Fabric Care Label Symbols

There are five main care instruction symbol categories including: washing, bleaching, drying, ironing, and dry cleaning. Knowing what to expect in each of these can save lots of frustration down the road.

1. Washing is indicated by three connected lines to represent a tub and a squiggly line on top that represents the water. Sometimes, you will see dots or numbers within the “water” on this symbol, which tells you the temperature for the water (one dot: cold, two dots: warm, three dots: hot). You may also see an X through the tub (do not wash), a hand dipping into the tub (hand wash only), or lines underneath the tub (one line: permanent press, two lines: gentle or delicate cycle only).
   
2. Bleaching is represented with a triangle. Sometimes it will be a white triangle with a black outline (meaning, bleach is acceptable) and other times it might have an X on it (do not bleach), “CL” inside (chlorine bleach allowed), stripes in it, or combinations of these. Refer to the infographic for more details.
   
3. Drying is typically indicated with a square, although may include a bow tie-type shape sometimes (do not wring out). If you see a square with a curved line at the top, it means to hang dry after being gently spun or wrung out. A square with three vertical lines means the garment needs to drip dry (hang it up while still soaking wet). A square with one horizontal line means to lay flat to dry, and a square with two diagonal lines in the top left corner means to dry it in the shade.
   
4. Ironing will be represented with an iron icon. It may include an X to explain no iron should be used, an X with lines at the bottom (no steam should be used), dots in the middle of the iron (the number of dots indicating low, medium, or high heat), or a plain iron shape to say it can be used at any temperature.
   
5. Dry cleaning instructions are indicated with circles. Since there are lots of types of dry cleaning available, there are a variety of symbols that could be on your clothing. For example, you might see a circle with an A (dry clean with any solvent), a circle with an F (petroleum only), or a circle with a P (PCE only) and a variety of indicators along with those such as delicate, very delicate, etc. The most common two are a white circle with a black outline indicating that the item should be dry cleaned and the same symbol with an X through it meaning it should not be dry cleaned.
   

“What does this squiggly line mean?” – The squiggly line indicates whether the item is machine washable and may also recommend a preferred water temperature (if there are dots or numbers underneath the squiggly line).

• “Can I just ignore the label if I wash on delicate?” – The short answer? Probably not. The long answer: while the handwash or delicate cycle of your washing machine can be useful for certain garments, if the symbol indicates something is to be hand washed only, you may need to consider why. Is the garment made of lace, wool, silk, or another delicate textile that could be ruined if the water temperature isn’t right or if the agitator is too aggressive? While it can be inconvenient to have to hand wash one or two items in your pile of laundry, there are reasons that the labels exist. As goodhousekeeping.com reminds us, if you choose to ignore them, you’re doing so at your own risk.
  
  
• “Is dry clean really the only option?” – Similar to handwash only, it depends. There are two primary types of dry clean-specific care labels: “dry clean only” and “dry clean.” Dry clean only is serious – you should only be dry cleaning these items because water can irreversibly damage these fabrics, according to realsimple.com. When something simply says, “dry clean” and foregoes “only,” it’s more of a suggestion or optional recommendation. Dry cleaning would be best, but the garment is probably okay without it if you use the delicate or hand wash setting on your washing machine.
  
  
• “Can I use fabric softener on bamboo?” Viscose from bamboo is naturally soft, breathable, and durable. We don’t recommend fabric softener on it because the harsh chemicals in the fabric softener can break down the natural fibers of the bamboo and cause your garments to feel rougher. If you like fabric softener for the scent, we recommend adding a half cup of baking soda to your washing machine to deodorize the load and adding your favorite essential oils to your dryer balls.
  
  
• “Will my clothes shrink if I don’t follow the instructions exactly?” It’s quite possible. Wool and cotton, for example, are known to shrink if washed and dried too hot. Something meant to be washed on delicate and air dried will likely shrink if washed on regular and put in the dryer.

As you know, we do not recommend using fabric softener for viscose from bamboo bedding, loungewear, or bath products. We also don’t recommend bleach. To keep your products soft and fresh, we typically recommend machine washing on cold with normal detergent and machine drying on the normal setting. Be sure to check the tag to see all the care instructions prior to use. And, if ever you have questions, we’re here to help.

Understanding fabric care labels isn’t just about keeping your laundry looking great, it’s about helping your favorite pieces last longer, cutting down on waste, and keeping the luxury feel you fell in love with. Whether you’re washing everyday basics or a fancy top or dress, taking a moment to read those tiny symbols can make all the difference.