What do the triangle and circular washing label symbols mean

Each item of clothing and other fabrics like blankets have a washing label attached to them with a few different symbols on it.

The symbols help homeowners know how the item should be washed, including what temperature it can tolerate, and whether it can go in the washing machine and tumble dryer.

While some of the symbols printed on washing labels are easier to understand than others, perhaps because you use them more, some can take longer to process.

The washing symbols indicate how a garment should be washed (Image: Getty) Whether you ask a friend or turn to Google to help you with your washing, here is a washing symbol guide to help you understand some of the trickier instructions.

What do the triangle washing symbols mean on clothes labels?

The triangle symbols on your laundry labels relate to bleach and whether the item can be bleached or not.

Laundry detergent company Ariel explained: “Before you turn to your bottle of bleach to make your whites shine like they used to, it’s worth taking a look at your garment’s fabric care label to see if the clothing can handle bleaching agents.

“If you see an empty triangle, that means you can safely use bleach on your piece of clothing when necessary.

“Diagonal lines inside the triangle refer to the use of non-chlorine bleach, however in the case when the triangle is crossed out by two lines, you shouldn’t use bleach at all.”

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Items will have a variety of symbols on the labels, including instructions for washing, drying, ironing and dry cleaning.

Other symbols include the machine washable symbol which looks like a bucket or bowl of water and a temperature is often included inside it to indicate how hot or cold the wash should be.

Some items can’t be put in the washing machine so you’ll see a hand within the symbol meaning the item should be hand washed.

A circle inside a square box indicates that an item can be dried in the tumble dryer and dots inside the circle indicate if it can be dried on a low or high heat.

Ariel said: “To prevent your garment from shrinking or becoming misshapen when drying, you can find a number of helpful symbols on the fabric care label, informing you of the most surefire way to dry your clothes without causing any damage to the fabric.”

Some items can’t be ironed so you’ll see an iron symbol with a cross through it. An iron symbol with dots inside indicates how hot the iron can be.

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Check an item can be ironed before doing it. Ariel explains: “If the iron doesn’t have any dots, it means that you can iron your piece of clothing at any temperature. Usually, you’ll find the one-dot ironing symbol on delicate items like woolen and silk, the two-dot symbol on synthetics, and the three-dot symbol on linen and cotton clothing.

“If you see a cross over the symbol, it means that the garment isn’t suitable for ironing, while the image of two lines shooting out from the bottom of the iron with a cross over it stands for ‘steaming is not allowed’.”

You can find Ariel’s full washing symbol guide on the website (linked above).