Washing symbols and what they mean

Washing symbols are a jungle. They are basically very good laundry advice, but sometimes quite tricky to interpret. washing your clothes with the wrong program can also give unwanted, and sometimes strange results (we’re looking at you, knitted cardigan that decided to become a tight belly sweater).

This simple guide to laundry symbols gives you all the information you need to be able to interpret washing labels, laundry symbols and other important information in your garments. Here we go.

What do the washing symbols mean?

A tub of water shows that the garment can be washed in a washing machine. There is often a number as well, for example 30° or 40°. This is the maximum temperature that the garment can withstand.

A tub with a line underneath means that synthetic laundry applies. The garment is made of polyester, acrylic or some similar synthetic material. Cotton garments mixed with any of these materials are also considered synthetic.

A tub of water without streaks instead means cotton laundry. Only garments and fabrics that consist of 100% cotton have this laundry symbol.

If the tub has two dashes underneath, it means delicate laundry or wool laundry. These are delicate garments that are easily damaged. Wash them in a half-full machine.

A tub with one hand means handwash. Skip the washing machine completely and wash the garments with, you guessed it, your hands.

In some cases, you will come across a tub with a cross over it, which means the garment can’t be washed in water. This includes clothes that should be dry-cleaned or that should not be washed at all.

Laundry symbols - drying

There are also symbols that tell you how to dry your clothes properly. Many garments won’t take well to being tumble dried, and must be allowed to air dry. Read the labels carefully to avoid shrinking or damaging your clothes.

• A square with a circle means that it is possible to tumble dry this garment. Go for it!
• A square with a circle in it and a dot in the middle means that the clothes can be tumble dried, but at a low temperature.
• A square with a circle in it and two dots in the middle means that the clothes can be tumble dried at normal temperature.
• A crossed square with a circle in it means that the clothes should not be tumble dried at all.

Laundry symbols - dry naturally

Some garments should not be tumble dried, but dried naturally. But even here there are different symbols to refer to. Check it out:

• A square with a semicircle in it means hanging to dry. This is good for clothes that can withstand being hung on hangers, but which should not be tumble dried.
• A square with a horizontal line in it means floor drying, meaning that the garment must lie flat to dry.
• A square with three vertical lines in it means that the clothes should be hung up without tumbling. This is good for clothes that can drip dry without being deformed.

Laundry symbols for ironing

Some garments can be ironed. A well-pressed shirt is a completely different garment than a crumpled one, and lifts an outfit in a completely new way. The laundry symbols for ironing look like this:

• An iron with a dot means that the garment can be ironed on fairly low heat, no more than 110 degrees.
• An iron with two dots means intermediate temperature, meaning a maximum of 150 degrees.
• Three dots mean high heat, but no more than 200 degrees.
• A crossed iron is quite self-explanatory – the clothes should not be ironed at all.

Laundry symbols - dry cleaning

Some clothes and fabrics are so sensitive that they can only be dry-cleaned. The symbols look like this:

• A circle means that the garment can be dry-cleaned.
• A circle with a letter in it means that the clothes can be dry-cleaned, and the letter shows which way.
• A crossed circle simply means no dry cleaning.

Done! That wasn’t so difficult, was it?