Laundry is a hard enough job as it is without having to decipher strange hieroglyphs on the tags of your clothing. Have you ever wondered what those icons on your clothing tags actually mean? Me too! I did a little research to discover that there is a method to the madness of those icons. So you don’t have to memorize what each of them means, I created a handy printable laundry symbols chart that you can post near your washer and dryer.
PRINTABLE LAUNDRY SYMBOLS CHART
Meaning of Laundry Symbols on Clothing Tags
Once you have a grasp on the basics of washing instruction icons, they become much easier to decipher. The icon that looks like a tub filled with water stands for the washing machine. The square icon stands for the dryer. Triangles indicate bleaching instructions; circles indicate dry cleaning instructions. Finally, the iron icon is pretty self-explanatory.
Next, any dots placed within these icons indicate temperature. The more dots are present, the higher the temperature you should use. Two examples: One dot within an iron icon means you should iron that article of clothing with a low heat iron. Three dots within a square means you should dry the piece with high heat. See the pattern?
Lines seen underneath an icon indicate that that piece of clothing has special instructions. You may need to use the permanent press or delicate cycles on your machine. Finally, a big X through an icon is the universal symbol for DO NOT!
When you know these basics, you can combine the icons to create a wide array of washing instructions all on one small tag!
Free Laundry Symbol Chart Printable
So that you don’t have to memorize every washing symbol out there, I have made up this handy laundry symbols chart. The chart shows several common washing instruction symbols, so you can refer to it as you are working on your laundry. I suggest framing the printable or clipping it to a clipboard, so it is easily accessible near your washer and dryer.
Displaying the Laundry Symbol Chart
If you have a printer and printer paper, you can make your own chart. If you are clipping the chart to a clipboard, you might want to use heavier weight paper or consider laminating the printed chart so it lasts longer. The best way to make sure the chart isn’t damaged by mess or water is to frame it.
- printer
- high-quality printer paper
- Washing Instruction Symbols
- frame or clipboard (optional)
Originally published on Crafts By Amanda.
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Nifty. I especially like the tip about using heavy paper and/or laminating it. Framing it is even more interesting in some ways. I imagine something with some decorative flair but still clearly readable. I think the only reason this isn’t more common is simply because there isn’t usually a lot of extra wall hanging space in the average laundry area.