Buzz
This care label on a pair of blue jeans gives specific guidance on the most effective way to wash them. Anatoly Vartanov/ShutterstockSymbols are everywhere: the stop sign at the intersection, the recycling symbols on the plastic products we use daily, and of course, the care labels found on clothing and various fabrics.
The washing symbols indicate how to properly wash and maintain the fabric. If you've been ignoring those tags and lamenting the quick wear of your clothes, keep reading to ensure you never wash at the wrong temperature again.
Why Care Labels Are Important for Your Clothes
The Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) Care Labeling Rule mandates that manufacturers include care labels on garments, and the FTC ensures compliance with this regulation. While most clothing and fabrics require these labels, exceptions include items like gloves, hats, shoes, handkerchiefs, belts, suspenders, and neckties.
"Failure to provide accurate care instructions and warnings regarding the lifespan of an item is considered a breach of the FTC Act," states the FTC. "Offenders may face enforcement actions and penalties up to $16,000 per violation. The FTC asserts that each mislabeled garment constitutes a separate violation."
However, there are a few exceptions, such as trims that do not exceed five inches in width or up to 10 yards of manufacturer remnants.
Different Types of Laundry Symbols
This chart illustrates the five fundamental laundry care symbols, including a tub, triangle, iron, square, and circle. Each symbol has variations that convey different meanings. YummyBuum/ShutterstockThe American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) established these symbols for the Standard Guide for Care Symbols for Care Instructions on Textile Products. They are similar to those used across many European countries. Both systems feature five symbols in the same left-to-right order:
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tub shape: indicates washing by hand or machine
- triangle: refers to bleaching instructions
- square: denotes drying instructions
- iron: specifies iron settings
- circle: signals special care or warnings
Washing Symbols
Depicted by tubs, these symbols indicate the washing methods, cycles, and temperature settings.
- Washing methods and cycles: In the first row, you'll find instructions for machine washing, including whether to use the permanent press cycle, delicate cycle, or hand wash, and in some cases, whether washing is unnecessary.
- Washing temperature: Below the washing methods, you'll find symbols for washing temperature. The clothing label specifies whether to wash hot (120°F or 49°C and above), warm (105°F or 41°C), or cold (between 65°F and 85°F, or 18°C to 29°C).
Bleaching Symbols
A triangle symbol in laundry care indicates whether bleach should be used, and which type—either non-chlorine bleach or chlorine bleach.
Drying Symbols
The square symbols indicate the appropriate drying method, temperature, and cycle to use, ensuring your clothes maintain their shape and size.
- Drying methods: The labels will guide you on whether to tumble dry, avoid tumble drying, hang to dry, dry flat, or refrain from wringing.
- Drying temperature: The drying temperature symbols specify whether to use no heat, low heat, medium heat, high heat, or any heat at all.
- Drying cycle: The label will indicate the correct setting for your dryer, such as permanent press, delicate, or another specific cycle.
Iron Symbols
Ironing symbols provide instructions on whether to iron at low, medium, or high heat, whether to avoid ironing entirely, or whether to refrain from using steam.
Special Care and Warning Symbols
This section provides instructions for dry cleaning, including whether dry cleaning is necessary, the type of solvent to use, and whether wet cleaning is a viable option.
Understanding Laundry Symbol Combinations
Though some care labels feature written instructions, many manufacturers opt for symbols only. (The FTC recommends that those using only symbols also include extra information to ensure consumers understand the care instructions.)
A lone circle generally indicates dry cleaning or wet cleaning instructions. When a circle is inside a square, it changes the meaning from 'dry' to 'tumble dry'.
Adding extra symbols such as lines or dots provides more context. For instance, an 'X' through a symbol means to avoid it or serves as a warning, while an unmarked symbol usually means that any variation of the action is acceptable.
The triangle symbol stands for bleaching, and when it is crossed out, it means 'do not bleach.' A regular triangle indicates that bleaching is allowed. Likewise, a standard tumble dry symbol means that any heat level is acceptable, but a solid circle indicates no heat should be used.
Some labels feature a small hand symbol to indicate that hand washing is required. The list of symbols continues to expand. When you start observing the five core symbols, you’ll begin to recognize a sort of visual language emerging.
Care symbols provide a lot of useful information in a compact form, yet experts agree that there's still room for improvement. Many people still struggle to understand the symbols, and the lack of global consistency makes creating care labels costly and complicated.
However, if you pay close attention to the care labels on your clothing and follow the instructions carefully, you stand a better chance of keeping your garments in excellent condition.
