What do the symbols on clothing care labels mean?

Care labels use five base symbols: a washtub for washing, a triangle for bleach, a square for drying, an iron for ironing and a circle for professional dry cleaning. Dots indicate temperature, lines beneath mean gentler cycles, and a cross through any symbol forbids it entirely.

What does the P in a circle mean on a care label?

A circled P means the garment can be professionally dry cleaned in perchloroethylene or hydrocarbon solvents. It is an instruction for the dry cleaner, not for home washing. The Swiss Laundry cleans in enclosed hydrocarbon machines, which are gentler than perc.

02 · TWELVE SYMBOLS

Can you read a care label?

Every garment ships with instructions sewn into it. Most of us have never learned the language. Twelve symbols — see how you do.

Symbol 1 of 12Score: 0

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