More Clothing Care Symbols Explained
Drying and Ironing Symbols
As we are becoming more conversant with washing care symbols( check out Trenor’s guide on washing symbols here https://bit.ly/2Tudh9J), we would have better wash results if we pay attention to them .
However, no matter how carefully the garment was washed, mishaps such as fading, shrinkage, or stretching, scorching or burning could occur because of wrong drying and ironing methods.
Let’s delve more into drying and ironing symbols.
Drying Symbols
These care labels show you how to tumble dry or dry naturally in a way that is best for the garment.
This symbol means that the garment can be placed in a tumble drier at any temperature and the garment would come out safe from drying mishaps.
The circle with dots indicates the temperature at which the garment can be dried safely. one dot means tumble dry with low heat, two dots for medium heat, and three dots for high heat tumble drying. A shaded circle on the other hand means the garment can be tumble-dried but with the no heat setting on the drier.
One line under the square means the garment should be dried using the permanent press (Perm Press) cycle on the tumble drier. Two lines under the square mean that the fabric is delicate so it needs to be dried under the gentle cycle to avoid being damaged.
Garments that have this symbol should not be placed in the tumble drier at all. If placed in the tumble drier, the garment would be completely damaged.
This symbol means that the garment must not be exposed to the sunlight to dry thus, should be dried in the shade. This is most common in darker and brighter colored clothes because they can be easily faded by the sun.
This symbol means that you can hang on a clothesline to dry the garment.
If there are two lines across the square, this means to hang on a clothesline in shade to dry the garment.
Three vertical lines in a square is the symbol that is placed on clothes that need to be drip-dried.
To drip dry means to hang an item after washing while it is dripping wet without wringing out the water, and allow it to dry. The item comes out dry without any wrinkles.
However, if there are two lines at the corner of the square, this means that the drip drying should be done in the shade
Flat drying is a method of drying where the garment after being washed is placed on a flat surface to dry.
Some items may stretch when hanging on the lines for an extended period of time. drying flat helps garments to maintain their original shape and this is the care symbol representing Flat Drying.
Ironing symbols
These symbols are represented with an iron sign. They give guidelines on the temperature settings for ironing which is appropriate for the garment, provide information on whether to use dry ironing or steam or if the garment is not suitable to be ironed.
This symbol on a garment means that the garment should not be ironed.
One-dot on the iron symbol means low heat usually found on delicate items such as wool and silk, two-dots for medium heat usually for synthetic fabrics, a three-dot symbol for high heat usually for linen and cotton garments. If the iron doesn’t have any dots, it means that you can iron your clothing at any temperature.
Do not use steam to iron garments that have this symbol on the care label. Dry iron such items.
Before we draw the curtains on our series on Care Labels, remember the following:
- It is prudent to check the Care Labels before purchasing your garments.
- Do not rip out the Care Labels in your clothes after purchasing
- Follow the instructions on the Care Labels, this way, the clothes would last longer and look good even after several washes.
Written by :
Loveryn Dodu
Research and Training Supervisor
Trenor Coats and Gowns Ltd
Reference
Wilkins Linen Team. (2016). A Guide to Laundry Care Symbols: What Do They Mean? Retrieved from https://www.wilkinslinen.com/linen-care/guide-laundry-care-symbols-mean/
