Laundry Symbols: What do They Mean?
The Guide to Decoding Wash Care Symbols
Has laundry day got your head spinning? Do you set your washing machine on cold or warm? Does this shirt require ironing? Can that sweater go in the dryer? You’ve got a lot of questions. And on top of it, the washing symbols on your clothes’ care tags can look less like instructions and more like hieroglyphics or your kids’ geometry homework.
Whirlpool brand is here to help you crack the code with this quick, effective guide. Bookmark it or print it out and stick it in your laundry room. Then share it with your family and friends. Because laundry day should be just a little bit easier.
Washer Symbols
The wash tub icon tells you exactly how to wash the garment, with underscored lines indicating the recommended cycle and black dots representing water temperature. An X, of course, warns to not machine wash at all.
To help you better understand washing symbols, we have provided some descriptions below.
If your whites are looking a little dingy, consult the triangle on the clothes’ label (if there is one) for bleaching instructions.
How to wash
The item can be washed with a Normal Wash Cycle.
Only hand-wash the item.
The item should be washed with a Gentle Cycle or Delicate Wash.
Do no machine wash the item.
The item requires a Permanent Press Cycle.
Heat level
Wash the item with cold water at 30°C/85°F.
Wash the item with warm water at 40°C/105°F.
Wash the item with warm-to-hot water at 50°C/120°F.
Wash the item with hot water at 60°C/140°F.
Wash the item with near-boiling water at 70°C/160°F.
Bleach usage
It's okay to bleach the item.
The item can not be washed with bleach.
The item can be washed with a non-chlorine bleach.
Dryer Symbols
Laundry symbols will tell you not just how to wash, but also how to dry. First, determine whether the item should be air or tumble dried. The lines inside the square will tell you how an item should be air dried. (Surprisingly, there’s more than one way to do it.)
If it can be tumble dried (dried in a dryer), the symbol will also tell you how. Just like with wash symbols, underscored lines indicate cycle and black dots represent temperature. Once again, the symbol will be X’d out if you shouldn’t tumble dry at all.
Here are some descriptions of dryer symbols to help you better understand them.
Air drying
You should drip-dry the item.
You should dry the item in a shaded area.
You should dry the item flat.
You should hang-dry the item.
Tumble drying
The item can be dried using the Tumble Dry setting.
Dry the item with the Normal Cycle/Medium Heat setting.
You can dry the item with Tumble Dry with No Heat/Air.
You can dry the item on Normal Cycle/Low Heat.
You can dry the item on Normal Cycle/High Heat.
You should not dry the item on Tumble Dry.
Permanent press
You should dry the item on Permanent Press/Low Heat.
You should dry the item on Permanent Press/Medium Heat.
You should dry the item on Permanent Press/No Heat
Gentle cycle
You should dry the item on Tumble Dry/Low Heat
You should dry the item on Gentle Cycle/Medium Heat.
You should dry the item on Gentle Cycle/No Heat.
Ironing symbols
With dryer innovations like Permanent Press and Whirlpool brand’s Wrinkle Shield™ option, ironing in modern life is practically unnecessary. But if a particular piece of clothing requires it, or you still like crisp creases in your pants, these ironing symbols, shaped like an old-fashioned iron, will recommend exactly how to do it.
Iron the item with a max temperature (cool) of 110°C/230°F.
Iron the item with a max temperature (warm) of 150°C/300°F.
Iron the item with a max temperature (hot) of 200°C/390°F.
Do not use steam to iron the item.
Do not iron the item.
Dry cleaning symbols
Despite how far we’ve come with home dryer technology, some garments are still best left to the professionals. A simple circle will tell you whether the item should be dry cleaned or not.
To help you better understand dry clean symbols, we have provided some descriptions below.
The item can be dry cleaned.
The item should not be dry cleaned.
Each letter explains to the dry cleaner how the item should be dry cleaned.
Care for your clothes, care for your family
Now that you understand your clothes' care symbols, you can keep your family looking their best. And you’ll stand a better chance of not shrinking, damaging, misshaping, fading or pilling your clothes. Check out Whirlpool brand’s innovative washer and dryer features that take even more of the guesswork out of laundry day. Start with Intuitive Touch Controls that give you customized care for any load.
And then learn more about what detergent you should be using, and how.
Care better with HE Swash™ Laundry Detergent
Did you know? Swash™ liquid laundry detergent from Whirlpool Corporation is designed to care for your belongings as much as you do. Its Precision Pour Cap prevents overpouring and waste.
Learn More about what detergent you should use and how.
More laundry tips and tricks
How to choose laundry cycles
Do you know which settings you should be using to wash and dry your family’s clothes? Find answers to all your questions.
Why you should be using HE detergent in your washing machine
Like your young athletes who perform best when they’re fueled with healthy food, your HE washer works best with HE detergent.
Appliance IQ
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