What Laundry Symbols Mean: A Comprehensive Guide

Have you ever been reading a clothing care label but just couldn’t decipher what all the symbols mean? You’re not alone! Laundry symbols can be a quick and easy way to figure out how to wash your clothes—but only if you know what they mean. In this article, we’ve compiled a list of the most important laundry symbols, including those that show you how to wash, dry, and iron your clothes. With our help, you’ll be a care label pro in no time!

What are laundry symbols?

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An illustration of common laundry symbols and what they mean.

Laundry symbols are icons printed on clothing care labels that indicate how you should wash, dry, and care for your clothing. They explain whether an item should be machine-washed, hand-washed, or dry-cleaned; whether it can be ironed; whether it can be bleached, and more.

Section 1 of 9:

General Washing Symbols

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The machine wash symbol resembles a tub or cup with water in it. This means that it’s safe to wash the garment in the washing machine. The required temperature and cycle will be represented by additional symbols, which we’ll explain below.^{[1]
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Hand Wash The hand wash symbol features the machine wash symbol, a tub with water, with a hand in front of it. This indicates that it’s safer to wash a garment by hand than in the machine.^{[2]
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Research source} Some items with this symbol can be machine-washed, but you should take extra care to protect them by putting them in a mesh bag or washing them by themselves.
- You’ll often find this symbol on delicate fabrics like silk or linen.
- If you have a piece of clothing that’s vintage, extremely delicate, or important to you, play it safe by getting it professionally cleaned instead.
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The “do not wash” symbol features the machine wash symbol with an X in front of it. This symbol indicates that you should not wash the garment yourself. Instead, take it to a professional dry cleaner.^{[3]
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Dry Clean Only The dry clean only symbol is a circle. This means you cannot machine-wash or hand-wash an item, and you must take it to a professional dry cleaner to protect delicate fabrics. Items with this symbol may shrink or fade if you attempt to wash them. Silk, wool, and cashmere are common dry-clean-only fabrics.^{[4]
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- Many dry-clean-only garments come with additional symbols that indicate which products the dry cleaner should use. We’ll share those symbols below.
The “do not dry clean” symbol is a circle with an X through it. As the name suggests, garments bearing this symbol should not be dry-cleaned. Instead, machine wash them on the gentlest setting, placing them in a mesh bag or turning them inside out to prevent damage.^{[5]
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Section 2 of 9:

Washing Temperature Symbols

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Cold Temperature This symbol is a wash tub with a single dot in the middle. When you see this symbol, it means the garment should be washed in cold water, at a temperature between 65 and 85°F (18-29°C).^{[6]
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- Sometimes, the dots are replaced with numbers indicating the maximum washing temperature for the garment. These symbols aren’t common in the United States, however, and are typically shown in Celsius.
- These dots may also appear in the “hand wash” symbol. They mean the same thing.
The warm temperature symbol is a wash tub with two dots in the middle. Wash garments with this symbol in warm water at 105°F (40° C) maximum. Warm water is less likely to shrink garments than hot water is.^{[7]
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Hot Temperature There are multiple hot temperature symbols that reflect the maximum temperature at which you should wash the item. The most common is a wash tub with 3 dots, which indicates a maximum temperature of 120°F (50°C). Other temperature symbols include:^{[8]
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- 4 dots: A maximum temperature of 140°F (60°C)
- 5 dots: A maximum temperature of 160°F (70°C)
- 6 dots: A maximum temperature of 200°F (95°C)

Section 3 of 9:

Washing Machine Symbols

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The symbol for a normal wash cycle is the same as the machine wash symbol—a wash tub with water inside. You’ll likely find this symbol on durable, everyday garments like T-shirts and jeans, as this cycle agitates the garments more than gentler cycles.^{[9]
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The permanent press symbol is a wash tub with a single horizontal line underneath. The permanent press cycle uses warmer water and has a slower spin cycle, which allows it to reduce wrinkles. It’s usually best for synthetic materials, like polyester.^{[10]
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The delicate cycle symbol is a wash tub with two horizontal lines underneath. This cycle uses cold water, a slow spin, and low agitation to protect delicate fabrics. This symbol is commonly found on garments made of silk, cashmere, lace, and wool.^{[11]
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Section 4 of 9:

Drying Symbols

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Tumble Dry The tumble dry symbol features a circle inside a square, which resembles the front of a dryer. This means that the garment can go in the dryer. There may be additional symbols that indicate which heat setting or cycle to use.^{[12]
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- If the care tag doesn’t have another symbol indicating which cycle to use, this symbol also means that a garment can be dried on a normal cycle.
The permanent press symbol is the tumble dry symbol with a horizontal line underneath. This cycle is meant to eliminate wrinkles by using medium heat. It’s also gentler than a normal cycle. You’ll often find this symbol on synthetic materials.^{[13]
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The delicate cycle is represented by the tumble dry symbol with two horizontal lines underneath. It uses a low-heat setting to protect delicate fabrics from shrinking. It takes longer than other dryer settings.^{[14]
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This symbol consists of the regular tumble dry symbol with an X through it. It indicates that it is not safe to put the garment in the dryer. Instead, allow garments with this symbol to air dry, or put them through an extra spin cycle.^{[15]
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The “hang to dry” symbol is a square with a curved line connecting the top two corners. Hang up garments with this symbol so they can air dry. For the best results, avoid hanging them in direct sunlight, which could shrink, fade, or otherwise damage the fabric.^{[16]
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This symbol features a square with a horizontal line in the middle. To avoid stretching out the fibers, garments with this symbol must be laid flat to dry. Do not hang them up or put them in the dryer; instead, drape them over a drying rack or lay them on a towel.^{[17]
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The “do not wring” symbol depicts a twisted piece of fabric with an X through it. This means that wringing out a garment could stretch and damage the fibers. Rather than twisting the garment, gently press out the water or lay it flat to dry.^{[18]
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This symbol features 3 vertical lines inside a square. It indicates that a dripping wet garment should be hung up on a clothesline and allowed to drip dry. It’s not as common as the “hang to dry” symbol.^{[19]
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Section 5 of 9:

Drying Temperature Symbols

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The low heat symbol is the tumble dry symbol (a circle inside a square) with a dot in the center. This means that the garment is safe to tumble dry, but it should be dried on your dryer’s lowest heat setting. Higher settings may shrink the garment.^{[20]
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The medium heat symbol is the tumble dry symbol with 2 dots in the center. It indicates that you should tumble dry a garment using your dryer’s medium heat setting. Using a higher setting could shrink or damage the item.^{[21]
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The high heat symbol consists of the tumble dry symbol with 3 dots in the middle. Garments with this symbol can withstand heat, so dry them using your dryer’s high heat setting.^{[22]
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This symbol resembles the tumble dry symbol, but the circle inside the square is completely colored in. Garments with this symbol are safe to tumble dry, but do not use any heat during the drying process. It may be safer to air-dry them.^{[23]
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Section 6 of 9:

Dry Cleaning Symbols

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Professional Cleaning Required A circle with the letter P in the center means that a garment needs to be professionally dry cleaned. It’s safe to use any dry cleaning solvent other than trichloroethylene.^{[24]
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- All dry cleaning symbols may also have one or two lines beneath them. One line indicates that a garment is delicate, and two lines mean that it is very delicate.
A circle with an F in the middle means that a garment should be cleaned using only petroleum-based solvents. This symbol is frequently found on delicate fabrics.^{[25]
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A circle with an A in the center indicates that a garment can be dry-cleaned with any type of solvent, including trichloroethylene and petroleum-based solvents. It gives dry cleaners the most flexibility when it comes to removing stains.^{[26]
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A circle with a W in the center indicates that a garment should be professionally wet cleaned. Rather than standard dry-cleaning methods, professional cleaners can use water and specialized detergents to clean the garment.^{[27]
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Additional instructions Dry cleaning symbols may have additional diagonal lines on the outside of the circle. These indicate additional cleaning instructions, such as the following:^{[28]
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- A line on the lower left of the circle indicates a short cycle.
- A line on the upper left of the circle represents reduced moisture.
- A line on the upper right of the circle symbolizes no steam finishing.
- A line on the lower right of the circle indicates low heat.

Section 7 of 9:

Bleaching Symbols

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A triangle indicates that it is safe to bleach a garment. If the triangle is empty, it means that you can use any type of bleach, including chlorine and non-chlorine.^{[29]
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The most common “do not bleach” symbol is an empty triangle with an X through it, though an alternate symbol is a colored-in triangle with an X through it. This means that a garment cannot be bleached at all, no matter what type of bleach you have.^{[30]
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A triangle with two diagonal stripes running through it indicates that you can bleach the garment, but you must use non-chlorine, or color-safe, bleach. Chlorine bleach could damage the fabric.^{[31]
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A triangle with the letters CL in the center indicates that a garment can be bleached with chlorine bleach only.^{[32]
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Research source} This is a relatively rare symbol, as most bleachable garments can be bleached with both chlorine and non-chlorine bleach or non-chlorine bleach only.

Section 8 of 9:

Ironing Symbols

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This symbol is a representation of an iron. If a garment’s care tag features this symbol, it means it is safe to iron. If there are no other dots or lines shown, you can iron it at any temperature.^{[33]
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An iron symbol with a dot in the center indicates that a garment should be ironed on a low temperature. You’ll often find this symbol on delicate fabrics, like silk, that can be damaged by heat.^{[34]
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An iron symbol with two dots means that a garment should be ironed on a medium temperature. This setting is often best for fabrics like wool, silk, polyester, or anything that creases easily.^{[35]
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If an iron symbol has 3 dots, it means the garment should be ironed at a high temperature. This setting is commonly found on garments made of durable materials like cotton and linen.^{[36]
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The “do not iron” symbol is the standard iron symbol with an X through it. As the name suggests, this symbol indicates that it is not safe to iron a garment. If you iron a garment with this symbol, you risk melting, scorching, or otherwise damaging it.^{[37]
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An iron symbol with steam lines coming out the bottom indicates that the garment can be ironed using the steam setting. It’s found on garments made of fabrics that can withstand heat and moisture.
An iron symbol with an X over the steam lines means that a garment cannot be steamed, but can be dry-ironed. Items with this symbol will likely be damaged by the moisture from the stream.^{[38]
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Section 9 of 9:

Why Laundry Symbols Are Important

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Laundry symbols help you take care of your clothes. Not all clothes are made of the same materials, so you can’t wash them all the same way. Once you learn what they mean, laundry symbols are a quick and easy way to know how to take care of certain garments without having to read through a long list of instructions.
- Note: There is no universal list of symbols used worldwide. The symbols listed in this article are commonly used in the United States, but there are other symbols used in other countries.^{[39]
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