Fabric Care - Understand What Your Clothes Are Saying

You might have had the unfortunate experience of taking a new blouse or dress out of the washing machine, and it has shrunk to children size. That would probably ruin your day!

Obviously, we all want to maintain our favourite blouses or jeans and keep them in perfect condition. However, not too many people know how to take care of our clothes. Almost all clothes come with manufacture care labels, because not all garments can be clean the same way. But, the challenge we usually face is to understand the tiny care labels. These problems can be prevented by understanding washing instructions symbols. Here, we will help you decode all those icons.

Washing

Washtub icon. The washtub means that the garment is machine washable. A number or dot(s) within the tub icon shows the maximum temperature, and the bars underneath indicates rinse/spin treatment in the washing machine. A hand in the tub means “hand washing only”. A cross through washtub signifies that the garment can’t be washed under normal household conditions.

Ironing

Iron icon. The iron icon means that the garment is allowed for ironing. The number of dots within the icon assigns the appropriate temperature – the more dots, the higher heat setting. A crossed iron icon means the garment is not suitable to be ironed.

Drying

Circle in the square icon. The icon contains a circle in the square allows machine drying. Dot(s) within the icon indicates the maximum temperature. The crossed symbol means that the garment should not be machine dried. If the square icon without circle, it signifies natural drying.

Bleaching

Triangle icon. The triangle icon signifies that bleaching is allowed. Two oblique lines in the triangle indicate chlorine bleaching is prohibited. A crossed triangle means no bleaching.

Professional Cleaning

Circle icon. This icon instructs the proper professional cleaning methods. The letters P and F in the circle indicates different solvents used. Bar(s) under the symbol means how gentle the clean should be. A crossed circle means no dry cleaning.

Here is the detailed clothing care guide. Print it out and stick in your laundry room for a quick reference.

Prepared by Amber Liu @ fayfashion.com