Laundry symbols explained: every care label symbol

Washing (the tub)

• Machine wash, normal cycle.

  With no dots, the label gives no temperature limit; under the FTC glossary, 'machine wash' with no temperature means hot water up to 145°F may be used regularly.

• Machine wash, permanent press cycle (reduced agitation / cool-down rinse for wrinkle-prone and synthetic items).

• Machine wash, delicate/gentle cycle.

• Hand wash only.

  FTC glossary: hand washing removes soil by hand manipulation (gentle squeezing) in water with detergent; FTC 'warm' hand wash = 90-110°F (32-43°C), 'cold' = up to 85°F (29°C).

• Machine wash at a maximum water temperature of 30°C (65-85°F); cool/cold.

• Machine wash at a maximum water temperature of 40°C (105°F); warm.

• Machine wash at a maximum water temperature of 50°C (120°F); hot.

• Machine wash at a maximum water temperature of 60°C (140°F); very hot.

• Machine wash at a maximum water temperature of 70°C (160°F); extremely hot.

• Machine wash at a maximum water temperature of 95°C (200°F); near boiling.

• Do not wash (item must be dry cleaned or otherwise professionally cleaned).

• Do not wring (do not twist the item to remove water).

Bleaching (the triangle)

• Any bleach (chlorine or non-chlorine) may be used when needed (FTC: 'Bleach when needed' = all bleaches may be used when necessary).

• Only non-chlorine (oxygen) bleach, when needed; chlorine bleach must not be used.

• Do not bleach (no bleach of any kind).

Drying (the square)

• Tumble dry, normal cycle, any heat.

  FTC: when no temperature setting is given, drying at a hot setting may be used regularly.

• Tumble dry, permanent press cycle.

• Tumble dry, delicate/gentle cycle.

• Tumble dry, high heat.

• Tumble dry, medium heat.

• Tumble dry, low heat.

• Tumble dry with no heat (air only).

  FTC: set dryer to operate without heat.

• Do not tumble dry.

• Do not dry (by machine); used together with 'do not wash'.

• Line dry / hang to dry.

  FTC: hang damp from a line or bar, indoors or outdoors.

• Drip dry.

  FTC: hang dripping wet, with or without hand shaping and smoothing.

• Dry flat.

  FTC: lay out horizontally for drying.

• Dry in the shade (away from direct sun).

  Added to line dry, drip dry or dry flat. FTC: 'line dry in shade' = dry away from sun.

Ironing (the iron)

• Iron, dry or steam, high setting; maximum soleplate temperature 200°C (390°F).

  Typical fibers at this setting per the Canadian guide: cotton, linen.

• Iron, dry or steam, medium setting; maximum soleplate temperature 150°C (300°F).

  Typical fibers at this setting per the Canadian guide: polyester, rayon, silk, wool.

• Iron, dry or steam, low setting; maximum soleplate temperature 110°C (230°F).

  Typical fibers at this setting per the Canadian guide: acetate, acrylic, nylon, spandex.

• Iron at any temperature (FTC glossary: 'iron' with no setting = highest setting may be used).

• Iron without steam (added to an iron symbol).

• Do not iron.

  FTC: item is not to be smoothed or finished with an iron.

Professional cleaning (the circle)

• Dryclean (normal cycle).

  FTC: a commercial process that removes soil with organic solvents.

• Dryclean, any solvent.

• Dryclean in any solvent except trichloroethylene (US meaning).

• Dryclean in petroleum solvent only (US meaning).

• Dryclean, short cycle.

• Dryclean, reduced moisture.

• Dryclean, low heat (drying).

• Dryclean, no steam finishing.

• Do not dryclean.

• Professional wet cleaning: a commercial water-based process run by professionals with special equipment, detergents and additives, followed by appropriate drying and finishing (definition as proposed by FTC in 2012).

  One bar underneath = mild process, two bars = very mild; X = do not wet clean.

What the temperatures mean

The US Care Labeling Rule defines the words used on labels. When a label says hot, warm or cold, these are the ranges it refers to:

US and European labels

Clothes made for other markets often carry the international (ISO/GINETEX) version of the symbols. They mostly match, with these differences:

• Wash temperature: US: Dots in the tub, 1 to 6 (30/40/50/60/70/95°C). Europe: Number in °C inside the tub (dots allowed by ISO as an alternative).
• Tumble dry dots: US: 1 dot low, 2 dots medium, 3 dots high, filled circle no heat, empty circle any heat. Europe: Only 1 dot (reduced) and 2 dots (normal); no 3-dot or no-heat symbol. Two dots in Europe = normal/high, not medium.
• Do not bleach: US: Filled black triangle with X (ASTM D5489-96c). Europe: Open triangle with X (GINETEX since ~2010-2012).
• Natural drying: US: Curved line at top = line dry; 3 vertical lines = drip dry; 1 horizontal line = dry flat; corner diagonal = shade. Europe: ISO 3758:2012 straight-line set: 1 vertical = line dry, 2 vertical = drip line dry, 1 horizontal = flat dry, 2 horizontal = drip flat dry, corner diagonal = shade (drawings per secondary sources; ISO text is paywalled). Optional, shown after the five main symbols.
• Dry cleaning letters: US: A = any solvent; P = any solvent except trichloroethylene; F = petroleum only; extra instructions by short strokes at the circle's corners. Europe: No A; P = perchloroethylene plus hydrocarbon solvents; F = hydrocarbon only; mild/very mild by 1 or 2 bars under the circle.
• Wet cleaning: US: Not in ASTM D5489-96c; W may appear only with written instructions. Europe: W in circle, with 0/1/2 bars, part of ISO 3758 since 2005.
• Mild-process bars: US: 1 bar = permanent press, 2 bars = delicate/gentle (wash and tumble dry). Europe: 1 bar = mild, 2 bars = very mild (e.g., wool); older European labels used a dashed bar.
• Legal status: US: Care label mandatory (FTC rule); symbols optional. Europe: GINETEX symbols are registered trademarks used under licence; SGS notes that in the EU, when symbols are used, all five standard symbols appear in a fixed order. (Whether labelling is mandatory varies by country; not verified here.)