Laundry Label Symbols Explained: 2025

Laundry Label Explanations

Have you ever wondered what those laundry symbols on the tag inside your clothes actually mean? While they’re supposed to provide helpful tips about the best way to wash, dry, iron or bleach your clothes, they can be as difficult to decipher as hieroglyphics.

The symbol that looks like an envelope? It’s telling you to hang dry that item. And the one that seems like it’s saying, “no candy” or “bow ties not allowed” is actually warning you not to wring out that article of clothing.

Due to the confusion the symbols cause, many people ignore them entirely. After all, who has time to figure out what a circle inside of a square with two lines underneath means? (Gentle cycle, since you were wondering.)

But that’s not the smartest move. Just ask anyone who has ever shrunk a favorite sweater.

To help keep your clothes looking as good as the day you bought them, become fluent in laundry lingo. You don’t have to memorize each and every icon — that’s what our infographic is for — but knowing the basics will help immensely.

You’ll start to detect themes. One dot means cold or low heat. Two dots means medium heat. And three dots means high heat. Get the gist?

Here’s a primer on all of those laundry symbols you should start paying attention to ASAP.

Maintain Your Laundry Appliances To Keep Your Garments Fresh

Schedule annual professional maintenance for your washer and dryer to help keep your garments looking fresh.

Sears Home Services technicians know all the top washer and dryer brands. We can maintain your laundry appliances no matter where you bought them. We have thousands of local repair technicians across the US who are highly trained and skilled to maintain your washer and dryer. If a technician uncovers problems during washer and dryer maintenance, you can trust our appliance experts for repairs on top laundry appliance brands like Samsung, Whirlpool, Frigidaire, GE, Maytag, LG and Kenmore.

Trust Sears Home Services to help you keep your laundry appliances in top shape. Our goal is to help you manage all aspects of your home so you can have the peace of mind that everything is covered.