--- title: "Laundry and care labels symbols explained" description: "Every laundry and care labels symbol and what it means — 42 of them, with what each looks like and what happens if you ignore it." url: https://atoneplace.net/symbol/laundry/ site: "At One Place" --- # Laundry and care labels symbols 42 laundry and care labels symbols, each with what it looks like and what it actually requires. | Symbol | Looks like | Means | | --- | --- | --- | | Wash (plain tub) | A stylised tub of water — a bucket shape with a wavy line across the top. | The item can be machine washed. | | Wash at 30 °C maximum | A tub of water with 30 inside it. Some labels show one dot instead of the number. | Machine wash at 30 °C (86 °F) or cooler. | | Wash at 40 °C maximum | A tub of water with 40 inside it. Two dots mean the same thing on US labels. | Machine wash at 40 °C (104 °F) or cooler. | | Wash at 50 °C maximum | A tub of water with 50 inside it. Three dots on US labels. | Machine wash at 50 °C (122 °F) or cooler. | | Wash at 60 °C maximum | A tub of water with 60 inside it. Four dots on US labels. | Machine wash at 60 °C (140 °F) or cooler. | | Wash at 70 °C maximum | A tub of water with 70 inside it. | Machine wash at 70 °C (158 °F) or cooler. | | Wash at 95 °C maximum | A tub of water with 95 inside it. Five dots on US labels. | Machine wash at 95 °C (203 °F) or cooler — a boil wash. | | Mild wash — one bar under the tub | A washtub with a single horizontal bar drawn underneath it, usually with a temperature inside. | Wash at the stated temperature but with reduced mechanical action — the permanent press or synthetics cycle. | | Very mild wash — two bars under the tub | A washtub with two horizontal bars drawn underneath it. | Wash at the stated temperature on the gentlest machine cycle, with a much reduced load and spin. | | Hand wash only | A washtub with a hand reaching into it from above. | Wash by hand at 40 °C (104 °F) or cooler. No machine washing. | | Do not wash | A washtub with a large cross through it. | Do not wash in water at all, by machine or by hand. | | Do not wring | A twisted length of fabric — like a wrung-out cloth — with a cross through it. | Do not twist the item to squeeze water out. | | Any bleach allowed | An empty triangle. | Any bleach may be used, including chlorine bleach. | | Non-chlorine bleach only | A triangle with two diagonal parallel lines inside it. Older labels write CL inside the triangle with a cross through it. | Oxygen bleach only — no chlorine bleach. | | Do not bleach | A triangle with a cross through it, usually solid or heavily struck out. | No bleach of any kind, chlorine or oxygen. | | Tumble dry (circle in a square) | A square with a circle drawn inside it. | The item may be tumble dried. | | Tumble dry low — one dot | A square with a circle inside it and one dot in the centre of the circle. | Tumble dry on a low-heat setting. | | Tumble dry normal — two dots | A square with a circle inside it and two dots in the circle. | Tumble dry at normal heat. | | Tumble dry high — three dots | A square with a circle inside it and three dots in the circle. | Tumble dry at high heat. | | Tumble dry, no heat | A square with a circle inside it, the circle filled in solid black. | Tumble dry with the heat off — the air-fluff or air-dry setting. | | Do not tumble dry | A square with a circle inside it and a cross through the whole thing. | Do not put this in a tumble dryer at any temperature. | | Natural drying (plain square) | An empty square. | Dry naturally — air drying is allowed, with no further restriction. | | Line dry | A square with a single vertical line drawn inside it, representing a garment on a washing line. | Hang the item up to dry after spinning. | | Drip dry | A square with three vertical lines drawn inside it. | Hang up soaking wet, without spinning or wringing. | | Dry flat | A square with a single horizontal line drawn inside it. | Lay the item flat on a horizontal surface to dry. | | Dry in the shade | Any of the natural-drying squares with an extra diagonal stripe across the top-left corner. | Dry out of direct sunlight. | | Do not dry (natural drying prohibited) | An empty square with a cross through it. | Do not dry the item after washing it in water — a prohibition on the whole drying step. | | Iron at low temperature — one dot | An outline of an iron with one dot on it. | Iron with the soleplate no hotter than 110 °C (230 °F), and without steam. | | Iron at medium temperature — two dots | An outline of an iron with two dots on it. | Iron with the soleplate no hotter than 150 °C (300 °F). | | Iron at high temperature — three dots | An outline of an iron with three dots on it. | Iron with the soleplate no hotter than 200 °C (390 °F). | | Do not iron | An outline of an iron with a cross through it. | Do not iron this item at any temperature. | | Do not steam | An outline of an iron with two or three short lines coming from its base, crossed out. The iron itself is not crossed. | Dry ironing is allowed; steam is not. | | Dry clean (plain circle) | An empty circle, the fifth and last symbol in the row. | Professionally dry clean. The letter inside, if any, tells the cleaner which solvent to use. | | Dry clean with any solvent — circle A | A circle with the letter A inside it. | Dry clean in any solvent the trade uses. | | Dry clean with perchloroethylene — circle P | A circle with the letter P inside it. | Dry clean in tetrachloroethene (perchloroethylene) or in any hydrocarbon solvent. | | Mild dry clean with perchloroethylene — circle P with a bar | A circle with the letter P inside it and a horizontal bar underneath the circle. | Dry clean in perchloroethylene with a reduced process — less mechanical action, lower temperature, shorter drying. | | Dry clean with hydrocarbon solvent — circle F | A circle with the letter F inside it. | Dry clean in hydrocarbon solvent only — not in perchloroethylene. | | Mild dry clean with hydrocarbon solvent — circle F with a bar | A circle with the letter F inside it and a horizontal bar underneath. | Dry clean in hydrocarbon solvent with a reduced, gentler process. | | Do not dry clean | A circle with a cross through it. | Do not dry clean — the solvent will damage the item. | | Professional wet clean — circle W | A circle with the letter W inside it. | Professional wet cleaning — a controlled water-based process done by a cleaner, not in a domestic machine. | | Mild professional wet clean — circle W with a bar | A circle with the letter W inside it and one horizontal bar underneath. Two bars mean very mild. | Professional wet cleaning with reduced mechanical action; two bars mean the gentlest process available. | | Do not professionally wet clean | A circle with the letter W inside it and a cross through the whole thing. | The item must not go through a professional water-based cleaning process. | - [Wash (plain tub)](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/laundry-wash-normal/) — The item can be machine washed. - [Wash at 30 °C maximum](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/laundry-wash-30/) — Machine wash at 30 °C (86 °F) or cooler. - [Wash at 40 °C maximum](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/laundry-wash-40/) — Machine wash at 40 °C (104 °F) or cooler. - [Wash at 50 °C maximum](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/laundry-wash-50/) — Machine wash at 50 °C (122 °F) or cooler. - [Wash at 60 °C maximum](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/laundry-wash-60/) — Machine wash at 60 °C (140 °F) or cooler. - [Wash at 70 °C maximum](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/laundry-wash-70/) — Machine wash at 70 °C (158 °F) or cooler. - [Wash at 95 °C maximum](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/laundry-wash-95/) — Machine wash at 95 °C (203 °F) or cooler — a boil wash. - [Mild wash — one bar under the tub](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/laundry-wash-mild/) — Wash at the stated temperature but with reduced mechanical action — the permanent press or synthetics cycle. - [Very mild wash — two bars under the tub](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/laundry-wash-very-mild/) — Wash at the stated temperature on the gentlest machine cycle, with a much reduced load and spin. - [Hand wash only](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/laundry-hand-wash/) — Wash by hand at 40 °C (104 °F) or cooler. No machine washing. - [Do not wash](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/laundry-do-not-wash/) — Do not wash in water at all, by machine or by hand. - [Do not wring](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/laundry-do-not-wring/) — Do not twist the item to squeeze water out. - [Any bleach allowed](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/laundry-bleach-any/) — Any bleach may be used, including chlorine bleach. - [Non-chlorine bleach only](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/laundry-bleach-non-chlorine/) — Oxygen bleach only — no chlorine bleach. - [Do not bleach](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/laundry-do-not-bleach/) — No bleach of any kind, chlorine or oxygen. - [Tumble dry (circle in a square)](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/laundry-tumble-dry/) — The item may be tumble dried. - [Tumble dry low — one dot](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/laundry-tumble-dry-low/) — Tumble dry on a low-heat setting. - [Tumble dry normal — two dots](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/laundry-tumble-dry-medium/) — Tumble dry at normal heat. - [Tumble dry high — three dots](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/laundry-tumble-dry-high/) — Tumble dry at high heat. - [Tumble dry, no heat](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/laundry-tumble-dry-no-heat/) — Tumble dry with the heat off — the air-fluff or air-dry setting. - [Do not tumble dry](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/laundry-do-not-tumble-dry/) — Do not put this in a tumble dryer at any temperature. - [Natural drying (plain square)](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/laundry-natural-dry/) — Dry naturally — air drying is allowed, with no further restriction. - [Line dry](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/laundry-line-dry/) — Hang the item up to dry after spinning. - [Drip dry](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/laundry-drip-dry/) — Hang up soaking wet, without spinning or wringing. - [Dry flat](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/laundry-dry-flat/) — Lay the item flat on a horizontal surface to dry. - [Dry in the shade](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/laundry-dry-in-shade/) — Dry out of direct sunlight. - [Do not dry (natural drying prohibited)](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/laundry-do-not-dry/) — Do not dry the item after washing it in water — a prohibition on the whole drying step. - [Iron at low temperature — one dot](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/laundry-iron-low/) — Iron with the soleplate no hotter than 110 °C (230 °F), and without steam. - [Iron at medium temperature — two dots](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/laundry-iron-medium/) — Iron with the soleplate no hotter than 150 °C (300 °F). - [Iron at high temperature — three dots](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/laundry-iron-high/) — Iron with the soleplate no hotter than 200 °C (390 °F). - [Do not iron](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/laundry-do-not-iron/) — Do not iron this item at any temperature. - [Do not steam](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/laundry-do-not-steam/) — Dry ironing is allowed; steam is not. - [Dry clean (plain circle)](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/laundry-dryclean/) — Professionally dry clean. The letter inside, if any, tells the cleaner which solvent to use. - [Dry clean with any solvent — circle A](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/laundry-dryclean-a/) — Dry clean in any solvent the trade uses. - [Dry clean with perchloroethylene — circle P](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/laundry-dryclean-p/) — Dry clean in tetrachloroethene (perchloroethylene) or in any hydrocarbon solvent. - [Mild dry clean with perchloroethylene — circle P with a bar](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/laundry-dryclean-p-mild/) — Dry clean in perchloroethylene with a reduced process — less mechanical action, lower temperature, shorter drying. - [Dry clean with hydrocarbon solvent — circle F](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/laundry-dryclean-f/) — Dry clean in hydrocarbon solvent only — not in perchloroethylene. - [Mild dry clean with hydrocarbon solvent — circle F with a bar](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/laundry-dryclean-f-mild/) — Dry clean in hydrocarbon solvent with a reduced, gentler process. - [Do not dry clean](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/laundry-do-not-dryclean/) — Do not dry clean — the solvent will damage the item. - [Professional wet clean — circle W](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/laundry-wetclean-w/) — Professional wet cleaning — a controlled water-based process done by a cleaner, not in a domestic machine. - [Mild professional wet clean — circle W with a bar](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/laundry-wetclean-w-mild/) — Professional wet cleaning with reduced mechanical action; two bars mean the gentlest process available. - [Do not professionally wet clean](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/laundry-do-not-wetclean/) — The item must not go through a professional water-based cleaning process.