Laundry symbols explained: what each care label symbol means
Laundry symbols use five shapes, a washtub, triangle, square, iron and circle, and each one covers a single step of garment care.
What you need
- The care label sewn into your garment
- A few minutes to compare it with the shapes below
Read the five shapes and three marks
A care label is read from left to right as a short sequence: washing, bleaching, drying, ironing, professional cleaning. The washtub is washing, the triangle is bleaching, the square is drying, the iron is ironing and the circle is professional cleaning.
Three marks change the meaning. Bars under a symbol mean a gentler treatment: the more bars, the gentler the process. Dots on an iron or a tumble dryer mean temperature: the more dots, the hotter. A cross over any symbol means do not do this.
Old Money product pages list care in Materials & care, so you can compare the garment you ordered with the label inside it.
The five families of care symbols and the marks that modify them. Washtub: how to wash it
The number in the tub is the highest water temperature in °C: 30, 40 or 60. A hand in the tub means hand wash only. No bar under the tub is a normal cycle, one bar is a mild cycle, and two bars are a very mild cycle with less agitation and spin. A crossed tub means do not wash in water.
Triangle: is bleach allowed
A plain triangle means bleaching is allowed. A triangle with diagonal lines means only oxygen-based, non-chlorine bleach. A crossed triangle means no bleach at all. If you are unsure, skip bleach: it cannot be undone.
Square: how to dry it
A circle inside the square means tumble drying. One dot is low heat, two dots are normal heat, and a crossed circle means no tumble dryer.
Lines inside the square show other methods: a curved line at the top means line dry, three vertical lines mean drip dry without wringing, and one horizontal line means dry flat.
Iron: how hot it may go
The dots show the highest soleplate temperature. One dot is up to 110 °C, two dots up to 150 °C and three dots up to 200 °C. A crossed iron means do not iron, and a cross over the steam marks under the iron means no steam.
Circle: professional cleaning
A circle means a professional cleaner can treat the garment. The letter tells the cleaner which process to use: P and F are dry cleaning with different solvents, and W is professional wet cleaning. A bar under the circle means a gentler process, and a crossed circle means no professional cleaning. You only need to show the label.
If a label is missing or unreadable, ask a professional cleaner before washing. If a product you ordered from VITON13 arrived without care details, write to us from the order conversation with the order number.
Last checked: 3 November 2026
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