Laundry Symbol Decoder
Look up any washing, drying or ironing symbol on your clothing label, in plain English.
How to read a clothing care label
Every care label uses the same five basic shapes, so once you know them you can read any tag in any country. The tub is washing, the triangle is bleaching, the square is drying, the iron is (of course) ironing, and the circle is professional dry cleaning. The symbols always appear in that order, left to right.
What the marks on each symbol mean
The shapes carry extra detail through a small, consistent set of marks. Dots mean temperature, one for cool, two for medium, three for hot, and you will see them inside the iron and the tumble-dry circle. Bars underneath a symbol call for a gentler, slower cycle (one bar for permanent press, two for delicate). A number inside the tub is the maximum wash temperature in degrees Celsius. And a cross through any symbol always means the same thing: do not do it.
When a label is missing or worn away, treat the garment as delicate: wash cool, skip the tumble dryer, and dry flat. It is the safest setting for almost everything.
What do the laundry symbols on my clothes mean?
Each symbol stands for one type of care: a tub for washing, a triangle for bleaching, a square for drying, an iron for ironing, and a circle for dry cleaning. Dots show temperature (more dots means hotter), bars under a symbol mean a gentler cycle, and a cross through any symbol means do not do it.
What does a cross through a symbol mean?
A cross (X) through any care symbol means 'do not'. A crossed-out iron means do not iron, a crossed-out tub means do not wash, a crossed-out triangle means do not bleach, and so on.
What do the dots inside a symbol mean?
Dots indicate temperature. One dot is the coolest setting, two is medium, and three is the hottest. They appear inside the iron (ironing heat) and inside the tumble-dry circle (drying heat).
What does 'do not tumble dry' look like?
It's a square with a circle inside (the tumble dryer) with a cross through it. When in doubt, line dry or dry flat instead to avoid shrinking or damaging the garment.
Never guess a care label again.
Andy remembers how every piece in your wardrobe is washed and worn, so you can stop squinting at tiny tags. Snap your clothes and let your stylist keep them looking new.
