Care Label Symbols

Click on a symbol or scroll down for definitions.

Apparel Care Icons

Note: At a minimum, laundering instructions include, in order, four symbols: washing, bleaching, drying, and ironing. Dry cleaning instructions include one symbol. Additional symbols or words or both may be used to clarify the instructions. The water temperatures listed are provided as a guideline. Actual water temperatures obtained in the home depend on the washing machine settings (hot, warm, cold), regional water supply temperatures, and water heating settings.

Machine Wash Cycle

Icons:

What it means:

Regular/normal Cycle with regular agitation and spin speed may be used.

Use Permanent Press/wrinkle Resistant washer setting (which has a cool down or cold spray before the reduced spin).

Use Gentle/delicate washer setting (slow agitation and/or reduced wash time).

Hand wash only.

Do not wash.

Do not wring by hand or use rollers on wringer washer. Hang dry, drip dry or dry flat.

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Water Temperature

Icons:

What it means:

Maximum water temperature 200
F/95
C.

Maximum water temperature 160
F/70
C.

Maximum water temperature 140
F/60
C.

Maximum water temperature 120
F/50
C.

Maximum water temperature 105
F/40
C.

Maximum water temperature 85
F/30
C.

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Tumble Dry Cycle

Icons:

What it means:

Machine dry.

Use Normal Cycle setting.

Use Permanent Press/wrinkle Resistant Cycle setting.

Use Gentle/delicate Cycle setting.

Do not tumble dry.

Heat Setting

Icons:

What it means:

Set dryer at any heat.

Set dryer at High heat.

Set dryer at Medium heat.

Set dryer at Low heat.

No heat/air.

Do not dry (used with do not wash).

Care Label

Special Instructions
Icons:	What it means:
	Line dry/hang to dry - hang damp from line or bar and allow to dry.
	Drip dry - hang wet on plastic hanger and allow to dry with hand shaping only.
	Dry flat - lay garment on flat surface.
	Dry in the shade.
	Care Labels

Bleach Symbols

Icons:

What it means:

Use any bleach (when needed).

Use only non-chlorine bleach (when needed).

Do not bleach.

Care Label Guide

Iron - Dry or Steam

Icons:

What it means:

Iron - Ironing is needed.

Iron using High temperature setting.

Iron using Medium temperature setting.

Iron using Low temperature setting.

Do not iron or press with heat.

No steam - iron without using steam.

Care Label

Dryclean - Normal Cycle

Icons:

What it means:

Dryclean.

Dryclean using any solvent.

Dryclean using any solvent except trichloroethylene.

Dryclean using Petroleum solvent only.

Do not dryclean.

Care Labeling

Special Dryclean Instructions

Icons:

What it means:

Low heat.

Short cycle.

Reduce moisture.

No steam finishing.

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Symbols graciously provided to the Apparel Search Company by Procter & Gamble (Tide).

Learn about ISO Care Symbols & NAFTA Care Symbols. Also, for care labels, you may want to learn about RN #'s.