Dry Clean or Hand Wash? How to Read Care Labels
A plain-English guide to the five care symbols on UK labels, and how to decide whether a delicate piece can go in the sink.
Care label symbols always appear in the same order: a washtub for washing, a triangle for bleach, a square for drying, an iron for ironing and a circle for professional cleaning. Each one shows the most a garment can take, so you can always choose something gentler. If the tub is crossed out and a circle is shown, the piece should go to a dry cleaner.
Once you can read the five shapes, choosing between the sink, the machine and the cleaner becomes much less of a guess.
Where UK care label symbols come from
Most labels in the UK use the GINETEX system, an international set of symbols that the ISO 3758 standard is based on. The symbols are trademarked, and in the UK they are licensed through the trade body UKFT, which describes itself on its care label licence page as the exclusive UK representative of GINETEX.
That is why the laundry symbols UK shoppers see on high-street and designer labels look the same as those in much of Europe. American labels follow a different standard, so a piece bought in the US may show slightly different marks.
The five care label symbols, one by one
Read care label symbols from left to right, in the order they appear. The descriptions below follow the GINETEX guide to care symbols and the Expert Reviews guide to laundry symbols.
Washing: the tub
- A number in the tub is the maximum water temperature in degrees Celsius.
- One bar under the tub means a gentler cycle with less agitation. Two bars mean a very gentle cycle, such as a wool or delicates programme.
- A hand in the tub means hand wash. GINETEX gives a maximum of 40°C, though cool water is kinder to most delicates.
- A crossed-out tub means do not wash at home.
Bleaching: the triangle
An empty triangle allows any bleach. A triangle with two diagonal lines inside allows oxygen-based, non-chlorine bleach only. A crossed-out triangle means no bleach at all, which covers most dark and delicate clothes.
Drying: the square
A circle inside the square is the tumble dryer. One dot means low heat, two dots normal heat, and a cross means do not tumble dry. Lines inside the square describe natural drying: a single horizontal line means dry flat, which is what knitwear needs, while vertical lines mean drip dry and diagonal lines in the corner mean dry in the shade.
Ironing: the iron
One dot means a cool iron, two a medium iron, three a hot iron. A crossed-out iron means no ironing. For lace, silk and anything with embellishment, use the lowest setting with a pressing cloth even if the label allows more.
Professional care: the circle
The circle is for your dry cleaner. Letters inside it tell the cleaner which solvents are safe, and a bar underneath asks for a gentler process. A W in the circle refers to professional wet cleaning, a controlled water-based process that is different from washing at home. A crossed-out circle means no dry cleaning.
Dry clean only: what it really means
If a label shows a crossed-out tub alongside a circle, treat it as dry clean only. The maker is telling you the garment was not judged safe in water, usually because of one of these:
- Structure. Tailored jackets have interfacing, canvas and padding that can bubble or shrink when wet.
- Fibre. Some viscose, acetate and wool crepes shrink or lose their texture in water.
- Dyes. Deep colours, especially reds and blacks on silk, can bleed.
- Trims. Beading, sequins and some linings react badly to water even when the main fabric does not.
When the label shows both a tub and a circle, you have a choice. That is where the hand wash vs dry clean decision comes in.
Hand wash vs dry clean: how to decide
Hand washing is cheaper and gentler on many delicate fabrics if you do it carefully. Dry cleaning is safer for anything structured or heavily trimmed. A quick way to decide:
- Is it tailored or lined? Blazers, structured dresses and lined skirts go to the cleaner.
- Is it a simple knit or lace? Fine wool, cashmere and most lace can be hand washed in cool water with a gentle detergent, if the label allows it. Our guide on how to care for lace walks through the method.
- Is it silk, crepe or chiffon? These vary a lot by weave and finish. Our fabric guide to crepe, jersey and chiffon explains how each one behaves.
- Is there a stain? Take it to a cleaner quickly and say what caused it. Washing a stain at home can set it.
Whatever you choose, never wring delicate fabrics. Roll them in a towel to remove water and dry them flat, away from radiators and sunlight.
Making clothes last between cleans
Reading care label symbols tells you how to clean a garment; the best way to protect it is to clean it less often. Air pieces after wearing, brush wool and spot-clean small marks. Once a piece is clean, put it away properly; our guide on how to store delicate clothes explains how to hang, fold and protect it from moths.
To see how Notte & Noir approaches fabric and construction, read about how we make our pieces, or join the list for launch news.
