🧺 Fabric Care Symbols Guide

Decode every laundry care symbol — washing, drying, ironing, bleaching, and dry cleaning. Click any card to expand details.

Temperature Guide for Washing

Symbol	Temperature	Suitable for
〜 (1 dot)	30°C / 86°F (cold)	Delicates, wool, coloured items likely to bleed
〜 (2 dots)	40°C / 104°F (warm)	Most everyday clothing — cotton, synthetics
〜 (3 dots)	60°C / 140°F (hot)	Whites, towels, bedding, heavily soiled items
〜 (4 dots)	95°C / 203°F (boil)	Cotton whites only; rarely recommended

Common Fabric Quick Reference

🧶 Wool

30°C gentle/hand wash only. Flat dry — never tumble dry or wring. Steam iron on low.

🌿 Cotton

Usually 40–60°C machine wash. Tumble dry medium. Iron while slightly damp for best results.

🪡 Silk

Hand wash 30°C or dry clean. Do not tumble dry. Cool iron only, inside out, no steam.

⚗️ Polyester / Synthetics

30–40°C machine wash. Low heat tumble dry. Avoid high iron temperatures — melts easily.

🌾 Linen

40°C machine wash or hand wash. May tumble dry on low. Iron hot while damp.

🧥 Denim

Wash inside out on 30°C to preserve colour. Air dry to avoid shrinkage. Low iron.

❌ When in doubt, wash cold. Cold water is safe for almost all fabrics and prevents shrinkage, colour bleeding, and damage to delicate fibres. Reserve hot washes for whites, towels, and bedding.

🚫 The X rule: Any symbol with an X through it means "do not do this" — do not wash, do not iron, do not bleach, etc. Always check before ignoring a care label.