What do cleaning symbols mean

Our guide to how to hand wash clothes has you covered. Wash symbol with a cross over it: When the standard wash symbol has an X through it, this means you should not wash the item, it will most likely need to be dry cleaned after it gets dirty — see our section on dry cleaning symbols below. Is there a dot inside your wash symbol? This will tell you what maximum temperature the clothing manufacturer recommends washing your garment in. Alternatively, some labels will simply show the tub icon with a number showing the maximum temperature.

Washing clothes without a dryer? Twisted towel: If you see the towel symbol on a garment it means you can safely wring it out to remove excess water. Twisted towel symbol with a cross over it: Some items are very delicate and can be damaged by wringing — if you see the wring symbol with an X through it, it means you should avoid wringing or twisting them.

This is usually the next symbol on your care label, and is almost always some variant of a triangle. A plain triangle: If you see a triangle it means you can use a cold, diluted solution of bleach on the garment when needed.

A triangle with two stripes: A triangle filled with diagonal lines means that only non-chlorine bleaches should be used. Bookmark it or print it out and stick it in your laundry room. Then share it with your family and friends. Because laundry day should be just a little bit easier. The wash tub icon tells you exactly how to wash the garment, with underscored lines indicating the recommended cycle and black dots representing water temperature. An X, of course, warns to not machine wash at all.

Active family members can be hard on their gym socks, white undershirts and little league uniforms. Laundry symbols will tell you not just how to wash, but also how to dry. First, determine whether the item should be air or tumble dried. The lines inside the square will tell you how an item should be air dried. If it can be tumble dried dried in a dryer , the symbol will also tell you how. Just like with wash symbols, underscored lines indicate cycle and black dots represent temperature.

If you're wondering if you should add dryer sheets to your load, read our article about what dryer sheets do. But if a particular piece of clothing requires it, or you still like crisp creases in your pants, these ironing symbols, shaped like an old-fashioned iron, will recommend exactly how to do it. A simple circle will tell you whether the item should be dry cleaned or not.

Now that you understand your clothes' care symbols, you can keep your family looking their Sunday — and everyday — best. Start with Intuitive Touch Controls that give you customized care for any load. And then learn more about what detergent you should be using, and how. Download the Laundry Symbol Guide. Find answers to all your questions. But what does it mean? We've found some tumble dryers in our tests that leave clothes sopping wet as well as driving up your electricity bills.

Avoid these models by going for one of our Best Buy tumble dryers. Wringing out your clothes is possibly the most common mistake made during hand washing or drying clothes without a dryer. Twisting the fabric by hand can seriously damage your favourite item of clothing. If you're not sure whether to wring out the excess water by hand, look out for the symbols above on your clothing label:.

If you're looking for a new washing machine, go straight to our washing machine reviews. Test score. Baffled by confusing washing symbols on your clothes labels? Select from commonly used symbols below to find out what each means. Aaron West. In this article Bleaching symbols Dry cleaning symbols Drying symbols Handwash symbols Ironing symbols Synthetics and cottons symbols Washing temperatures symbols Tumble drying symbols View more links.

Bleaching symbols. Laundry symbols are there to guide you, so your clothes get the care they deserve. Get the best out of your laundry, with a little help from Tide, and if you need more detailed information, visit our comprehensive guide on how to do laundry.

Ever seen white residues on your clothes after washing and thought How to Read Laundry Symbols. Washing Symbols Getting the temperature and wash cycle right is important for seeing great laundry results, and can even prevent damage to your clothes.

Washing cycle symbols. Washing temperature symbols.