Laundry Care Label Instructions by Symbols

Laundry Care Label Instructions by Symbols

Jason Jason
2 minute read

Many care labels on textiles contains symbols to show how to best launder and take care of the product. These care labels are found on most textiles including towels and linens. Getting the temperature and wash cycle right is important for seeing great laundry results, and even prevent damage to your textiles.

Here is an example of a care label and the symbols used to explain how to launder the textile.

If you want to use bleach, you will want to review the label to see if there is a bleach symbol, usually a triangle, or more importantly a do not bleach symbol, usually a triangle crossed out. Recognizing these symbols can save your textiles from getting permanently damaged.

In the above example, you can use the chart below to determine that this should be washed in warm water, dried using medium heat, and use a non-chlorine bleach.

laundry care label

care label symbols

What do the laundry symbols mean?

Here is a quick guide to the most common Laundry Care Label Instructions by Symbols

The Laundry Care Label is the international symbol for care instructions on clothing. It consists of a square with a circle inside. The number inside the circle corresponds to the maximum water temperature, in degrees Celsius, that the garment can be washed at. The outer square indicates whether the item can be bleached (a triangle), ironed (horizontal lines), dry cleaned (an x), or tumble dried (circles). The Laundry Care Label is usually accompanied by other symbols that provide more specific instructions, such as a triangle for bleaching or a steam iron symbol for steam ironing.

So next time you go to do your laundry, you’ll know exactly what those symbols mean!

Direct Textile Store offers numerous products for commercial laundry care including dissolvable and water soluble laundry bags, laundry carts, trucks and hampers. If you need assistance selecting the right product for your needs please contact our customer service department through Live Chat or by calling 800.615.5822.

Direct Textile Store ships to all US states, including Alaska and Hawaii, US Territories, Canada, Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, and St. Croix.

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