As we spend so much of our hard-earned money on clothes, we want them them to continue looking their best for years to come. An important aspect of sustainable fashion, that I don’t see enough about, is how to look after your clothes long-term. 

I was having a conversation with a friend a while back and we somehow got onto the conversation of a jumper she bought. Sadly, it had shrunk in the wash. Understandably, she was quite frustrated that her jumper was ruined. She mentioned about her lack of understanding of some care labels; she wanted to know what these wash care labels meant. Which led me to the idea that I should write a blog post on the ones that I know about. 

Let’s explore what are the UK washing symbols and what do they mean?

I’m not a fan of washing clothes but it’s a job that does need doing. Before I met my other half (who I refer to as my ‘life hostage’ LOL), I used to throw everything in the washing machine and hope for the best, I didn’t even bother following the care symbols on any item of clothing and rarely separated colours (yes, I know). As you can imagine, I rarely had anything white because it wouldn’t stay white for long. Sadly, I have lost quite a few nice things along the way because of this. For me, tumble drying was where I would have most of my biggest laundry mishaps! I used to have a terrible habit of not looking at the clothing label.

To help you look after your clothes, and learn from my mistakes, so they last a really long time, here’s a guide to the main washing label symbols, (with a handy graphic for each section) so you know what they look like and what they mean. 

Quick links

• Bleaching Symbols
• Dry cleaning Symbols
• Drying Symbols 
• Hand wash Symbol
• Ironing Symbols
• Washing Temperature Symbols
• Tumble Drying Symbols
• Wringing Symbols
• #h-ConclusionConclusion
• Printable download

Bleaching Symbols

These can usually be identified as a triangle symbol

• An empty triangle means you can use bleach
• A triangle with two diagonal lines means only non-chlorinated bleach can be used
• A triangle with a cross means do not bleach

Dry cleaning Symbols

The dry clean symbol can usually be identified as circle symbols and a professional dry cleaner will know what these mean

• A solid circle means the item is suitable for dry cleaning
• A circle with a cross means it’s not suitable for dry cleaning
• A circle with a letter inside will indicate to the dry cleaners which chemicals they are able to use for cleaning

Drying Symbols 

These can usually be identified as square symbols – this is not tumble drying, that will come a little later on

• A square symbol with a single horizontal line means the item of clothing needs to be dried flat to keep its shape
• A square symbols with a curved line (looks a bit like an envelope) means it’s fine to hang the item outside on the washing line
• A square symbols with three vertical lines means it’s suitable for drip drying indoors using a drying rack

Hand wash Symbol

These can usually be identified as a tub icon with a hand in water

Item should be hand washed. 

Many modern machines have a hand washing setting, usually for really delicate items of clothing. 

Here’s a handy guide to some of these machine washing symbols and what they mean.

Ironing Symbols

The iron symbol can usually be identified with images of an iron – I don’t do the ironing at home, apparently I’m not ‘good at it’

• If the iron doesn’t have any dots, the item can be ironed at any temperature
• If the iron has one black dot, use this setting for the most delicate items
• if the iron has two black dots, use this setting for synthetic items
• If the iron has three black dots, use this setting or cottons/linens
• If the iron has a cross through it, the item is not suitable for ironing
• If the iron has a cross through it with lines at the base, don’t use steam during ironing

Washing Temperature Symbols

The washtub symbol can usually be identified as tubs with numbers on them indicating the maximum water temperature

If the wash care symbol on the item of clothing displays any of these, that indicates that the item is machine washable and the maximum temperature it can be washed at

Tumble Drying Symbols

The tumble dryer symbols can usually be identified as a circle within a square

• A circle inside a square with dots indicate the clothing item can be tumble dried, the number of dots indicate low heat setting, medium heat setting, and high heat setting
• A circle inside a square means the item can be dried in the tumble dryer
• A circle inside a square with a cross means the item cannot go in the tumble dryer

Wringing Symbols

These symbols can usually be identified as they look a little like a sweet wrapper – I rarely see these but I thought I would add them anyway

• If the ‘sweet wrapper’ is on its own, you can wring out your item of clothing
• If the ‘sweet wrapper’ has a cross through it, you cannot wring out your item of clothing

Conclusion

Adhering to the instructions on your care labels when washing clothes aligns with the principles of sustainability in many key ways: 

• It reduces the textile waste of clothes by extending the lifespan of your garments. It’s always recommended that we should follow the care label, helping us to eliminate the possibility of premature damage and/or deterioration. This also means it reduces the need for replacing the item as frequently.   
• Following the care label instructions means we are washing our clothes at the correct temperature and settings for that load of washing, which could help you to conserve energy and water, potentially reducing your overall consumption. That’s something that will help the environment. 
• It’s a great way to reduce overall consumption of fast fashion and the demand for new items of clothing. It also reduces the environmental impact that is associated with fashion; production, transport, disposal, exploitative labour practices (in some cases), use of raw materials, energy, and chemicals. 
• This is a great sustainable practice as it is key to making conscious consumer choices in fostering an overall more sustainable lifestyle. 
• It could help you save money as you won’t need to keep replacing damaged clothes – who doesn’t want to save money?

And there you have it, if you’ve wondered what the washing signs on clothes mean, here is your list of clothing care instructions explained (to the best of my knowledge). Always check the washing label on your clothes as following the manufacturer’s instructions is the best way to look after your clothes and it could help them last longer. 

Because I like to be helpful, I’ve created a printable download with what the instruction symbols listed in this blog mean so you can stick it in your laundry room or keep next to your machine, just a little something to make your life easier! There’s no sign up required!