Laundry symbols can often feel like a cryptic code, but they are actually designed to guide you in properly caring for your garments. Each symbol on your clothing’s care label provides specific instructions on how to wash, dry, bleach, and iron your items to keep them looking their best and to avoid damage. Understanding these symbols is key to maintaining the quality and longevity of your clothes.

For example, a simple bucket symbol indicates washing, but additional lines or dots within or beneath the symbol convey the water temperature or the need for a gentle cycle. A triangle often relates to bleaching, while squares with circles pertain to drying instructions. Understanding these symbols can help you avoid common laundry mistakes like shrinking, fading, or ruining delicate fabrics.

To make this easier, we’ve created a comprehensive guide to decoding these laundry symbols. Whether you’re dealing with a mystery symbol on a new shirt or just want to refresh your memory, our guide breaks down each symbol and its meaning. You can also download and print a washing symbols chart to keep near your laundry area, so you’ll always have a quick reference at hand when sorting and washing clothes. This way, you’ll never be puzzled by an unfamiliar laundry symbol again, and your garments will receive the care they need to last longer and stay in great condition.

Getting the temperature and wash cycle right is crucial for achieving excellent laundry results and avoiding damage to your clothes. Understanding the washing symbols on your clothing labels can guide you in choosing the correct temperature. For example, the number of dots inside the tub of water symbol indicates the appropriate temperature setting, while different cycle types are shown by a tub symbol with one or two lines beneath it. Additionally, sorting your laundry by type and color helps ensure that each garment receives the proper wash cycle.

When interpreting wash symbols, the three-sided cup shape represents your washing machine tub. These symbols indicate which washing methods are safe for each garment, helping you avoid mishaps and keep your clothes in top condition.

Machine Wash: This symbol indicates that the garment can be safely washed in a machine according to the temperature and cycle instructions provided by other symbols on the label.

Hand Wash: The hand wash symbol means that the garment should not be machine washed but instead washed by hand. This symbol is typically used for delicate fabrics such as silk or linen. If your machine has a “hand wash” cycle, you might use it with caution. To further protect the garment, consider placing it in a mesh bag or washing it separately. For precious, vintage, or irreplaceable items, it’s best to seek professional cleaning services.

Do Not Wash: Garments with this symbol should not be washed in a machine or tub. Instead, they should be taken to a professional dry cleaner when they need cleaning.

Dry Clean Only: This symbol indicates that the garment must be taken to a dry cleaner for cleaning to remove dirt or stains.

Do Not Dry Clean: Clothing with this symbol should not be dry cleaned. Wash these garments using the gentlest setting on your washer to minimize agitation and potential damage. You can also protect them further by placing them in a mesh bag or turning them inside out and using a short, delicate cycle.

Washing your clothes at the right temperature is crucial for achieving a thorough clean and minimizing wear and tear on fabrics. Different materials have varying levels of delicacy, so knowing how to read laundry symbols and choosing the correct water temperature can help you clean your garments effectively while also extending their lifespan.

Cold Temperature Water: Garments with a wash tub symbol containing a single dot should be washed in cold water, typically below 30°C (85°F).

Warm Temperature Water: Garments marked with a wash tub symbol containing two dots are best washed in warm water, with a maximum temperature of 40°C (105°F).

Medium Hot Temperature Water: If the wash tub symbol has three dots, the garment should be washed in medium hot water, with a maximum temperature of 50°C (120°F).

Hot Temperature Water: Garments with a wash tub symbol featuring four dots should be washed in hot water at maximum temperature 60°C (140°F).

Sanitize Temperature Water: If the wash tub symbol has five dots, the garment requires a sanitize cycle with a maximum water temperature 70°C (160°F).

After confirming that your garment is safe for machine washing and selecting the appropriate water temperature, the next step is choosing the right wash cycle. Although modern washing machines offer a range of cycle options, the symbols for these cycles are simple and easy to recognize. They are depicted by a wash tub icon with zero, one, or two lines underneath.

Normal Cycle: This symbol is a simple tub filled with water, with no lines underneath. It’s ideal for sturdy, durable garments like t-shirts, socks, and jeans that can handle a more vigorous wash. This cycle typically provides stronger agitation to effectively remove dirt and grime.

Permanent Press Cycle: Represented by a tub with water and a single line beneath it, this cycle is designed for “Permanent Press” clothing, often made from synthetic fibers like polyester. These fabrics are treated to resist wrinkles. The Permanent Press cycle uses warmer water and a slower spin to help release and reduce wrinkles.

Delicate Cycle: Indicated by a tub with water and two lines underneath, this cycle is intended for delicate garments that require gentle care. It uses low agitation, a slow spin, and colder water to protect fragile fabrics and prevent damage.

Important: Always check for special care symbols, such as a circle for dry cleaning or a tub with a hand for hand washing, to ensure you avoid putting garments in the washing machine when they require more careful handling.

Drying is a crucial step in clothing care, but we’ve all heard the horror stories of cashmere sweaters shrinking down to an unwearable size.

Familiarizing yourself with the symbols on clothing tags—like the square with a circle inside that indicates tumble drying is allowed—can help you avoid damaging your garments. Additional symbols provide specific instructions, such as a square with a horizontal line in the middle, which means the item should be dried flat, or a crossed-out twisted symbol, indicating not to wring the garment. The number of dots inside the circle represents the recommended drying temperature.

The drying process is just as crucial as washing when it comes to doing your laundry. Using the wrong dryer setting can lead to shrinking or irreversible damage, making your clothes unwearable. Understanding drying symbols is essential for protecting your favorite garments and keeping them in great condition.

Tumble Drying Allowed: Garments with this symbol can be safely placed in the dryer, but be sure to check for any additional symbols that indicate the appropriate heat setting to avoid damaging your clothes.

Do Not Tumble Dry: This symbol, which features a standard tumble dryer icon with an “X” over it, means the garment should not be dried in a machine. Instead, hang the item on a clothesline or drying rack. You can also run an extra spin cycle to remove excess water before hanging it to dry.

Hang to Dry: For items with the Hang to Dry symbol, it’s best to hang them on a line to air dry. Be sure to keep them in a shady spot, away from direct sunlight, as sunlight can introduce heat that may shrink or damage the garment.

Dry Flat: Garments with the Dry Flat symbol should not be tumble dried or hung. Instead, lay them flat on a drying rack or soft towel to air dry. Natural fibers like cotton, wool, silk, hemp, or linen typically need to dry flat to prevent stretching.

Do Not Wring: This symbol, depicted as a twisted shape with an “X” through it, indicates that the garment should not be wrung out to remove water, as this can damage or stretch the fabric.

Although the Tumble Dry symbol indicates that it’s safe to use a machine dryer, it doesn’t mean you have to. Air drying your clothes on a line, rack, or soft towel is always a gentler, more eco-friendly option that can help extend the life of your garments.

Tumble Dry: This universal symbol indicates that a garment can be safely tumble dried, generally on any heat setting. While heat speeds up drying, it’s important to remember that it can also cause shrinkage.

Low Heat: Garments with this symbol should be tumble dried using the low heat setting on your dryer. Higher heat may damage or shrink these items.

Medium Heat: Clothing marked with the Medium Heat symbol should be tumble dried on a medium heat setting, as higher temperatures could lead to damage or shrinkage.

High Heat: Garments with a High Heat symbol can be safely tumble dried on the dryer’s high heat setting.

No Heat/Air: If a garment has the No Heat/Air Dry symbol, it should be tumble dried without using heat. For added caution, consider air drying these items on a line or drying rack to protect delicate fabrics.

Normal Cycle: The Normal Cycle setting on your tumble dryer is a standard option that uses heat to dry fabrics. It’s ideal for items like towels, sheets, jeans, t-shirts, and sweatpants. However, be cautious when using this cycle for sweaters or garments made from natural fibers, as they may shrink or become damaged.

Permanent Press Cycle: The Permanent Press Cycle on your tumble dryer is designed to help reduce or eliminate wrinkles in synthetic fabrics. This gentle cycle with medium heat can also be suitable for some natural fibers that are prone to wrinkling.

Delicate/Gentle Cycle: This low-heat setting takes longer to dry clothes but is safer for delicate fabrics or garments that are prone to shrinking.

Before using bleach, check your garment’s care label for the bleach symbol, represented by a triangle, or the more crucial “do not bleach” symbol, a triangle with an “X” through it. Understanding these symbols can help you avoid permanently damaging your clothes with chlorine bleach.

Ironing can enhance the appearance of many fabrics, but delicate materials may get damaged if not handled properly. Some fabrics also require special care during ironing.

To determine if your new dress shirt can be safely ironed, check for the iron symbol on the garment’s care label. This symbol, which looks like a small iron with dots inside, indicates the appropriate temperature setting for ironing, as detailed below.