three dots inside

If there are no dots within the image of the iron, that means you can iron at any temperature you like.

Do not iron – an iron with a cross over it.

Steaming not allowed – an iron with two lines jetting out from the base. These lines have a cross over them, meaning you shouldn’t use the steam function on that garment

Dry cleaning symbols

Chums says: “If your garment needs the care of a professional, or you just want to have the item cleaned professionally for a special occasion, the dry cleaner in question will also need some instructions.

“As they tend to use different processes than you would at home, there is some additional information for dry cleaners included on the garment care label.”:

• Dry clean only – an empty circle
• Suitable for dry cleaning with any solvent – a circle with a capital ‘A’ inside
• Suitable for dry cleaning with any solvent except for Trichloroethylene – a circle with a capital ‘P’ inside
• Suitable for dry cleaning with a petroleum solvent only – a circle with a capital ‘F’ inside
• Do not dry clean – a circle with a cross over it

It is both more and less complex than I thought.