Laundry Symbols Explained: How to Read a Care Label

This guide is for anyone staring at a clothing tag full of symbols and wondering how to wash, dry or iron the garment.

In the U.S., clothing makers have to tell you how to care for what you buy. Many do it with symbols instead of words, which is efficient once you know the code. This guide walks through each part of the label in the order it appears, then covers the cases where the tag is confusing, missing or wrong.

Why the label is there

The FTC’s Care Labeling Rule requires makers to give complete instructions for the regular care of a garment, or a warning if it can’t be cleaned without harm.¹ The FTC says makers may use the symbols from the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) in place of words, as long as the symbols cover what the rule requires. Symbols are optional: words alone are fine.¹

Under the rule, a washing instruction covers five things: hand or machine washing (with a water temperature if regular hot water would cause harm), bleach, drying, ironing when it’s regularly needed, and warnings against anything that would cause harm.¹² The FTC gives “Machine wash. Tumble dry.” as an example of a minimum washing instruction, and it says makers must have a reasonable basis, meaning reliable evidence, for what the label says.¹

The label also has to stay put. The FTC says care labels must be attached permanently, be easy to find at the point of sale, and stay legible for the useful life of the product.¹

The five basic shapes

The University of Tennessee Extension explains that, at a minimum, laundering instructions include four symbols in this order: washing, bleaching, drying and ironing. A dry-cleaning instruction uses one symbol.⁵ This is our quick reference to the shapes:

An X through any symbol means don’t do it. The Woolmark Company, for example, describes the triangle with a diagonal cross as “bleaching is not allowed.”⁴

Dots and bars

The American Cleaning Institute’s symbol card, developed with the FTC, sums up two rules:³

• More dots, more heat. Dots run from cool/low to warm/medium to hot/high, in the washtub, the dryer square and the iron.
• More bars, more gentle. Bars under the washtub or dryer square point to the permanent press or gentle/delicate cycle.

Washing: temperature and cycle

The University of Tennessee Extension lists the maximum water temperatures the washtub symbols stand for, from hottest to coolest:⁵

Each temperature can be paired with one of three cycles: normal, permanent press or delicate/gentle.⁵ A hand in the tub means hand wash, and a crossed-out tub means do not wash.⁵

For wool, Woolmark describes hand washing in water between 30°C and 40°C with a wool detergent, without rubbing, pulling or wringing.⁴ Its “very mild wash” symbol means much less agitation, with the drum no more than one-third full on a wool or delicates cycle.⁴

Bleaching: any, non-chlorine or none

There are three bleach messages: any bleach, when needed; only non-chlorine bleach, when needed; and do not bleach.⁵ When a label uses words, the FTC rule spells them out: if all bleaches would harm the garment, the label must say “No bleach” or “Do not bleach”; if only chlorine bleach would, it must say “Only non-chlorine bleach, when needed.”²

Drying: tumble, line, drip or flat

The square covers every kind of drying. With a circle inside, it’s a tumble dryer, and the University of Tennessee Extension lists the heat settings as any heat, high, medium, low, and no heat/air.⁵ Bars underneath point to the permanent press or delicate/gentle cycle, the same as on the washtub.³

Without the circle, the square tells you to air-dry. The extension lists three methods: line dry (hang to dry), drip dry and dry flat. A separate mark means in the shade, added to any of those three.⁵

Other drying warnings include do not tumble dry, do not wring, and do not dry, which is used together with do not wash.⁵ Woolmark notes that wool is normally dried flat unless the label says it can be tumble dried, because a dryer can shrink it.⁴

Ironing: three heat levels

The iron symbol uses dots for heat. The University of Tennessee Extension gives these maximum soleplate temperatures:⁵

An iron with an X means do not iron, and a separate mark means no steam.⁵ Woolmark’s moderate setting for wool is a maximum of 150°C, ironing under a damp cloth without heavy pressure.⁴

Dry cleaning: the circle

The circle is meant for the professional, not for you. Letters and marks tell the cleaner which solvent to use. The University of Tennessee Extension lists any solvent, any solvent except trichloroethylene, petroleum solvent only, and do not dryclean. Extra marks can ask for a short cycle, reduced moisture, low heat or no steam finishing.⁵

The FTC notes that a dry cleaner may use a method that isn’t on the label, but customers who ask for one may be asked to sign a consent form.¹

Labels from other countries

The symbols above are the North American ones. The University of Tennessee Extension notes that clothing made outside North America may use different symbols.⁵ Woolmark, for instance, uses symbols owned by the international labeling group GINETEX, and its wool-wash symbols show a temperature such as 40°C or 30°C.⁴ If a tag looks unfamiliar, it’s often one of these.

When the label uses words instead

Many labels mix symbols and text. Words like “Machine wash cold” or “Tumble dry low” mean the same thing as the symbols; the FTC lets makers use either.¹ If a garment can be neither washed nor dry-cleaned, the label has to say so: “Do not wash — Do not dryclean.”¹

If you follow the label and the garment is ruined

The University of Tennessee Extension describes the cleaning method on the label as, in effect, a care warranty. If following it damages the garment, it suggests returning the item to the store or writing to the manufacturer.⁵ Keep the label and, if you can, the receipt.

Frequently asked questions

Does “washable” mean I can also dry-clean it? Not always. The University of Tennessee Extension notes that some washable items may not dry clean well.⁵

Does “dry clean” mean I can’t wash it at home? The label only has to list one safe method, so “dry clean” doesn’t always mean washing would harm it.¹ If you try washing anyway, you take the risk; start with cold water and a gentle cycle on something you could live without.

What does a hand in the tub mean? Hand wash.⁵

Our advice for unclear labels

• If the tag is missing or faded, wash in cold water on a gentle cycle and air-dry.
• Separate wool, silk and anything labeled “hand wash.”
• Test any stain remover on a hidden spot first.
• Follow the label exactly for the first few washes, before you take shortcuts with a new garment.
• Turn dark and printed garments inside out to slow fading.

For wool and down specifically, see our guides on washing a wool sweater and washing a down jacket.