Better know these symbols on clothes before washing them

Many people may have experienced problems in washing their clothes. Today, ACU PAY will tell you the correct ways to wash your clothes and the meaning of small symbol tags on clothes. Many of you may notice small tags on clothes when buying new clothes or on old ones. These symbols on the clothing label will indicate how to take care of each garment and what are the precautions because each cloth is made of a different material. Thus, we know how to wash, how hot the water should be, how to iron it, and whether it is okay to dry it in a drying machine. If you know how to preserve the clothes, you will not lose money in buying new clothes.

Symbols on clothing tags

Normally, the symbols on the clothing tags are divided into 6 categories;

1. Normal washing

Mainly, there are 3 symbols for washing which consist of the symbol that shows that the cloth can be washed by hand and machine, the symbol that shows that the cloth can be washed by hand only, and the symbol showing that the cloth cannot be washed and can only be cleaned by dry cleaning.

Most clothes that have to be washed by hand are clothes with a delicate texture such as silk, satin, and chiffon. It may cause damage to the clothes if you wash them in the washing machine.
Clothes can be washed both by hand and the washing machine will have a basin symbol. You can choose to wash them by hand or by machine as you prefer.
Clothes which cannot be washed normally will have a symbol of basin with a cross on it. This literally means that the clothes should not be washed by water, only cleaned by dry cleaning.

There are 2 types of symbols for you to notice; the first one is a symbol of basin with a number indicating temperature, and a symbol of basin with small dots instead of number to indicate the temperature as well. It may be a little difficult to know the temperature in case of dots.

1 dot or 30 degrees; The water temperature for washing shall not exceed 30 degrees.
2 dot or 40 degrees; The water temperature for washing shall not exceed 40 degrees.
3 dot or 50 degrees; The water temperature for washing shall not exceed 50 degrees.
4 dot or 60 degrees; The water temperature for washing shall not exceed 60 degrees.
5 dot or 70 degrees; The water temperature for washing shall not exceed 70 degrees.
6 dot or 95 degrees; The water temperature for washing shall not exceed 95 degrees

2. Dry cleaning

Clothes with a circle symbol tag means that the clothes need a good care of. The symbol represents dry cleaning.

A circle symbol means can be cleaned by dry cleaning
A circle symbol with a cross on it means cannot be cleaned by dry cleaning
A circle symbol with A inside a circle means it can be cleaned by dry cleaning and all types of detergent used for dry cleaning can be used.
A circle symbol with P inside a circle means it can be cleaned by dry cleaning and all types of detergent used for dry cleaning can be used, except Trichloroethylene.
A circle symbol with P inside a circle means it can be cleaned by dry cleaning and only detergent in Hydrocarbon types can be used.

Dry cleaning, in addition to the precautions for the use of dry cleaning detergents, the way to do dry cleaning must also be considered.

A circle with a dash on the top right corner is dry cleaning without steam
A circle with a dash on the top left corner is dry cleaning with low moist
A circle with a dash on the lower right corner is dry cleaning with low heat
A circle with a dash on the lower right corner is dry cleaning with short cleaning program

3. Bleaching Powder category

A “triangle” symbol represents the precautions in using bleaching powder with clothes, there are mainly 4 symbols which are;

A triangle symbol means all types of bleaching powder can be used with th clothes
A triangle symbol with a cross on it means all types of bleaching powder cannot be used with th clothes
A triangle symbol with CL inside it means the bleaching powder with chlorine bleach can be used
A triangle symbol with a dash inside it means he bleaching powder with chlorine bleach cannot be used

4. Dry and Spin dry symbols

As for the symbol of the drying and spin-drying category, there is the main symbol, which is a square frame and a circle in a square. This category is divided into two subcategories: temperature and rounds in spinning.

The circle symbol painted in a square means that the heat cannot be used with the clothes.
The circle symbol in the square means the temperature for drying is not limited (including rounds in spinning).
The circle symbol with 1 dot in the square means use a low heat.
The circle symbol with 2 dots in the square means use a medium heat.
The circle symbol with 3 dots in the square means use a high heat.

5. Dry clothes in the sun

Drying clothes in the sun is another important step in taking care of your clothes. Dry cloth is one of the factors that should not be neglected. The symbol on the clothing label should be noticed. The square symbol will indicate to dry clothes by drying clothes in the sun

A square symbol with semicircle on the top means instructions on how to dry clothes by hanging
The square symbol with 3 vertical lines means the recommendation not to twist clothes before drying, just let the water drip till dry.
Rectangular symbols with horizontal lines mean instructions on how to hang the cloth with a horizontal layout. This instruction is for highly flexible fabrics that if dried by hanging method, that clothes can be deformed.
The square symbol and slant dash on the top left corner means to be hung in the shade.
The symbol for twisting the cloth and a cross means do not twist the cloth.

6. Ironing

The ironing symbol will help guide how to iron your clothes. The ironing symbol is in the shape of an iron and there are various suggestive symbols.

An iron symbol means any temperature can be used for ironing.
An iron symbol with a cross on it means the clothed cannot be ironed
An Iron symbol with 3 dots means high temperature can be used in ironing (the temperature will be around 200 C)
An Iron symbol with 2 dots means medium temperature can be used in ironing (the temperature will be around 150 C)
An Iron symbol with 1 dot means low temperature can be used in ironing (the temperature will be around 100 C)
An iron symbol with a lower mark and a cross on it means it is not recommended to use the steam iron for ironing.

Although they are small tags on your clothes, they contain a lot of details and precautions of clothes that we should know. Thus, before washing clothes, observe the symbol on the clothes tags first, otherwise, your clothes will be damaged.

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