How to read a care label
Every care label is built from five symbol families, always in the same order. Once you know the shapes, any tag becomes readable.
The five shapes
Care symbols always use the same five base shapes, and each one governs one step of cleaning: a washtub for washing, a triangle for bleaching, a square for drying, an iron for ironing, and a circle for professional (dry) cleaning.
Labels list them left to right in that order. So the first symbol is always about washing, and the last is always about dry cleaning.
Dots, lines and crosses
The shape tells you the step; the marks inside or around it tell you the detail. Dots usually mean temperature (more dots = hotter). Lines under a shape mean 'be gentle' — one bar is a gentler cycle, two bars gentler still.
A cross through any symbol means 'do not.' A crossed-out iron means do not iron; a crossed washtub means do not wash. When you see a cross, stop and read carefully.
What to check first
Scan for crosses first — those are the rules that ruin a garment if broken. Then check the washtub (or hand-wash symbol) and the iron/dryer heat, since those are where heat damage happens.
If your label shows a temperature you're unsure about, the safest reading is always the cooler, gentler option.
Guidance follows American Cleaning Institute , Woolmark care guides and FTC Care Labeling Rule . A guide, not a guarantee — always defer to your garment’s own care label.