Almost every garment you own carries a small set of symbols sewn into a seam — a quiet language, agreed internationally, that tells you exactly how to look after it. Learn the five families of symbol and you'll never guess again.
Care labels use five families of symbol, each with several icons. A washtub covers washing (a number sets the maximum temperature; a hand means hand-wash only). A triangle covers bleaching — a plain triangle allows bleach, a triangle with two diagonal lines means non-chlorine bleach only. A square covers drying (a circle inside means tumble-dry; dots set the heat). An iron covers ironing, with one to three dots for cool, warm or hot. A circle covers professional cleaning — P or F means dry clean, W means professional wet clean. A cross through any symbol always means "do not".
The five symbols, in order
Care labels follow a consistent sequence. Read left to right, you'll always find them in this order: washing, bleaching, drying, ironing, and professional cleaning.
1. The wash tub — washing
A little tub of water tells you how to wash. A number inside is the maximum temperature in Celsius; a hand in the tub means hand-wash only. Lines beneath the tub call for a gentler cycle. And a cross through the tub is the important one — it means do not wash in water at home at all.
2. The triangle — bleaching
A plain triangle means bleach may be used. Diagonal lines inside mean only non-chlorine, colour-safe bleach. A crossed-out triangle means no bleach of any kind. For most quality garments, this one stays crossed.
3. The square — drying
A square is about drying. A circle inside the square means tumble drying is allowed — one dot for low heat, two for normal. A crossed-out version means no tumble drying. Lines inside a plain square indicate natural drying: a vertical line for line-drying, a horizontal line for drying flat (important for knitwear that would stretch on a line).
4. The iron — ironing
An iron symbol shows whether — and how hot — you can press. The dots set the temperature: one dot for cool (delicates and synthetics), two for medium (wool, silk), three for hot (cotton, linen). A crossed-out iron means don't iron, and a cross through the steam lines beneath means no steam.
5. The circle — professional cleaning
This is the one people find most mysterious, and it's the one that matters most to us. A circle means the garment should be cleaned professionally. The letter inside tells the cleaner how:
- P — dry clean with standard professional solvents.
- F — dry clean with a gentler solvent system.
- W — professional wet cleaning (in water, by a specialist).
- Lines beneath the circle — handle with extra care and reduced agitation.
- A crossed-out circle — do not dry clean.
You don't need to memorise the solvent letters — that's our job. But spotting a circle on a label is a useful signal that a garment is one for the professionals rather than the home machine.
The expert's caveat: a care label is a manufacturer's safe minimum, written to cover every customer and every machine. An experienced cleaner reads the garment as well as the label — and can often achieve a better, safer result than the tag alone would suggest.
When in doubt, ask
If a label is missing, ambiguous, or you simply don't want to risk a treasured piece, the safest move is to ask someone who does this every day. We're always happy to read a label for you, explain what it means, and tell you honestly what we'd recommend — whether that's our service or simply a careful wash at home.
Got a garment you're unsure about?
Bring it in or make a booking. We'll read the label, assess the fabric, and care for it properly.
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