People are only just realising what this symbol on your towels label means – and the answer really isn’t obvious.
There are as many as four or five important symbols printed on the label of every towel, cloth and even duster that you own but you could be ruining your nicest, fluffiest bath towels if you ignore them, reducing their life expectancy with every run through the washing machine.
Some of them, like the bucket of water with a temperature on, are fairly easy to work out, showing the owner the maximum temperature the item should be washed at.
But many people would not be able to tell you what the white circle, with two crossed lines through it, means – and it’s definitely not national speed limit!
The white circle can either be whole and unmarked, or it can have two crosses through it.
It’s all to do with professional cleaning instructions, such as dry cleaners.
If the circle is whole, it means it can be professionally cleaned. If the circle has crossed lines through it, it means it must not be cleaned professionally.
The other symbols mean different things again.
The triangle is to do with bleach. An empty triangle – this means you can bleach this item. A triangle with a cross through it – don’t bleach this clothing. A triangle with two diagonal lines inside or a triangle with CL inside and a cross through – both of these symbols indicate that you should use non-chlorine bleach.
The washing symbol is usually the first symbol on your care label. It is easy to spot as it looks like a bucket filled with water – imagine this being your traditional washing drum. Inside the water, you might notice a number of spots. Depending on what is inside the water on the symbol, you’ll need to wash your laundry at different temperatures.
The ironing symbol is easy to spot as it is designed to look exactly like an iron. There are only six variants of the ironing symbol that you can find on your clothing label to help you know the best ways to leave your items crease free.
An iron symbol simply means you can iron your clothing. This can be found on most items. However, a few materials don’t do well with pressure or heat, so an iron symbol with a cross through means you shouldn’t iron these items. You might also see an iron with a cross below it. This means you shouldn’t steam your item, but ironing without steam is fine.
Your drying symbol will look like a square on your clothing tag. This is important if you want to know the best way to dry your clothing, especially if you have a washer-dryer. An empty square indicates that you can tumble dry your item on any heat setting without worry.
Salah Sun, Head of Product Marketing at Beko Plc UK & Ireland says: “Throwing a pile of laundry in your washing machine isn’t uncommon; we’ve all done a quick drum dash without looking to see what we’re putting inside – but this can damage your clothes.
“Everything you need to know about your clothes is on their labels. Knowing your symbols and clothing inside out can help you avoid laundry mishaps and keep your favourite clothes lasting longer.”