Each of us, at least once in our life, had to wash or iron our clothes. But before washing a T-shirt or ironing a shirt, we must have looked at the garment care symbols. These information icons are always located on the sewn-on label. To easily understand all the variety of instructions from manufacturers, we have prepared an infographic for you.
Textile care symbols or badges on the label define the rules of use by consumers so as not to spoil the garment after the first ironing or washing. Currently, there is both an international ISO standard and a Russian GOST, where there is a complete list of care symbols. These standards direct the manufacturer to use only those icons that are universally accepted. The badges are indicated on the label, which is in turn sewn to the inside of the garment.
All fabric care symbols – infographic
And now let's list all the groups of icons on clothes separately.
Washing symbols
The wash symbol on clothes is indicated by a water bath. If the temperature is not indicated, then there are no special instructions for washing and you can safely wash both in the washing machine and by hand washing. If a temperature is specified, this is the temperature limit at which the product can be washed. If the icon is crossed out by two lines, it means that washing is prohibited and only dry cleaning of the product is possible.
Notice if there are one or two dashes under the symbol. If they are present, this means a delicate or particularly delicate wash. This means that the number of revolutions in the washing machine must be reduced to a minimum.
Drying symbols
The drying icon is indicated by a square. There are 3 types of designation for drying laundry:
- Regular drying – one or two lines inside the square. If the strip is horizontal, then the textiles must be dried horizontally. If the strip is vertical, then in a vertical position.
- Drying in the shade – in addition to horizontal and vertical lines, a cutting line is added in the left-right corner of the square.
- Machine Dry – A circle is added inside the square. The number of dots in the circle indicates the drying temperature of the knitted fabric. One point – delicate drying at 60 ° C, two points – normal drying of laundry at 80 ° C.
If a square with a circle inside is crossed out, tumble drying is prohibited.
Ironing symbols
The ironing icon is represented by an iron. The number of dots indicates the temperature at which the garment can be ironed.
- One point is the lowest temperature at which silk or cashmere and synthetic fabrics are ironed.
- Two points – the average temperature at which wool or delicate cotton is ironed.
- Three points – the highest temperature at which cotton and linen are ironed.
If the iron icon is crossed out with two lines, it means that the product cannot be ironed, or it is not necessary.
Whitening symbol
The whitening icon is indicated by a triangle. There are several types of signs:
- A regular triangle means that you can bleach the item with any oxidizing bleach.
- If the triangle has two lines inside, it means that textiles can be bleached only with oxygen-containing or non-chlorine bleach.
- If there is a 'CL' inside the triangle, the garment can be bleached with chlorine bleach.
The crossed-out triangle prohibits bleaching of textiles by any means.
Dry cleaning symbol
The dry cleaning symbol is indicated by a circle. Some fabrics cannot be washed and are intended only for professional cleaning – dry cleaning. There are two types of dry cleaning:
- Dry cleaning – indicated by the letter 'P' or 'F' inside the circle. In the first case, dry cleaning is possible using tetrachlorethylene (Perchloroethylene) and all solvents listed for the 'P' symbol. Second, dry cleaning is possible using 'Flammable' flammable hydrocarbons. Gasoline, for example. Pay attention to the dash under the sign, which denotes delicate cleaning.
- Wet cleaning – denoted by the letter 'W' or 'Wet'. Aqua cleaning is a complicated type of dry cleaning, which is possible using a special machine.
The crossed-out circle prohibits any dry cleaning of the fabric.
Finally
As you can see, these icons on clothing are not that difficult to understand. By the way, there are labels where, in addition to the icons indicating care, there is also a written prescription. So in most cases, you will not have any difficulties with washing, ironing and drying clothes at home. If you once tore off the label, and the thing is dear to you, give it to the dry cleaner. Sometimes it is possible to establish the type of fabric and choose a cleaning method.
As always, we welcome your comments and questions.
