[Detailed Guide] How to Understand Washing Symbols on Clothing

 You may not know - the symbols on clothing tags are a guide to help you wash and care for your clothes effectively and increase their durability. In the article below, Thai Tuan LMS will share detailed tips on how to read and understand laundry symbols on clothing.

Why is it important to understand laundry symbols?

Laundry symbols on clothing tags are a system of icons used to guide how to wash garments. This system was developed by the European Union and is widely applied worldwide. Laundry symbols typically include circles, squares, triangles with letters inside, etc.

Laundry symbols play a crucial role in garment care. Each symbol represents a specific washing method, such as machine washing, hand washing, tumble drying, ironing, or air drying. Understanding the meaning of these laundry symbols will help you:

• Wash clothes correctly, ensuring the quality and durability of the fabric.
• Avoid damaging clothing by using unsuitable washing methods.
• Reduce shrinking and fading, increase the longevity of garments, and save money on new purchases.
• Save time and effort: knowing how to wash correctly means you won’t waste time rewashing items.

[Detailed Guide] How to Understand Washing Symbols on Clothing

Next, Thai Tuan LMS will show you how to understand the washing symbols on clothes, specifically quickly:

Washing Symbols

• Basin with water: Machine wash
• Basin with water and hand: Hand wash
• Basin with water crossed out: Do not wash

Bleaching Symbols

• Bleaching allowed – a single, empty triangle with the point facing upwards.
• Use non-chlorine bleach – a triangle with two parallel diagonal lines inside.
• Do not bleach – a triangle with a cross over it.

Ironing Symbols

• Iron cool (max 110°C) – an iron with a single dot inside.
• Iron medium (max 150°C) – an iron with two dots inside.
• Iron hot (max 200°C) – an iron with three dots inside.
• If the iron's image does not contain dots, you can iron at any temperature you like.
• Do not iron – an iron with a cross over it.
• Steaming is prohibited – an iron with two lines jetting out from the base. These lines have a cross over them, meaning you shouldn't use the steam function on that garment.

Drying Symbols

• Tumble dry allowed (on any heat) – a square with a circle inside it, touching each edge of the square. It can be easier to remember if you see the image as a picture of a tumble dryer, with the circle representing the door.
• Tumble dry on low heat – a square with a circle inside it, and a single dot at the center of the circle.
• Tumble dry on medium heat – a square with a circle inside it, and two dots in the middle of the circle.
• Tumble dry on high heat – a square with a circle inside it, and three dots in the middle of the circle.
• Permanent press or synthetics cycle – a square with a circle inside it, and a single horizontal line underneath the square.
• Delicate or gentle cycle – a square with a circle inside it, and two horizontal lines underneath the square.
• Do not tumble dry – a square with a circle inside it, with a cross over the whole symbol.
• You might also receive instructions on how to dry the garment without the tumble dryer. These include:
• Drip dry – a square with three vertical lines inside.
• Dry flat – a square with a single horizontal line inside. Many people find drying flat easiest with a clothes airer that has a flat portion, as this allows air to flow under and around the garment, rather than laying the garment flat on a solid surface.
• Hang to dry – a square with a curved line inside going from one upper corner to the other. This looks a bit like a washing line suspended from the top of the square.

Dry Cleaning Symbols

• Dry clean only – an empty circle.
• Suitable for dry cleaning with any solvent – a circle with a capital 'A' inside.
• Suitable for dry cleaning with any solvent except for Trichloroethylene – a circle with a capital 'P' inside.
• Suitable for dry cleaning with a petroleum solvent only – a circle with a capital 'F' inside.
• Do not dry clean – a circle with a cross over it.

Some Useful Tips for Effective Laundry

Sort clothes before washing by material, color, and level of dirtiness.

• Use detergent suitable for each type of fabric.
• Avoid overloading the washing machine with too many clothes.
• Wash clothes on a cycle appropriate for the fabric type.
• Dry clothes in a well-ventilated area, avoiding direct sunlight.
• Iron clothes while they are still slightly damp.

Understanding the meaning of washing symbols is key to keeping your clothes looking new and lasting longer. The above information is about how to read and understand washing symbols on clothing. We hope that this information will be useful to you.