Clothing Labels Defined | 5 Laundry Symbols You Should Know

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Are the care symbols on clothing labels Greek to you? Well, you’re not alone. There are symbols for every category of garment care, from washing and drying to ironing and dry cleaning. Learning the language of laundry is the best way to protect that most precious of investments—your wardrobe. We’ve put them all together in a handy guide that decodes these garment hieroglyphs.

Let’s start with the basics—the basic shape for each category.

Machine Wash

Machine Wash
This shape refers to Machine Washing instructions. Click the icon to see the full list of Machine Washing symbols and what they mean.

Bleaching

Bleaching
The triangle symbol stands for bleach. Click the icon to see all the bleaching symbols and what they mean.

Drying

Drying
A square with a circle inside indicates drying instructions. Click the icon to see all the drying symbols and what they mean.

Drycleaning

Dry cleaning
A circle means that the care instruction refers to dry cleaning. Click the icon to see all the drying symbols and what they mean.

Ironing

Ironing
This symbol looks like an iron for a good reason—any care symbols with this shape refer to how the garment should be ironed. Click the icon to see all the drying symbols and what they mean.

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