When it comes to laundering our garments, we’d like to believe we’re doing it correctly; using the right setting, temperature and cycle.
Regardless of how often you scrutinise clothing tags, there will always be a variety of symbols indicating that your top should be washed at 30 not 40, or that tumble dryers should be avoided at all costs. They might seem baffling, but once you understand what the symbols signify, washing labels become quite simple.
According to Ariel, every clothing label should inform you of the fabric the item is made from, along with up to five symbols detailing how to care for it. To avoid your clothes shrinking or losing their shape when drying, there are several symbols on the care label, guiding you on the safest way to dry your clothes without damaging the fabric, reports the Express.
You might recognise the symbol for tumble drying – a square with an empty circle inside – but do you know what the same symbol with one dot added signifies?
If you assumed both symbols meant the same thing, you’d be mistaken. The square with a circle inside indicates that the clothes can be safely tumble dried.
The extra dots within the tumble dry symbols denote the temperature at which they should be dried.
One dot represents tumble drying on a low heat. These then increase to three: two for medium heat, and three for high heat.
No dot implies that you can tumble dry your clothes at any heat, but caution is advised not to overdo it. For those who are not familiar with the symbols, if your clothes display the symbol which is crossed over, you should avoid tumble drying your garment and let it dry naturally instead.