Confused with The Laundry Symbols on Your Clothes?
Have you ever checked the labels on your t-shirts, jeans, or other clothing items and found symbols like these?
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All of us have probably been guilty of throwing all our clothes into the washing machine without examining their labels first. As a result, it’s common to find that our clothes become wrinkled, worn out, or even torn after just one or two washes.
But did you know that there are different ways to wash different fabrics?
Laundry symbols, often found on the care label inside your clothing, indicate the recommended wash temperature, bleach usage, and drying method for each garment. Understanding these symbols is essential for maintaining the longevity and appearance of your clothes, as well as for ensuring that your garments are cleaned in the most effective and safe way possible. Without further ado, let’s explore the most common laundry symbols and what they indicate.
- Hand Wash:
A tub with a hand indicates that you should wash the fabric by hand and not in a washing machine. If the symbol has a twist, it means you can wring the fabric by hand, while a twist with a cross means you should not wring the fabric and let it hang to dry.
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- Machine Wash:
Generally, if you find the tub symbol on the label without a hand, it means you can wash the fabric in a washing machine. Sometimes, there will be numbers or dots on the symbol, which indicate the temperature of the water you should use. For example, number 30, 40, 50, or 60 means that you should wash the fabric with water at or below that temperature. Some countries use numbers, while others use dots to indicate the degrees.
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- Dry Clean:
All dry cleaning is symbolized by a circle. The symbols A, F, and P indicate the chemicals that can be used with the fabric. A means any solvent is allowed, F means petroleum only, and P means any solvent is allowed except Trichloroethylene. Lastly, the W symbol means that the fabric should be wet cleaned, and the crossed symbol means that the fabric should not be dry cleaned.
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In conclusion, understanding laundry symbols is crucial to making sure you care for your clothes properly and extend their lifespan. When in doubt, it’s always best to follow the care instructions provided by the manufacturer to keep your clothes looking their best.