Laundry Symbols Guide
The tiny pictures on the care label inside your clothes are laundry symbols defined by the international standard ISO 3758 (KS K ISO 3758 in Korea). They come in five families — washing (tub), bleaching (triangle), drying (square), ironing (iron) and professional cleaning (circle) — usually printed in that order.
There are only three rules to read them. An X means 'do not', a bar underneath means 'gentler', and dots mean temperature (more dots, hotter). Temperatures are in ℃ (40℃ ≈ 104°F). Every temperature and intensity shown is a maximum, so going cooler and gentler is fine. Check these symbols before treating a stain, too — use bleach on a 'do not bleach' garment or water on a 'do not wash' one and you will damage the fabric before the stain.
🪣 Washing
The tub. The number is the maximum water temperature (℃), more bars mean a gentler cycle, a hand means hand wash, and X means do not wash.
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Machine wash 95℃
Can be washed at up to 95℃ with a normal cycle. Found on white cotton and linen that can be boiled.
💡 Colours may run onto it, so wash whites only with whites. -
Machine wash 60℃
Wash at up to 60℃ with a normal cycle. Common on towels, underwear and bedding.
💡 The temperature shown is the maximum. Washing cooler is fine. -
Machine wash 60℃, gentle
Wash at up to 60℃ on a mild cycle with reduced agitation. One bar underneath means 'gentle'.
💡 Choose a cycle with gentler spinning, such as the synthetics or bedding cycle. -
Machine wash 40℃
Wash at up to 40℃ with a normal cycle. One of the most common symbols.
💡 Treat any stains, then wash in warm water. -
Machine wash 40℃, gentle
Wash at up to 40℃ on a mild cycle. Common on polyester and blends.
💡 A shorter spin means fewer wrinkles. -
Machine wash 40℃, very gentle
Wash at up to 40℃ on a very gentle cycle. Two bars mean a wool or delicates cycle.
💡 Use the wool or delicates cycle and a laundry bag. -
Machine wash 30℃
Wash at up to 30℃ with a normal cycle.
💡 Pick a cold-to-lukewarm cycle. -
Machine wash 30℃, gentle
Wash at up to 30℃ on a mild cycle.
💡 Turn it inside out and use a laundry bag to reduce pilling. -
Machine wash 30℃, very gentle
Wash at up to 30℃ on a very gentle cycle. Common on knits, wool and silk blends.
💡 Neutral detergent, wool cycle, short spin. -
Hand wash
Wash by hand only. Maximum water temperature 40℃.
💡 Don't rub or wring. Press gently to wash, then press out water with a towel. -
Do not wash
Must not be washed in water. The garment is likely to shrink or lose its shape.
💡 Even if it gets stained, don't scrub with water — take it to a dry cleaner.
🔺 Bleaching
The triangle. An empty triangle allows any bleach, two diagonal lines mean oxygen bleach only, and X means do not bleach.
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Any bleach allowed
Any bleach, chlorine or oxygen-based, may be used.
💡 Still, it is safer to avoid chlorine bleach on coloured clothes. -
Oxygen bleach only
Only oxygen-based (non-chlorine) bleach may be used. A triangle with two diagonal lines.
💡 No chlorine bleach. Sodium percarbonate–based products are fine. -
Do not bleach
No bleach of any kind may be used.
💡 Treat stains with detergent and water only; if they remain, take it to a dry cleaner.
🌀 Tumble drying
A circle inside a square. Two dots mean normal heat, one dot means low heat, and X means do not tumble dry.
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Tumble dry normal
Can be tumble dried at normal heat (maximum exhaust about 80℃).
💡 For hard-wearing items like cotton towels and underwear. -
Tumble dry low
Tumble dry at low heat only (maximum exhaust about 60℃).
💡 Choose a low-heat or delicate dryer cycle and take it out before it is fully dry. -
Do not tumble dry
Must not go in a tumble dryer. It is likely to shrink or stretch.
💡 Hang it to air dry, and check the natural drying symbol as well.
👕 Natural drying
The square. One vertical line means line dry, two vertical lines mean drip dry, one horizontal line means dry flat, two horizontal lines mean drip dry flat, and diagonal lines in the top-left corner mean in the shade.
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Line dry
After spinning, hang on a line or hanger to dry.
💡 Unless it is a knit, a hanger is fine. -
Drip dry
Don't spin or wring; hang it up wet and let the water drip off.
💡 This also helps reduce wrinkles in shirts and blouses. -
Dry flat
Lay flat on a level surface to dry. Found on knits and wool that stretch when hung.
💡 Reshape it and lay it on a drying rack mesh or a towel. -
Drip dry flat
Don't wring; lay it flat while still wet to dry.
💡 Place it on a mesh so the water can drain. -
Line dry in shade
Hang on a line, but dry in the shade. The diagonal lines in the top-left corner mean 'shade'.
💡 For clothes that fade easily in sunlight. -
Dry flat in shade
Lay flat to dry in the shade.
💡 Common on wool and cashmere knits.
♨️ Ironing
The iron. Three dots 200℃, two dots 150℃, one dot 110℃, and X means do not iron.
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Iron high
Can be ironed at a soleplate temperature of up to 200℃. Cotton and linen.
💡 Steam is fine. -
Iron medium
Iron at a soleplate temperature of up to 150℃. Wool, polyester blends and similar.
💡 Use a pressing cloth to prevent shine. -
Iron low
Iron at a soleplate temperature of up to 110℃. Steam may damage the garment.
💡 Nylon, acrylic and similar. Iron without steam, using a pressing cloth. -
Do not iron
Must not be ironed.
💡 Smooth out wrinkles by hanging it wet or with steam in the bathroom.
🏪 Professional cleaning
The circle. P and F are dry-cleaning solvent types, W is professional wet cleaning, a bar means gentle, and X means do not.
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Dry clean P
Can be dry cleaned with common solvents such as perchloroethylene.
💡 Just take it to a dry cleaner. -
Gentle dry clean P
Dry clean with P solvents, but only with a mild process.
💡 Show the symbol to the dry cleaner when you drop it off. -
Dry clean F
Dry clean with petroleum (hydrocarbon) solvents only.
💡 Tell the dry cleaner it has an F symbol. -
Gentle dry clean F
Dry clean with petroleum solvents and a mild process only.
💡 Common on clothes with embellishments or coatings. -
Do not dry clean
Dry-cleaning solvents must not be used.
💡 Check the washing symbol and wash it at home. -
Professional wet cleaning
Can be professionally wet cleaned at a cleaner's.
💡 This is a professional process, different from your home washer. -
Gentle professional wet cleaning
Professional wet cleaning with a mild process.
💡 Show the symbol to the cleaner. -
Do not wet clean
Must not be professionally wet cleaned.
💡 Check whether there is a dry-cleaning symbol as well.
Older Korean labels (KS) wrote Korean words inside the tub, such as "gentle 30" or "neutral". The meaning is the same: the number is the water temperature, "gentle" means a mild cycle and "neutral" means neutral detergent.