The small symbols on a care label are a shared code for washing, drying, ironing, bleaching and dry cleaning. Once you can read them, you know how hot the water can be, whether the dryer is safe and which products to keep away from your clothes. Each symbol below comes with its meaning and any temperature or limit it sets.
Work through the five categories one at a time, starting with washing. Dots, bars and crosses each mean something different, so check the category before you judge the symbol. Similar-looking marks are the usual source of mix-ups.
17 symbols
Washing symbols
Machine wash, normal
Wash in a machine on the normal cycle, with the hottest water the garment allows.
Machine wash, 1 dot (cold)
Cold water; start with water no hotter than the limit shown. (up to 30°C / 85°F)
Machine wash, 2 dots (warm)
Warm water; start with water no hotter than the limit shown. (up to 40°C / 105°F)
Machine wash, 3 dots (hot)
Hot water, up to the limit shown. (up to 50°C / 120°F)
Machine wash, 4 dots (hot)
Hot water, up to the limit shown. (up to 60°C / 140°F)
Machine wash, 5 dots (very hot)
Very hot water, up to the limit shown. (up to 70°C / 160°F)
Machine wash, 6 dots (hottest)
Hottest water; start with water no hotter than the limit shown. (up to 95°C / 200°F)
Machine wash, permanent press
Use only the permanent press setting, which cools down or rinses cold before a reduced spin.
Machine wash, gentle or delicate
Use only the gentle or delicate setting, with gentle agitation and/or a shorter time.
Hand wash
Wash by hand with water, detergent and gentle hand movement. (up to 40°C)
Do not wash
Do not wash by any method. Usually paired with dry clean instructions.
60°C mild process (international)
Washing at 60°C on a mild process: reduce the load and avoid long spinning. (60°C)
40°C mild process (international)
Washing at 40°C on a mild process for fine laundry such as viscose or synthetics. (40°C)
40°C very mild process, wool cycle (international)
Wool wash cycle at 40°C with much reduced mechanical action; fill the drum no more than one-third. (40°C)
30°C mild process (international)
Washing at 30°C on a mild process; reduce the load and avoid long spinning. (30°C)
30°C very mild process, wool cycle (international)
Wool wash cycle at 30°C with much reduced mechanical action. (30°C)
Boiling wash, normal process (international)
Hottest normal wash for white cotton or linen suited to boiling. (95°C)
3 symbols
Bleach symbols
Any bleach when needed
Chlorine or oxygen bleach may be used.
Only non-chlorine bleach when needed
Use oxygen (color-safe) bleach only; no chlorine bleach.
Do not bleach
No bleach product of any kind.
14 symbols
Drying symbols
Tumble dry, normal
Machine dryer allowed at the hottest setting.
Tumble dry, low heat
Dryer allowed at low heat at most.
Tumble dry, medium heat
Dryer allowed at medium heat at most.
Tumble dry, high heat
Dryer allowed at high heat.
Tumble dry, no heat (air only)
Dryer allowed on no heat or air-only.
Tumble dry, permanent press
Use only the permanent press dryer setting.
Tumble dry, gentle
Use only the gentle dryer setting.
Do not tumble dry
Do not use a machine dryer; air-dry another way.
Tumble dry, normal process (international)
Normal load and temperature without limits. (up to 80°C)
Tumble dry, mild process (international)
Reduced heat and time; take care. (up to 60°C)
Line dry
Hang the damp garment on a line or bar, indoors or out.
Drip dry
Hang dripping wet, without wringing or smoothing.
Dry flat
Lay the item flat to dry.
Dry in the shade
Added to line, drip or flat drying: keep out of direct sunlight.
6 symbols
Ironing symbols
Iron, any temperature
Ironing allowed at any setting, with or without steam.
Iron, low (1 dot)
Low setting only; no steam (international guide). (up to 110°C / 230°F)
Iron, medium (2 dots)
Medium setting at most. (up to 150°C / 300°F)
Iron, high (3 dots)
High setting at most (cotton/linen). (up to 200°C / 390°F)
Do not steam
No steam; dry ironing at the marked setting is fine.
Do not iron
Do not smooth or finish with an iron.
11 symbols
Dry-cleaning symbols
Dry clean
May be professionally dry cleaned in any solvent.
Dry clean, letter A (any solvent)
Any dry-cleaning solvent.
Dry clean, letter P (petroleum solvent only)
Petroleum solvent only.
Dry clean, letter F (not trichloroethylene)
Any solvent except trichloroethylene.
Dry clean, gentle process (bar under circle)
Dry cleaning with limits on moisture, mechanical action or heat.
Dry clean, reduced moisture
Added instruction used with an A, P or F symbol.
Do not dry clean
Do not dry clean commercially.
Professional wet clean (W)
Normal professional wet cleaning with no restrictions.
Mild professional wet clean (W, 1 bar)
Wet cleaning with reduced mechanical action.
Very mild professional wet clean (W, 2 bars)
Wet cleaning with much reduced mechanical action.
Do not wet clean
No professional wet cleaning.
Tips
How to read the symbols together
Each care label is a set of separate symbols, one for each process, so read every group before you decide anything. Start with the washing group, then check bleach, drying, ironing and dry cleaning in turn.
A do not wash symbol is usually paired with dry clean instructions, which means the garment likely needs a professional. A reduced moisture instruction is added to an A, P or F dry clean symbol, so read the letters and any extra marks together. Read the whole label before you wash, dry or hang anything.
What dots, bars and crosses mean
In the washing group, dots show the water temperature, starting with one dot for cold water up to 30°C / 85°F. Two dots means warm water up to 40°C / 105°F, three dots means hot water up to 50°C / 120°F, and four dots means hot water up to 60°C / 140°F.
Five dots means very hot water up to 70°C / 160°F, and six dots means the hottest water, up to 95°C / 200°F. In the ironing group, dots show heat level instead, with one dot for low, two for medium and three for high. Bars appear with the professional wet clean symbol, where one bar means mild and two bars mean very mild, and a crossed-out symbol means that process is not allowed.
What to do when there is no label
Some garments arrive without a care label, or the label has worn away over time. Check the item's own tag, its packaging and any care card that came with it before you guess.
If you still have no information, start with the gentlest option you have, such as a gentle or delicate setting. Dry the item flat or on a line rather than in a hot dryer until you know how it responds. Test a hidden seam with a little water first so a small mistake does not ruin the whole garment.
Common mix-ups
Permanent press and normal are different washing settings, so a permanent press symbol does not mean you can use the normal cycle. Dry flat means lay the item flat to dry, which is different from drip dry, where the item hangs dripping wet without wringing or smoothing.
Tumble dry low allows low heat at most, while tumble dry medium allows medium heat at most. Hand wash and do not wash are opposites, so check the symbol carefully before any water touches the item. Professional wet clean (W) is a different process from dry clean, so check each symbol on its own.
International labels and the numbers on them
Some labels use international marks with a temperature attached, such as 60°C mild process, 40°C mild process and 30°C mild process. The 40°C very mild process and 30°C very mild process use the wool wash cycle with much reduced mechanical action, and the 40°C version calls for filling the drum no more than one-third.
The boiling wash symbol is the hottest normal wash, at 95°C, and suits white cotton or linen. Tumble dry normal process allows up to 80°C, while tumble dry mild process allows up to 60°C, so read the number as well as the shape.
Questions
What do the dots in a washing symbol mean?
The number of dots in a machine wash symbol sets the water temperature, from one dot for cold water up to 30°C / 85°F to six dots for the hottest water, up to 95°C / 200°F. Two dots means warm water up to 40°C / 105°F, and four dots means hot water up to 60°C / 140°F. Whatever the number, start with water no hotter than the limit shown, since the label sets the ceiling.
Can I use bleach on something with a bleach symbol?
It depends on which bleach symbol is printed. The any bleach symbol means chlorine or oxygen bleach may be used when needed, while the non-chlorine symbol allows oxygen, color-safe bleach only. A do not bleach symbol means no bleach product of any kind, so keep every type away from that item.
What is the difference between line dry and drip dry?
Line dry means hang the damp garment on a line or bar, indoors or out. Drip dry means hang it dripping wet, without wringing or smoothing it first. If either symbol carries the dry in the shade mark, keep the item out of direct sunlight while it dries.
What do the letters A, P and F mean on a dry clean symbol?
The letters tell a dry cleaner which solvent is safe. A means any dry-cleaning solvent, P means petroleum solvent only, and F means any solvent except trichloroethylene. A reduced moisture instruction can be added when one of these letters is used.
How hot can I iron a garment marked with one, two or three dots?
One dot means a low setting only, with no steam, up to 110°C / 230°F. Two dots means medium at most, up to 150°C / 300°F, and three dots means high at most, up to 200°C / 390°F, which suits cotton and linen. A separate iron any temperature symbol allows any setting, with or without steam.
What is the difference between do not iron and do not steam?
Do not iron means the item should not be smoothed or finished with an iron at all. Do not steam is narrower, meaning no steam, though dry ironing at the marked setting is still fine. So a do not steam symbol does not stop you from ironing the garment dry.
Can I use the dryer if the label has a tumble dry symbol?
Check the heat level shown in the symbol first. Tumble dry normal allows the hottest dryer setting, while tumble dry low and tumble dry medium allow low or medium heat at most. Tumble dry no heat means air only, and do not tumble dry means no machine dryer at all.
What does a do not dry clean symbol mean?
It means the item should not be dry cleaned commercially. A separate W symbol shows whether a professional wet clean is allowed, and a do not wet clean symbol means no professional wet cleaning. If the label shows neither option, ask the cleaner before you hand the item over.