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Decoding Laundry Symbols
July 22, 2024

Decoding Laundry Symbols

We’ve all seen (and promptly ignored) the laundry symbols on the labels of our garments and linens. What do those symbols even mean? Does following them make a difference?

It just takes shrinking a wool or cashmere sweater once to find out that they DO matter. 

There are 5 categories of symbols: Wash, Temperature, Treat, Dry, and Iron. 

  1. Wash: These symbols will tell you whether or not you can hand wash, machine wash, use a gentle cycle, etc.
  2. Temperature: Can you run a cold, warm, or hot cycle? 
  3. Treat: These will tell you if an item is bleachable, requires dry cleaning, etc.
  4. Dry: Some things need to be hung, laid flat, or tumble-dried, and these symbols will tell you which and what temperature your dryer should be set to.
  5. Iron: Before you burn a hole in your silk shirt, check here to see if it can be ironed and what temperature to set your iron to. 

We’ve created an easy-to-print PDF that includes all the standard laundry symbols and even a handy stain guide. You can hang it in your laundry room for easy reference. Check it out here. 

Becky @GoCleanCo

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