Our Illustrated Guide to Laundry Symbols Will Help You Decode Your Clothing Care Tags

Washing and drying our clothes is an essential household task that is as important for tidiness as it is for our wardrobe. Of course, there are proper ways to sort laundry, get stubborn stains out, and fold and hang clothing—but there are also very specific instructions for cleaning an article of clothing, and those requirements vary from garment to garment. Fortunately, every piece of clothing comes with a cheat sheet: Laundry care tags with symbols revealing the garment's needs.

When decoded, the symbols offer up the exact type of care an item requires to keep it looking like new. "Different fabrics and garments have specific care requirements," says Alicia Sokolowski, co-founder of AspenClean. "Following the laundry symbols ensures that your clothes are treated properly, reducing the risk of damage, fading, or shrinking (so don't be lazy—check the labels)."

Decoding laundry symbols can be confusing—what does a circle in a square with two dots actually mean? For help, we spoke to the experts to explain what the most common laundry symbols are and why it's essential to follow them to keep your clothing in tip-top shape.

The Importance of Understanding Laundry Symbols

If you want to make sure you are properly cleaning and caring for your clothes, understanding laundry symbols is essential. "Proper care can help your clothing last longer," Sokolowski says. "Following the laundry symbols helps prevent premature wear and tear, preserving the appearance and quality of your garments."

Understanding laundry symbols also helps reduce the environmental impact of doing laundry. "Incorrect washing or drying can lead to excessive energy and water consumption," says Sokolowski. "Following laundry symbols can help reduce your environmental footprint by using resources more efficiently." Not only that but the longer you can make your clothes last, the less you are contributing to the fashion industry's waste problem.

The Most Common Laundry Symbols

There are five main laundry symbols that everyone should commit to memory, which are "standardized symbols that provide information on how to care for clothing and textiles," says Sokolowski. There are more than five symbols out there, but, according to Sokolowski, these are the main ones to know.

It's also important to note that these symbols will, generally speaking, always be listed in the same order on a tag, as required by the Care Labeling Rule from the Federal Trade Commission. "In doubt, the key is to look for those symbols and pay attention to the instructions and any accompanying text, which should provide guidance on how to care for the specific garment," Sokolowski says.

Wash

You're probably most familiar with wash symbols. "Washing symbols include a pictogram that looks like a washing tub," says Zach Kutchma, associate brand manager at Swash. "Inside the tub you’ll find specific instructions on the preferred method, including the way to wash, the preferred water temperature, and the preferred cycle or wash setting."

Dry

After you wash your clothing, it's important to know how to dry them (or conversely, to know they shouldn't go into the dryer at all). Drying symbols usually include "a square, usually with an interior circle for machine drying," says Mary Gagliardi, in-house scientist and cleaning expert for Clorox. "Dots show the recommended drying temperature, and lines indicate special tumbling settings or drip drying and line drying."

Bleach

Bleach instructions will be denoted with a triangle symbol. Whether it's an empty triangle or it contains other symbols will tell you whether you can use any bleach, non-chlorine bleach, or no bleach at all.

Iron

Ironing symbols look like—you guessed it!—an actual iron. "Variations include dots for temperature, as well as lines for steam X’d out to indicate no steam allowed," says Gagliardi. "An X through the iron means 'Do Not Iron.'"

Dry Clean

The basic dry clean symbol is a simple circle. A circle with an X through it means the garment should not be dry cleaned.

Symbols for Washing

Beyond the most basic washing symbol, there are a few more symbols to know that can help guide you in how to wash your clothing.

Machine Washing

Machine wash symbols include variations on the standard wash basin symbol with dots or lines to indicate further instructions.

• Wash basin with one dot: Machine wash cold, at or below 86 degrees Fahrenheit
• Wash basin with two dots: Machine wash warm, at or below 105 degrees Fahrenheit
• Wash basin with five dots: Machine wash hot, at or below 160 degrees Fahrenheit
• Wash basin with no dots: Machine wash, normal
• Wash basin with one line underneath: Machine wash, permanent press
• Wash basin with two lines underneath: Machine wash, delicate

Other Wash Symbols

There are a few other wash symbols you might also see, generally in regards to hand washing a garment.

• Wash basin with hand: Hand wash, don't machine wash
• Wash basin with an X: No washing. According to Sokolowski, this might indicate the garment needs another type of special care, like dry cleaning.
• Crossed out twisted clothing: Do not wring or twist to remove excess water

Symbols for Drying

Knowing how to correctly dry your clothes is extremely important. Improperly drying your clothes can result in shrunken clothing and other problems. Here are the laundry symbols to know for how to dry a garment.

• Square with three vertical lines: Drip dry
• Square with one horizontal line: Lay flat to dry
• Square with curved line at the top: Hang the item to dry on a line or hanger
• Square with curved line and two lines in the top left corner: Dry the item in a shady spot to prevent fading from the sun
• Square with circle and two dots: Tumble dry, medium
• Square with blacked-out circle: Tumble dry, no heat
• Square with circle and one dot: Tumble dry, low
• Square with circle and three dots: Tumble dry, high
• Square with circle and no dots: Tumble dry, any heat setting
• Crossed out square with circle: Don't dry the item in your machine dryer
  

Symbols for Bleach

When it comes to making our whites brighter, bleach is often the easiest way to achieve the goal. But, be sure you carefully read the laundry symbols for bleach, as some garments should not be cleaned with chlorinated bleach, for example. Here are the bleach symbols you should know.

• Empty triangle: Any type of bleach can be used—according to Sokolowski, this includes chlorine, oxygen, and color-safe bleaches
• Triangle with two lines: Use non-chlorine bleach only
• Crossed-out triangle: Don't bleach the item

Symbols for Ironing

Knowing how to iron your clothes the right way is paramount to ensuring wrinkle-free clothing while also not inadvertently damaging a garment in the process. Learning the laundry symbols for ironing will help you differentiate between items that can be ironed at different temperatures or items that shouldn't be steamed.

• Iron with one dot: Low-heat ironing
• Iron with two dots: Medium heat ironing
• Iron with three dots: High-heat ironing
• Iron with no dots: Any temperature can be used
• Iron with bottom crossed out: Steam ironing should not be used
• Crossed-out iron: The garment should not be ironed at all

Symbols for Dry Cleaning

When you shouldn't machine wash an item of clothing at home, and it's labeled as dry-clean only, you'll see these symbols that will help your dry cleaner know precisely how to care for the item. Of course, it's also possible to dry clean clothes at home, so learning these laundry symbols is useful.

• Circle: Dry clean
• Circle with bottom right line: Dry clean, low heat only
• Circle with top right line: Dry clean, no steam
• Circle with bottom left line: Dry clean, short cycle
• Circle with top left line: Dry clean, reduced moisture
• Crossed out circle: Don't dry clean the garment

Useful Tips for Doing Laundry

Our experts shared a few more tips for making sure your clothes come out perfect every time it's wash day.

Pay Attention to Fabric Type

Different fabric types typically require different types of care, which is why knowing laundry symbols is important. "Symbols may also indicate specific fabric care instructions, such as 'wool,' 'silk,' 'cotton,' 'polyester,' and more," says Sokolowski. "These symbols provide guidance tailored to the material used in the garment."

Check Packaging if There's No Care Label

For items like socks where you won't find a tag, check the package it came in. "Where no label on the actual item is required, it must be included on the packaging, which is often discarded immediately after purchase," says Gagliardi. "Always note the care instructions when this is the case to avoid problems later, especially with wool socks!"

Always Heed the Laundry Symbols Included

If a laundry symbol is included, there's a reason for it. "If a care procedure doesn’t matter (like you can iron at any temperature or any bleach is suitable) then the symbol doesn’t need to be included; whenever a symbol is included it’s important to pay attention to it," Gagliardi says. "Since they are all in the same place on the care label, it’s easy to review them all, especially with a new item you aren’t familiar with."