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The real meaning behind these laundry symbols on clothes and fabrics: 'I had no idea'
Australians have frequently struggled with what common laundry symbols really mean - with many permanently ruining their clothes by not knowing how to properly care for them.
Clothes typically have a tag that informs the wearer what temperature the item should be washed in, whether it is suitable for dryers, and if it needs to be ironed or steamed.
Vivien Fodor, a laundry care expert at home appliance brand Hotpoint, recently released an expert guide on how to identify the symbols on your clothes so you can confidently take care of your clothes and extend their lifespan.
What do washing symbols on clothes mean?
'The symbol for machine washable is typically a tub filled with water, with dots or numbers inside to indicate the maximum recommended temperature,' Ms Fodor revealed.
One dot indicates 30C, two dots means 40C, and four dots means the item of clothing should be washed at 60C.
The tub of water will have a hand over it if you need to hand wash an item instead, and a large cross if it is dry-clean only.
The symbol for machine washable is typically a tub filled with water, with dots or numbers inside to indicate the maximum recommended temperature
What do drying symbols on clothes mean?
'The symbol for tumble drying is a circle inside a square, which indicates that the item can be safely tumble dried, unless there is a cross over the square which means the garment is not safe to dry in the machine,' Ms Fodor said.
Similar to washing machines, the dots inside the drying symbol also indicate temperature: one dot for low heat, two for medium heat, three for high heat.
Ms Fodor added, 'No dots at all indicate that you can tumble dry your clothes on any heat without damage.'
The symbol for tumble drying is a circle inside a square, with dots signifying temperatures
What do ironing symbols on clothes mean?
Care labels with ironing instructions contain an iron symbol with dots for the temperature setting.
No dots indicates the clothing is safe to iron at any temperature.
'Delicate items usually have one dot, which means a maximum temperature of 110C, while synthetics have a two indicating they can be ironed at 150C, and cotton clothing usually has a three dots which can withstand 200C,' Ms Fodor shared.
No dots indicates the clothing is safe to iron at any temperature
iPhone users who have updated their phones to iOS 17 will also find that the brand new 'Visual Look Up' tool can impressively decipher laundry symbols
iPhone users who have updated their phones to iOS 17 will also find that the brand new 'Visual Look Up' tool can impressively decipher laundry symbols.
To make use of the laundry function, simply take a photo of the tag on your item, with the symbols in clear view.
Next, go to the photos app, click the photo and swipe up or tap the 'info' symbol at the bottom.
There is then an option to press 'Look up laundry care' under the text caption field.
Pressing it will take you to a list of websites found by Siri that explain what each symbol means.