To make sure your favourite clothes stay looking their best for as long as possible, it is important to follow the maker’s guidelines for washing and drying.
This not only helps your clothes to look great but will seriously extend their lifespan. With an estimated £ 140m worth of clothes going to landfill each year, it is more important than ever to cut down on how many new clothes we buy.
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Every garment comes with symbols that tell us exactly how it should be washed. Here is a quick guide to the most common logos:
Understanding washing symbols
The most common symbol you will see on a piece of clothing looks like a basin full of water. This tells you that the item is machine washable.
You might see a written temperature inside the tub picture, which tells you whether your item can be washed at a cool or hot temperature. This could also be represented as dots (one dot for cool, three for hot).
If you see a hand symbol in the basin, this means the garment is hand wash only. Some washing machines have a delicate cycle to cover this.
There may also be a basin with two lines underneath, which tells you that the item should be cleaned on a wool cycle. This is a common label on a fisher man sweater or woolly cardigan to ensure it won’t shrink.
A red basin with a cross through it indicates that the item can’t be washed at home and is dry clean only.
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Drying instructions
When you have invested in a quality piece of knitwear, such as a snuggly jumper from a store such as shoparan.com, you don’t want it to lose its shape while it is drying. A square with a circle inside tells you that it can be tumble-dried, while this symbol with a cross through it specifies that it shouldn’t be tumble-dried.
By following these straightforward symbols, you can make sure you extend the lifetime of your favourite clothes and keep them looking and feeling great wear after wear.
