Machine wash, normal
You can machine wash this on a normal cycle.
What to do
Machine wash on a normal cycle. Unless a temperature dot is shown, warm or cold both work.
What to avoid
If the label also shows a temperature or a gentler cycle, follow that too. The plain tub sets the agitation, not the heat.
How to spot it on a label
The washtub is the first symbol in the care row, at the left edge. For the normal variant, check that the tub is plain: nothing is printed inside, no bar sits below it, and no hand or cross covers it.
Easy to confuse with
- Machine wash, normalMild / permanent-press wash
Check the mark
Look directly below the tub: this symbol has no horizontal bar; the one-bar mild symbol has one.
- Machine wash, normalHand wash only
Check the mark
Look inside the tub: this one is empty, with no hand reaching into it.
- Machine wash, normalDo not wash
Check the mark
Trace the tub outline: no diagonal cross runs through this one.
On a real label
Denim overalls
Read together: Machine wash on a normal cycle. Use only non-chlorine bleach if needed, tumble dry at medium heat, iron at medium heat, and do not dry clean.
Cotton bath towel
Read together: Machine wash on a normal cycle. Any bleach may be used if needed, and high-heat tumble drying and high-temperature ironing are permitted.
- Category
- Washing
- Appears on
- US and international labels
- Commonly seen on
- Often appears on cottons, denim, and everyday clothing.
Related symbols
- Machine wash, cold (30°C / 1 dot) Machine wash this in water up to 30°C. In the US this shows as one dot.
- Mild / permanent-press wash One bar means an ISO mild wash with reduced mechanical action. On ASTM/US labels it means permanent press, including a cool-down or cold rinse before reduced spinning.
- Do not wash Do not wash this, by machine or by hand. Check the remaining care symbols for any permitted method.
Common questions
-
What does an empty washtub symbol mean?
- It permits a normal machine-wash process. The lack of a hand, cross, or bar is what makes this the normal-cycle symbol.
-
Does a plain wash tub set the water temperature?
- No. This variant has no temperature mark inside it. Follow any written temperature instruction elsewhere on the tag.
-
Is the washtub symbol always first on a care label?
- Yes. Standard care symbols are ordered wash, bleach, dry, iron, then professional care, so the washtub starts the row.
-
Does an empty tub mean do not wash?
- No. A washing prohibition has a large cross through the tub; an empty, uncrossed tub permits normal machine washing.