How to Read Washing Labels

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A comprehensive guide to decoding clothing care labels when you are doing laundry

Co-authored by Safir Ali and Janice Tieperman

Last Updated: March 29, 2024 Fact Checked

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Water Bucket Symbols

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Square Dryer Symbols

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Triangle Symbols

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Iron Symbols

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Circle Symbols

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Video

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Q&A

Clothing care labels are a simple set of instructions stitched onto a garment that explain how to best wash, dry, iron, and/or bleach it. Care labels play an essential role in helping your clothes last as long as possible, but they aren’t always easy to decipher at a glance. In this guide, we’ll walk you through what all the different symbols mean, so you can read washing labels with ease before your next laundry load.

Things You Should Know

The washtub symbol refers to the washing instructions.
The square symbol refers to the drying instructions.
The triangle symbol refers to the bleaching instructions.
The iron symbol refers to the ironing instructions.
The circle symbol refers to the dry-cleaning instructions.

Section 1 of 5:

Washing Symbols (Washtub)

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Washing symbols indicate the best cycle and temperature for a garment. The symbol looks like a wash bucket and may appear with dots or a number in the center (that indicate temperature) or with horizontal lines underneath (that designate a specific type of cycle).^{[1]
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- A plain washtub: Use a normal cycle in your washing machine
- A crossed-out washtub: Don’t wash
- A washtub with 1 horizontal line at the bottom: Use a permanent press cycle
- A washtub with 2 horizontal lines at the bottom: Use a delicate/gentle cycle (in Europe, this is sometimes called a “GB wash”)
- A washtub with a hand inside: Hand-wash only
- A washtub with 1 dot or the # 30: Wash the garment at 30 °C (86 °F) or lower
- A washtub with 1 dot or the # 30 with a line underneath the bucket: Wash the garment at 30 °F (−1 °C) or lower on a delicate cycle
- A washtub with 2 dots or the # 40: Wash the garment at 40 °C (104 °F) or lower
- A washtub with 3 dots or the # 50: Wash the garment at 50 °C (122 °F) or lower
- A washtub with 4 dots or the # 60: Wash the garment at 60 °C (140 °F) or lower
- A washtub with 5 dots or the # 70: Wash the garment at 70 °C (158 °F) or lower
- A washtub with 6 dots or the # 80: Wash the garment at 80 °C (176 °F) or lower
- A washtub with 7 dots or the # 90: Wash the garment at 90 °C (194 °F) or lower. (In some cases, the label can even read the # 95, which stands for 95 °C (203 °F)

Section 2 of 5:

Drying Symbols (Square)

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Dryer symbols indicate if a garment can be tumble-dried or air-dried. Some care labels feature the symbol of a square with a circle inside, which symbolizes a tumble dryer; other labels feature variations of a traditional square, which symbolizes air drying. For tumble-drying symbols, extra lines and dots give insight into the exact cycle and/or temperature that needs to be used.^{[2]
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- A plain square: Tumble-dry with a normal dryer cycle
- A square with 1 line underneath: Tumble-dry with the permanent press cycle setting
- A square with 2 lines underneath: Tumble-dry with the gentle/delicate cycle setting
- Square with a black/closed circle in the center: Tumble-dry using a no-heat cycle
- Square with a white/open circle in the center: Tumble-dry at any temperature
- Square with 1 dot in the center: Tumble-dry at a low temperature
- Square with 2 dots in the center: Tumble-dry at a medium temperature
- Square with 3 dots in the center: Tumble-dry at a high temperature
- Crossed-out square symbol: Don’t dry whatsoever
- Crossed-out twisted fabric symbol: Don’t wring the fabric
- A square with a curved line (like an envelope): Line-dry the wet clothes.
- A square with 3 vertical lines: Hang up the clothes and let them drip dry.
- A square with 2 diagonal lines in the top left corner: Hang the clothes to dry in a shaded area
- A square with a horizontal line: Let the garment air-dry flat.

Section 3 of 5:

Bleach Symbols (Triangle)

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Triangular symbols describe if a garment can or can’t be bleached. Variations of the bleach symbol may indicate if certain types of bleach can/can’t be used (like chlorinated or non-chlorinated).^{[3]
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- Open triangle: Bleach if necessary
- Striped triangle: Non-chlorine bleach only
- Triangle with CL in the center: Chlorine bleach only
- Solid or open triangle that’s crossed out: Don’t bleach whatsoever (newer care labels tend to use an open/white triangle that’s crossed out, while older care labels might use a solid triangle)

Section 4 of 5:

Ironing Symbols (Iron)

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Ironing symbols describe if a garment can be ironed. Ironing symbols resemble a classic iron, and sometimes have dots in the center if a garment needs to be ironed at a high or low setting.^{[4]
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- Iron symbol with no dots: Iron the garment at any temperature and/or steam it, if necessary
- Iron symbol with no dots: Iron the garment at any temperature.
- Crossed-out iron symbol: Don’t iron
- Iron with crossed-out lines underneath: Don’t steam
- Iron symbol with 1 dot: Iron the garment at 230 °F (110 °C)
- Iron symbol with 2 dots: Iron the garment at 300 °F (149 °C)
- Iron symbol with 3 dots: Iron the garment at 390 °F (199 °C)

Section 5 of 5:

Dry Cleaning Symbols (Circle)

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Circular symbols are instructions for dry-cleaning professionals. Usually, fabrics with this symbol cannot get wet.^{[5]
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Expert Source

Safir Ali
Professional Dry Cleaner

Expert Interview. 15 September 2020.} Unless you’re dry-cleaning your own clothes, you don’t need to worry about these types of symbols.
- Crossed-out circle: don’t dry-clean
- Open circle with line in top-left corner: Run a cycle with reduced moisture
- Open circle with line in top-right corner: Run a cycle without any steam
- Open circle with line in bottom-left corner: Run a short cycle
- Open circle with line in bottom-right corner: Run a low-heat cycle
- Open circle with an “A” in the center: Use any type of solvent
- Open circle with a “P” in the center: Use any type of solvent that isn’t trichloroethylene
- Open circle with an “F” in the center: Only use a petroleum-based solvent^{[6]
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Community Q&A

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Question

If a label says do not use fabric softener, does that mean just in the wash? Can I still use dryer sheets?

Community Answer

Yes, the softener can just cause the fabric to lose its shape. If it would make you more comfortable though, you could try drying the item without dryer sheets to determine if you need them.

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