How to Read Laundry Care Labels (Without a Decoder Ring)

Almost every piece of clothing carries a care label, and the symbols on it follow a simple system. Once you know the five basic shapes, you can read any tag in seconds.

The five basic symbols

• Tub of water – washing. Dots inside show the maximum temperature: one dot is cold, more dots mean warmer.
• Triangle – bleaching. An empty triangle means any bleach is fine; a crossed-out triangle means none.
• Square – drying. A circle inside the square means tumble dry; dots show the heat setting.
• Iron – ironing, with dots for heat level.
• Circle – professional dry cleaning.

When in doubt

If a label is missing or faded, wash in cold water on a gentle cycle and air dry. It is the safest default for almost any fabric.

Prefer to skip the guesswork entirely? Our wash & fold team follows the care instructions on every item for you.