Ever wonder what all those laundry care symbols on clothing labels and yarn labels mean? This handy laundry care symbols chart can help you understand the instructions for washing, drying, ironing, and caring for your clothes and handmade items.
Whether you’re checking a garment label or figuring out how to wash a finished knitting or crochet project, understanding these symbols can help you choose the right care method.
How to Read Laundry Care Symbols
Laundry care symbols provide instructions for cleaning and maintaining fabrics. The most common symbols include:
- Washing symbols: A washtub indicates washing instructions, including water temperature and whether an item should be hand-washed or machine-washed. A crossed-out washtub means do not wash.
- Bleaching symbols: A triangle indicates whether bleach can be used. A crossed-out triangle means do not bleach.
- Drying symbols: A square represents drying instructions. A circle inside a square indicates tumble drying, while other markings indicate different drying methods.
- Ironing symbols: An iron symbol indicates whether an item can be ironed and the appropriate temperature.
- Professional cleaning symbols: A circle indicates professional dry-cleaning or wet-cleaning instructions. Letters and lines inside or beneath the circle provide additional information for professional cleaners.
Always follow the care instructions on your garment or yarn label, especially when working with delicate fibers.
Caring for Knitted and Crocheted Items
Understanding laundry care symbols is especially helpful when working with yarn. The yarn care symbols on the label tell you how to wash and dry your finished projects, including whether they can be machine washed or need gentle hand washing.
Different fibers require different care, and some handmade items may need gentle washing, reshaping, or flat drying to maintain their appearance.
For more information, see my guide to Caring for Your Hand-Knitted and Crocheted Items, which offers practical tips for keeping your handmade projects looking their best.
Giving your finished project as a gift? Print one of my free printable care tags for handmade gifts so your recipient knows how to wash and dry it properly.
