Laundry Symbols Explained: What Every Care Label Icon Means

Laundry symbols are a five-shape code that tells you how to clean a piece of clothing. The washtub means washing. The triangle means bleach. The square means drying. The iron means ironing. The circle means professional cleaning. Dots show heat, bars under a shape mean "be gentle," and an X means "don't."

That's the whole system in one breath. The tricky part is the details, and most people get them wrong. In a UK survey by LG, fewer than 1 in 100 adults could name every common care symbol, and 29% couldn't name a single one. This guide walks through every icon on a Canadian care label, with the exact heat limits from the Government of Canada's care symbol guide. Ezi Home Services wrote it so you can read any label in five seconds.

How do you read laundry symbols on a care label?

Read the label from left to right. The symbols usually follow the same order as the laundry process: wash, bleach, dry, iron, then professional care.

Three rules apply to every symbol:

• Dots mean heat. More dots mean a hotter setting.
• Bars mean a gentler cycle. One bar under a symbol means gentle. Two bars mean very gentle.
• An X means don't. A cross through any symbol means skip that step.

Once you know those three rules, you can decode most labels without a chart. The rest of this guide covers each shape in detail.

What do the washing symbols mean?

The washtub tells you whether you can machine wash an item, and how hot the water can be. Canada's guide lists the max temperature for each number of dots.

Symbol	Meaning
Tub with 1 dot	Wash at 30°C or cooler (cool)
Tub with 2 dots	Wash at 40°C or cooler (warm)
Tub with 3 dots	Wash at 50°C or cooler (hot)
Tub with 4 dots	Wash at 60°C or cooler (very hot)
Tub with 5 dots	Wash at 70°C or cooler (extremely hot)
Tub with 6 dots	Wash at 95°C or cooler (near boiling)
Tub with a hand	Hand wash only, at 40°C or cooler
Tub with an X	Do not wash

Some labels show the number of degrees inside the tub instead of dots. A "30" means the same as one dot. Both forms are allowed.

Now look under the tub. No bar means a normal cycle. One bar means a permanent press cycle, with gentler spinning and a cool rinse. Two bars mean a delicate or wool cycle.

Here's the key point: the number is a limit, not a goal. A tub with four dots doesn't mean you have to wash at 60°C. It means you can go that hot without harm. For everyday loads, cold water still works well and saves energy. Our complete guide to laundry tips explains why cold is the best default.

What does the triangle mean on a clothing label?

The triangle is the bleach symbol. There are only three versions to learn.

• Empty triangle: any bleach is fine when needed, including chlorine bleach.
• Triangle with two diagonal lines: use only non-chlorine bleach, like oxygen bleach.
• Solid triangle with an X: do not bleach at all.

Older labels sometimes show a triangle with "CL" inside it. That also means chlorine bleach is okay.

Chlorine bleach strips colour from most dyed fabrics, and it weakens wool, silk, and spandex. So if you see the striped triangle, reach for an oxygen-based product instead.

What do the drying symbols mean?

The square is the drying symbol. A circle inside the square means the dryer. Lines inside the square, with no circle, mean air drying.

Tumble dry symbols

Canada's guide sets a max heat for each dryer setting. Dots inside the circle show the level.

Symbol	Meaning
Square with circle, 3 dots	Tumble dry on high, up to 75°C
Square with circle, 2 dots	Tumble dry on medium, up to 65°C
Square with circle, 1 dot	Tumble dry on low, up to 55°C
Square with a solid black circle	Tumble dry with no heat (air only)
Square with circle and an X	Do not tumble dry

An empty circle with no dots means any heat is fine. Bars under the square work the same way as on the washtub. One bar means permanent press. Two bars mean delicate.

Air dry symbols

These are the ones people mix up most. The lines inside the square show how to hang or lay the item.

• Curved line at the top: line dry. Hang it on a clothesline or rack.
• Three vertical lines: drip dry. Hang it up soaking wet, without spinning or wringing.
• One horizontal line in the middle: dry flat. Lay it on a towel or flat rack.
• Two diagonal lines in the top corner: dry in the shade. Keep it out of direct sun.

The shade lines can pair with the others. A square with a curved line and corner lines means "line dry in the shade." Dry flat matters most for sweaters. Knits stretch when they hang wet, and the weight of the water pulls them out of shape.

You may also see a twisted shape with an X through it. That means do not wring. Press water out gently instead of twisting the item.

What do the ironing symbols mean?

The iron symbol is easy to spot. Dots show the max soleplate heat.

Symbol	Meaning
Iron with 1 dot	Low heat, up to 110°C. Good for nylon, acrylic, and acetate.
Iron with 2 dots	Medium heat, up to 150°C. Good for polyester, silk, and wool.
Iron with 3 dots	High heat, up to 200°C. Good for cotton and linen.
Iron with crossed-out steam lines	Iron, but don't use steam
Iron with an X	Do not iron or press

The fabric examples line up with common iron dial settings. Most irons print the same dots on the dial, so you can match them up.

If you're not sure, start low and work up. Test on an inside seam first. It's easy to add heat and impossible to undo a scorch mark.

What does a circle mean on a clothing label?

A plain circle means professional cleaning. It's an instruction for a dry cleaner, not for you. The letter inside tells the cleaner which solvent to use.

• P in a circle: dry clean with any solvent except trichloroethylene. This is the most common one.
• F in a circle: dry clean with petroleum solvent only.
• W in a circle: professional wet cleaning, a gentle water-based method.
• Circle with an X: do not dry clean.

Bars under the circle mean the cleaner should use a gentler process. Don't confuse this circle with the one inside the drying square. A circle on its own is always about professional care.

Many items with a dry clean symbol can still be cleaned at home with care. See our guide on how to dry clean clothes at home for what's safe to try.

Canada once used traffic-light care labels

Here's a piece of history most symbol guides skip. Canada used to print care symbols in colour. Green meant no special care was needed. Yellow meant use some caution. Red meant don't do it.

Canada dropped that colour system in 2003. That's when the Canadian General Standards Board released the CAN/CGSB-86.1 standard. It matched Canada's symbols to the ISO and North American system used today. So if you own vintage clothes from before then, the colour still tells you something. A red iron on an old jacket means the same as an iron with an X.

Two more Canadian rules are worth knowing. First, care labels are voluntary in Canada. The Competition Bureau says any care info that is shown must be accurate and not misleading. But a brand can leave it off. Second, two things are required by the Textile Labelling Act: the fibre content and the dealer's identity.

That's what the "CA" number on many labels is. It's a five-digit code, like CA12345, that a Canadian company registers instead of printing its name and address. You can look up a CA number on the Competition Bureau's website to see who made or imported the item.

Why are US and European labels a bit different?

Most labels you'll see in Canada use the same shapes. But there are small gaps between the systems.

Under the ISO system used in Europe, each symbol shows the max treatment the item can handle. The older US system, set by ASTM, didn't always work that way. ASTM also had extra symbols, like "do not wring," that ISO didn't use. In 2018, ASTM revised its standard to line up more closely with ISO.

What does that mean for you? On older US-made clothes, a symbol may show the suggested setting, not the upper limit. When in doubt, go one step gentler than the label shows. It's the safest bet on any item you care about.

What should you do if a clothing label is missing or faded?

Since care labels are optional in Canada, some items won't have one. Others fade or get cut out. In that case, fall back on the fibre and use the gentlest safe method.

• Unknown fabric: wash cold on a gentle cycle and air dry.
• Cotton and linen: warm water, normal cycle, medium dryer heat.
• Polyester and nylon: cold or warm water, low dryer heat.
• Wool and cashmere: hand wash cold or use a wool cycle, then dry flat.
• Silk: hand wash cold, or take it to a dry cleaner.

The fibre content tag is required by law, so it's usually still there even if the care symbols aren't. Check the inside side seam.

Labels on bedding and pillows can be tricky too. Our guide on how to wash pillows by fill type covers down, synthetic, and memory foam. For towels that come out smelling sour, see how to get mildew smell out of towels.

Methodology

Symbol meanings and temperature limits in this guide come from the Government of Canada's Guide to Apparel and Textile Care Symbols, which follows the CAN/CGSB-86.1 standard. Rules on voluntary care labels, fibre content, and CA numbers come from the Competition Bureau of Canada. The history of Canada's colour-coded labels and the ISO and ASTM differences come from published standards summaries. Survey data comes from a UK study by LG.

Fabric-by-fabric ironing examples reflect common iron dial settings. Where a label and this guide differ, follow the label.

When to get help with laundry day

Reading labels is easy once you know the code. Finding time for laundry is the hard part. If laundry keeps piling up, it often helps to hand off the rest of the house so laundry fits back into your week.

Ezi's home cleaning services cover kitchens, bathrooms, floors, and dusting. A regular house cleaning keeps the weekly chores from stacking up. A deep clean handles the spots that get skipped, like baseboards and behind appliances.

The bottom line on laundry symbols

Laundry symbols come down to five shapes and three rules. The tub is washing, the triangle is bleach, the square is drying, the iron is ironing, and the circle is dry cleaning. Dots mean heat, bars mean gentle, and an X means don't.

Learn those, and you can read any care label in a few seconds. Your clothes will last longer, keep their shape, and hold their colour. When you want more of your week back, book a cleaning with Ezi in a few taps.