What do laundry symbols mean
Laundry symbols come in five families: a tub for washing, with dots for temperature and a hand for hand wash; a triangle for bleach; a square for drying, with a circle inside for tumble drying; an iron for ironing, with dots for heat; and a plain circle for dry cleaning. An X through any symbol means do not. More dots always means more heat.
Why it matters: The label is the key to not shrinking or fading things.
Steps
- Find the care label, usually in a side seam or at the back neck.
- Read the tub: one dot is cold, two warm, three or more hot; a hand means hand wash only.
- Read the triangle: empty allows any bleach, two lines mean non-chlorine only, and an X means none.
- Read the square: a circle inside means tumble dry, with dots for heat; a line inside means dry flat.
- Read the iron: one dot low, two medium, three high.
- A circle alone means dry clean; an X over it means do not dry clean.
- Take a photo of the label of anything expensive before you cut the tag out.
Common mistakes
- Cutting labels out before reading them.
- Ignoring the dry flat line on knitwear.
- Assuming dry clean means dry clean only.
Teach this to someone
A one page sheet for showing a friend, a teenager or a parent: what to say, what to show, and one question to check it landed.
Teach: What do laundry symbols mean
What to say
Laundry symbols come in five families: a tub for washing, with dots for temperature and a hand for hand wash; a triangle for bleach; a square for drying, with a circle inside for tumble drying; an iron for ironing, with dots for heat; and a plain circle for dry cleaning. An X through any symbol means do not. More dots always means more heat.
What to show
- Find the care label, usually in a side seam or at the back neck.
- Read the tub: one dot is cold, two warm, three or more hot; a hand means hand wash only.
- Read the triangle: empty allows any bleach, two lines mean non-chlorine only, and an X means none.
- Read the square: a circle inside means tumble dry, with dots for heat; a line inside means dry flat.
- Read the iron: one dot low, two medium, three high.
- A circle alone means dry clean; an X over it means do not dry clean.
- Take a photo of the label of anything expensive before you cut the tag out.
Check question
What does a square with a circle inside mean?
Answer: Tumble dry. The square is drying, and the circle inside means the tumble dryer.
Your checklist
Saved only in this browser.
Quick quiz
Three questions. Your score is saved only in this browser.
Related skills
Sources
- US federal care labeling rule and the standard care symbol system, 2026. Reviewed September 28, 2026.
Written in our own words from the sources above. It is general information, not advice for your situation; where a professional, your doctor or your lease says something different, follow them.
Last reviewed . First published .