Ever spot those curious pictographs on the care tags attached to your clothing and wonder what they mean? REI's interpretive guide explains all:
Washing
Symbol | Written Instructions | Notes | ||
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Machine wash: Normal |
Any water temp, any detergent | ||
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Or | ![]() |
Machine wash: Cold |
Max water temp: 85°F (30°C) |
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Or | ![]() |
Machine wash: Warm |
Max water temp: 105°F (40°C) |
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Or | ![]() |
Machine wash: Hot |
Max water temp: 120°F (50°C) |
Note: Additional hot-temperature symbols include up to 6 dots (200°F/95°C max).
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Machine wash: Permanent press | |
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Machine wash: Gentle or delicate | |
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Hand wash | |
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Do not wash | Look for dry cleaning instructions |
Note: Dots and underlines are sometimes used in combination with other symbols.
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Bleach (if needed) | Any bleach OK |
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Non-chlorine bleach (if needed) | Only color-safe bleach OK |
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Do not bleach |
Dry Cleaning
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Dry clean |
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Do not dry clean |
Note: Several special-situation symbols for dry cleaning are not included in this list.
Drying
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Tumble dry: Normal |
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Tumble dry: Normal, low heat |
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Tumble dry: Normal, medium heat |
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Tumble dry: Normal, high heat |
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Tumble dry: Normal, no heat |
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Tumble dry: Permanent press |
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Tumble dry: Gentle |
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Do not tumble dry |
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Do not dry |
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Line dry |
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Drip dry |
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Dry flat |
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Dry in shade |
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Do not wring |
Ironing
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Iron: Any temp (with or without steam) |
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Iron: Low (with or without steam) |
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Iron: Medium (with or without steam) |
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Iron: High (with or without steam) |
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Do not steam |
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Do not iron |
Examples
The following examples are common symbol combinations you might see displayed on care-instruction tags. We interpret each group:
Translation: Machine-wash in warm water on gentle cycle (note the 2 underlines beneath the wash basin; they indicate that the gentle cycle should be used); tumble dry low on gentle cycle (2 underlines again); non-chlorine bleach OK if needed; may be ironed on low heat (with or without steam); do not dry clean.
Translation: Hand-wash in any water temperature; line dry; do not dry clean; no bleach; do not iron.
Translation: Machine-wash in hot water; any bleach OK if needed; tumble dry on medium heat; may be ironed on medium heat (with or without steam); do not dry clean.