Clothes Symbols: What They Mean

I believe you'll find this article very useful. Many of us had never known, or bothered to find out, what the lines under each symbol which is attached to our clothing meant. Some just stick everything in the washer at 30 degrees and hope for the best! How many times have you grabbed a top, bunged it into the washing machine and hoped for the best? Even if the fabric is being hand washed, it'll help preserve and prolong the colour and texture that lovely dress of yours if you take these symbols serious.

Avoid faded colours, shrinking sweaters and bobbly jumpers with Anita's fashion blog's guide to the clothing care labels.

Temperature Guide

40° wash tub without a bar: indicates normal washing conditions can be used (at 40°) and the maximum spin cycle can be set

40° wash tub with single bar: indicates the fabrics needs a synthetics wash

40° wash tub with double bar: indicates a specific machine wool-wash.

(The temperature figure will vary according to the maximum wash temperature, for example, 50 or 95.)

Handwashing

Hand in water: wash garments by hand only.

Can we get away with hand-washing clothes that require a gentle machine wash? Surprisingly, no. "Hand washing is usually more severe than a machine wool wash cycle, as we tend to over-agitate the garment and wring-out too tightly," says Mansell.

Tumble Drying

Circle in box: garment may be tumble dried. If there is a dot in the circle, use with a low heat setting; if there are two dots, use with a high heat setting. A cross through the symbol means do not tumble dry.

Iron Settings

Iron:one dot in the iron symbol indicates 'cool setting', two dots mean you should use a 'warm' setting, and three dots means the fabric can handle the hottest setting.

Dry Cleaning

The term 'dry clean' covers the process of cleaning in solvents (with little or no water), to remove soil, stains, grit and dust from fabric. "As there is no water involved, this cleaning process doesn't swell the fibres, which can lead to some fabrics distorting, shrinking or losing colour. Dry cleaning can also restore the loss of shape caused by wear," says Mansell.

Circle: A plain circle means 'dry clean only'. The plain circle with the cross through it means 'do not dry clean'.

P in circle: indicates garment needs 'professional care'. Sometimes you'll see a 'W' or 'F' in the circle - this indicates the solvent and process the professional dry cleaner needs to use.

Bleach

Triangle: Any bleach allowed. If the triangle has a cross through it and is blacked out, it means no bleach allowed.

Did You Know?

• If a label contains more than one symbol, you should select the one that is for the most delicate wash option.

• Nearly 98% of washable textiles are safe in bleach. If there is no bleach symbol, any type can be used.