It’s not easy to navigate household linen labels! Between hand washing, dry cleaning or tumble drying prohibited, the symbols all look the same. We help you decipher them to avoid errors.
To avoid unpleasant surprises when washing or drying your household linen, it is better to read the labels carefully! You still need to know what all these symbols mean. Between a terry toweling bath sheet, a linen tablecloth, synthetic sheers or a silk cushion cover, each material requires special care. We explain everything to you.
The acronyms of washing
Washing is represented by a basin,
| 1 | The number inside the basin indicates the maximum temperature at which the laundry should be washed. |
| 2 | A line under the basin recommends a gentle program with moderate spinning,… |
| 3 | … and two strokes, a delicate cycle with very reduced spin. |
| 4 | If a hand is drawn, this tells you that you will absolutely have to wash the laundry in question by hand. |
| 5 | If the basin is blocked, washing is prohibited, you will have to go to the dry cleaners! |
Spin symbols
The spinning and drying that will best suit your laundry will be indicated by one or more lines drawn in a square.
| 6 | A horizontal line: spin allowed, dry flat. |
| 7 | Two horizontal lines: no spinning, dry flat. |
| 8 | A single vertical line or a curve at the top of the square: spinning allowed, then line drying. |
| 9 | Three vertical lines: spinning prohibited and drying by dripping. |
| 10 | If one or two lines cross out the upper left corner, it is because you will also need to dry your laundry in the shade. |
Tumble dryer acronyms
It is represented by a circle drawn within a square.
| 11 | A dot inside will indicate a moderate drying temperature. |
| 12 | Two points will not give you a temperature limit. |
| 13 | If the symbol is crossed out, the dryer should not be used. |
Dry cleaning symbols
| 14 | It is represented by a circle with a letter written inside which will indicate the solvent to be used by the professional. |
| 15 | One or two lines under the circle will give restrictions for cleaning. |
| 16 | If the circle is crossed out, dry cleaning is prohibited. |
The acronyms of ironing
Unsurprisingly, it is indicated by an iron with one, two, or three points inside which will give you the ideal ironing temperature (low, medium or high).
| 17 | Low temperature recommended. |
| 18 | Recommended average temperature. |
| 19 | High temperature allowed. |
| 20 | If the symbol is crossed out, ironing is not recommended. |
The symbols of money laundering
| 21 | A triangle will tell you that all types of bleaching are permitted. |
| 22 | If two stripes fill the triangle, only oxygenated products are authorized, not chlorinated ones (so forget about bleach). |
| 23 |
If the triangle is crossed out, bleaching is not recommended for this type of fabric. |
