Care labels compress five separate instructions into rows of tiny graphics. One misread row shrinks a wool sweater, melts a print, or turns a white shirt gray. This guide decodes the 33 laundry symbols our translator tool actually ships, group by group, using the temperature and solvent values stored in its dataset.
The five groups and their counts
The dataset assigns every symbol to one of five groups. The tool shows one group at a time behind five tabs:
- Washing, 9 symbols.
- Bleaching, 4 symbols.
- Drying, 8 symbols.
- Ironing, 6 symbols.
- Dry cleaning, 6 symbols.
The tab order matches the order of your decisions. Read any label in this sequence:
1. Find the tub row and fix the wash temperature and cycle.
2. Check the triangle for bleach permission.
3. Check the square or circle for the drying method.
4. Count the dots on the iron.
5. Read the letter in the dry cleaning circle.
Washing: the tub, the numbers, and the underline rule
The tub carries a maximum temperature, and the dataset stores five of them: 30, 40, 50, 60, and 95 degrees Celsius. The 50 degree entry targets sturdy colored fabrics. The 95 degree entry is a boil wash for white cotton and linen only.
Lines under the tub modify the cycle. One bar means gentle, and the dataset pairs it with 40 degrees. Two bars mean very gentle at 30 degrees, with an explicit instruction not to wring the item. A hand wash entry renders the letters EL inside the tub and limits you to lukewarm water at maximum 40 degrees.
A red diagonal cross over the tub forbids wet cleaning outright. The dataset tells you to fall back to dry cleaning or brushing. Treat the crossed tub as binding, because water damages coated and structured fabrics in ways no wash cycle can undo.
Bleaching: what the triangle permits
Four triangle variants cover the bleach decision. The empty triangle permits any bleach, chlorine or oxygen based. The letters CL inside the triangle permit chlorine bleach on whites. Two parallel diagonal lines mean oxygen bleach only. A red cross over the triangle bans every bleach.
Two failure modes cause most bleach damage. Some detergents carry optical brighteners or bleach substitutes, so check the triangle before you pour anything into a color load. On an oxygen only label, chlorine yellows and weakens the fiber.
Drying: circles for machines, squares for air
The shape of the drying symbol decides the method. A circle means machine drying, and a square means air drying.
The circle carries its heat in dots. A plain inner circle means a normal heat cycle. One filled dot means low heat at maximum 60 degrees. Two filled dots mean high heat at maximum 80 degrees. A red crossed circle bans the tumble dryer because the fabric may shrink.
The square carries the position. A curved line means hang on a line. A horizontal line means dry flat. A vertical line means drip dry while soaking wet. A horizontal line plus a corner mark means dry flat in shade, away from direct sun.
Wool and heavy knits belong on the flat entries. Hanging stretches them under their own water weight.
Ironing dots and dry cleaning letters
The iron carries its temperature in dots. One dot means 110 degrees for synthetics, with a pressing cloth. Two dots mean 150 degrees for wool, silk, and polyester. Three dots mean 200 degrees for cotton and linen, where steam is fine. The dataset adds three more iron entries: an any temperature iron, a no steam iron marked by red bars under the sole, and a red crossed iron that forbids ironing because the fabric may melt or lose its shape.
A circle with a letter names the dry cleaning solvent. A permits any solvent. P permits perchloroethylene and hydrocarbons. A bar under the P circle means the gentle version of that process. F permits hydrocarbon solvents only. W marks professional wet cleaning. A red crossed circle forbids dry cleaning entirely. You never pick these solvents yourself, the letters tell your cleaner which process to load.
What the tool leaves out
The dataset has honest limits. It holds 33 symbols and no dedicated do not wring icon, so that instruction lives only inside the very gentle entry text. It offers low and high tumble heat and no medium variant. It has no gentle variant for wet cleaning or for the F process. Navigation is five tabs with no search box, so you scan a group instead of querying a name. The same 33 symbols appear in all five language sets, English, Turkish, German, Spanish, and Italian, with translated names and descriptions.
Checklist before a new garment goes in
- [ ] Read the label in order: tub, triangle, square or circle, iron, lettered circle.
- [ ] Apply the underline rule: one bar gentle, two bars very gentle, no bars normal.
- [ ] Keep the 95 degree wash for white cotton and linen only.
- [ ] Match iron dots to the fabric before the iron passes 150 degrees.
- [ ] Treat every red cross as a hard stop for that step.
- [ ] Give the dry cleaning letter to your cleaner instead of asking for a process by habit.
Decode your next label against the full set in the [laundry symbol translator](/en/laundry-symbols). If a symbol on your garment is missing from the 33, send the name and what happened when you ignored or followed it, because the dataset grows from labels readers actually meet.
