Quickly Decode Laundry Symbols Using a Handy Printable Guide

The care tags on your garments and linens can often resemble cryptic symbols rather than clear washing instructions. To simplify this, we’ve designed a printable guide to help you interpret the most frequently used laundry symbols. Print it for easy access in your laundry area or save it digitally on your phone. You might even use it while shopping to confirm whether that stylish blazer requires dry cleaning.

Understanding Laundry Symbols

Understanding the basic symbols is the first step to decoding laundry care labels.

• The water bucket icon indicates the appropriate washing method.
• A square containing a circle specifies drying instructions.
• The iron symbol provides guidelines for ironing the garment.

Additional symbols on the tag relate to bleaching (triangle), dry-cleaning (circle), and non-machine drying (square) instructions.

The laundry symbols mentioned above include specific details: A single dot indicates a cold or low setting, two dots represent warm or medium, and three dots signify hot or high.

Download and keep our printable laundry symbol guide for easy reference.

Washing Symbols Explained

Symbols featuring a bucket with waves represent different washing techniques suitable for the fabric. Here’s a breakdown of their meanings:

Washing symbols featuring dots

The dots specify the recommended water temperature for machine washing: one dot for cold, two for medium/warm, and three for hot.

Hand washing symbol

A hand symbol clearly indicates that the garment should be washed by hand.

Washing symbol crossed out with an X

This item cannot be washed. (You’ll likely find a dry-cleaning symbol nearby.)

Washing symbols featuring lines underneath

These symbols denote specific wash cycles. A single line suggests a permanent press setting, while two lines indicate a gentle or delicate cycle.

Drying Symbols Explained

Square symbols provide instructions on drying your garments. These small codes reveal the best methods for drying your laundry.

Drying symbols featuring crossed lines

Avoid using a dryer if you encounter these symbols! A straight horizontal line means the item should be dried flat, while a curved line indicates line drying.

Drying symbols with circles and dots

A circle signifies that the item can be tumble-dried. Dots indicate the temperature: one for cool, two for medium, and three for high. A solid circle within an empty square means no heat should be used.

Drying symbols with lines

Lines beneath the drying symbol provide additional instructions. A single line suggests using the permanent press cycle, whereas double lines recommend a delicate or gentle cycle.

Ironing Symbols Explained

The iron-shaped symbol indicates whether and how you can safely iron the garment.

Iron symbols featuring dots

The iron symbol accompanied by dots confirms that ironing is safe, but you must adhere to the specified temperature guidelines. One dot represents low heat, two dots indicate medium, and three dots signify high heat.

Iron symbols crossed with an X

As expected, the X signifies a restriction—but its position is crucial. An X over the iron means the item cannot be ironed, while an X below the iron means steam should not be used.

Additional Laundry Symbols

You might come across extra symbols that provide guidance on dry cleaning, bleaching, and other specific laundry requirements.

Triangle laundry symbols

The triangle symbol provides details on bleach usage. A plain triangle indicates bleach is allowed, a crossed-out triangle means no bleach, and a triangle with diagonal stripes specifies non-chlorine bleach only.

Circle laundry symbols

A circle without a surrounding square relates to dry cleaning. A plain circle means dry cleaning is safe, while a circle with an X prohibits dry cleaning.

Bowtie laundry symbol

A bowtie symbol crossed with a large X means you should avoid wringing out the garment to prevent potential damage.

Useful Laundry Advice

Beyond decoding symbols, here are some transformative laundry tips to extend the lifespan of your clothes, towels, and other fabrics.

• Sort by fabric type, not just color. While many separate lights from darks, experts recommend grouping items by material. Combine durable fabrics like towels, denim, and twill, and wash delicate items like T-shirts and nightgowns separately. The same applies to bulky items such as throw blankets and sheets. (Organizing your laundry space can help maintain this system.)
• Load the dryer one item at a time. Untangle each piece as you transfer it from the washer to the dryer to ensure thorough drying in a single cycle.
• Avoid overloading your washer or dryer. For optimal results, fill your machine only halfway or three-fourths full.