What do the Symbols on the Laundry Care Label Mean?

The first thing that people notices are how you present yourself to them. The way you dress, the style you carry, and the trend you follow are crucial as they help people make vivid assumptions about your character and behavior. It is not necessary to make a fashion statement every time you step out of the house or wear expensive and branded clothes all the time. The matter that you must take care of is the quality of the clothes. Clean outfits are a must every time you step out and even in your house.

Choosing and buying fashionable clothes is not enough. You must know the procedures to keep their quality intact even after several washes. That is why one must use the proper method of washing, ironing, and storing them. Too much task for a single piece of cloth, right? No worries. The label attached to every outfit comes to the rescue. In the laundry care label, all the steps to take care of that particular fabric are given with the help of symbols. You simply have to know their meaning!

What does a laundry care label contain?

Before going more into the meaning of the symbols on a laundry care label, let’s discuss the basic instructions that are given on it. A fabric care label mainly contains instructions for washing the fabric, bleaching if required, drying, ironing, and storing it. If any professional touch is needed, that too remains mentioned on the label with the help of symbols. You can find the laundry care label on the inner side of your garment, either on the collar portion or on the sides of the stitching.

Washing Instructions

Every category of the garment is made of different fabrics and has a different style. Hence each one of them has its unique way of washing, which will guarantee the long life of that outfit.

Types of washing instructions that clothes generally come with are hand wash, machine wash, dry wash, and so on. Washing instruction is generally represented with a symbol of the wash basin.

• A symbol of a hand inside the wash basin indicates that the garment needs a simple wash with hands.
• A cross on the basin says it cannot be washed under normal conditions and needs to be dry cleaned.
• A simple wash basin with no other symbols specifies that cloth can be washed at any temperature and using any method.
• Some washing symbols come with bars under them that indicate the level of care one must take while washing that cloth.
• A cross over a twisted cloth means you should not wring the cloth.
• The temperature for washing the outfits is also mentioned on the fabric care label – this is generally indicated with a wash basin, with the temperature mentioned inside the same, or sometimes using dots inside the basin: 30°C represented by one dot, 40°C by two dots, and so on.

Dry Cleaning Instructions

As mentioned already, not all clothes need a wet wash. Fabrics like silk, wool, and velvet need dry washing to maintain their quality and increase their lifetime. There are many variations in dry cleaning that are mentioned on the label.

• A simple hollow circle signifies dry cleaning without any other specific instructions.
• A cross on the circle indicates that the cloth does not need to be dry-cleaned.
• If the symbol comes with the letter A inside it, any solvent may be used to dry clean the garment.
• Letter F inside it indicates that petroleum-based solvents can only be used.
• If there is a P inside the circle, you have to dry clean the fabric using trichloroethylene (PCE).

Instructions For Drying

Drying can be of two types: natural drying and tumble drying.

Natural drying is represented using a square symbol:

• If there is a semi-circle inside the square, it indicates that you can hang the clothes for drying.
• A square with a horizontal bar specifies that the garment can be laid flat to dry.
• Two oblique diagonals inside the square mean the clothes should be dried under the shed, away from direct sun.

Tumble drying is represented by a circle inside the square:

• A cross on the symbol means the garment cannot be tumble dried.
• A single bar under the symbol means the garment needs a permanent press setting while drying and two bars indicate a delicate setting.
• A square with a solid circle means your cloth needs to be dried without heat or needs “air setting” on the tumble.

Instructions for Ironing

After washing and drying clothes, it is crucial to iron them before you wear them to have a crease-free look. Ironing instructions are represented with a symbol of iron.

• A simple iron-on label indicates the fabric has no ironing restrictions and can be ironed at the desired temperature in the desired medium.
• A cross on the symbol restricts ironing of the garment.
• A single dot inside the symbol indicates a low temperature of about 110°C, and two dots represent a higher temperature, usually 150°C.
• An iron symbol with three bars underneath signifies the usage of steam while ironing, and a cross upon the same restricts the use of steam.

Bleaching Instructions

Before you start using the bottle of bleach for your cloth, make sure you check what the fabric care label has to say regarding the same. Bleaching instructions are indicated using a triangular symbol.

• A simple triangle means you can use bleach on your cloth.
• A cross on the triangle means bleaching is not allowed.
• Two diagonal lines inside the triangle indicate the use of non-chlorine bleach.
• CL written inside the triangle means you can use chlorine bleach for the garment.

Now, you have the perfect knowledge for taking care of your beautiful garments correctly!