Before washing your clothes are you in the habit of reading wash care labels If you are good if not it is time you should because these labels are meant for keeping your clothes in good condition Without reading care labels you might end up pulling out saggy discolored damaged or shrunk clothes from the washing machine Unfortunately the damage caused by improperly washing a piece of clothing cannot be undone This is how vital paying attention to washing labels is They are attached to your clothing for a good reason

If you see a wash symbol which is represented by a bucket which is filled with water it will tell you the proper machine setting or temperature that you should use when washing the clothing item If you see a normal wash symbol look for the corresponding temperature value or the 1 to 6 dots which indicate the ranges of temperature you should choose

One Dot means 30C or 90F Two Dots means 40C or 105F Three Dots means 50C or 120F Four Dots means 60C or 140F Five Dots means 70C or 160F Six Dots means 95C or 200F

The hand wash symbol has a standard wash symbol which consists of a hand at the top For this symbol you should avoid placing an item of clothing into a washing machine This symbol indicates that you should wash your clothes in a small tub or sink with your hands so the cleaning liquid will be rubbed into the fabric and rinsed thoroughly It is also imperative that you check the detergent liquid if it is suitable for handwashing Choose milder detergents as they are not only safe for your garments but your hands as well

The Permanent Press Symbol can be distinguished by one line under the standard wash care symbol Avoid ironing your garment if it contains this symbol as permanent press fabrics have undergone chemical treatment to prevent wrinkling and retain the garments original shape

If you see a standard wash symbol and a cross through it it is an indicator that the item of clothing should not be washed After your garment gets dirty you should have it dry cleaned

This symbol consists of two lines below the symbol of a standard wash The gentle cycle saves items of clothing made of delicate materials like wool or silk Vigorous washing of delicate clothing can damage it

Another way that you can take care of your clothes is by reading the labels to find out whether or not using bleach is an appropriate washing method

If you see a triangle which is filled with diagonal lines it is an indicator that you should use non chlorine bleaches for clothes with this label It is also important that you read the ingredients on the bleach to find out if it contains chlorine

The symbol contains a triangle that does not have anything in the middle It indicates that you can use bleach on the clothing

You should not put bleach on the clothing if the symbol has a solid triangle with crossed lines Any bleach can damage the garment

The symbol contains double lines which mean you should use the delicate setting

This is a single line beneath the dryer symbol and it means that you should use a Permanent Press setting

The square with a circle inside is the basic tumble dry symbol

If your item of clothing has do not tumble dry label which consists of a cross through the drying symbol it means that you should leave the garment to drip dry outside

You will know the heat setting when putting your clothes in the tumble dryer by checking the number of dots inside the circle If you see three dots it means that you should tumble dry high Two dots indicate tumble dry medium and one dot indicates tumble dry low

Before you iron your clothes be sure to check the ironing guidelines indicated on the label

Three dots mean you should iron clothing on high Two dots mean the iron should be set to medium One dot recommends ironing on low

The symbol contains a crossed out circle which is an indicator that you should not dry clean the clothing

If you see a letter F enclosed inside the circle it is an indicator that you can dry clean the item under normal conditions

A letter P inside the circle means that you should dry clean the item only

A circle represents this symbol and it means you should dry clean the item

Knowing the wash care labels helps you understand the proper way of washing your garments Be sure to familiarize yourself with these symbols as they can help ensure that your clothes stay in good shape