Laundry Terms: Essential Words for Sorting, Washing, and Caring for Clothes

When you see a laundry symbol, a small icon on a clothing tag that tells you how to clean it. Also known as washing symbols, it isn’t just decoration—it’s your guide to keeping clothes from shrinking, fading, or falling apart.

These symbols aren’t guesswork. A triangle means bleach, a square with a circle inside means tumble dry, and a dot inside a circle tells you the heat level. Miss one, and your favorite shirt could end up too small or stiff. The same goes for terms like fabric care, the set of practices that keep textiles looking new. It’s not just about using detergent—it’s knowing when to cold wash, why wool needs a gentle cycle, or why you shouldn’t mix darks with whites even if they’re both "dark".

You’ll find that laundry symbols, the universal language of clothing care are the same whether you’re in London, Auckland, or New York. That’s because they follow ISO standards, so your washing machine doesn’t need instructions—it just needs you to understand the icons. And if you’ve ever wondered why some clothes say "do not wring" or "lay flat to dry," it’s because those fabrics—like silk, lace, or cashmere—don’t handle stress well. The right laundry terms help you avoid costly mistakes.

It’s not just about the machine. Terms like delicate cycle, a low-speed, low-heat wash setting for fragile items, or spin speed, how fast the drum spins to remove water matter just as much. High spin speeds can stretch knits. Low spin speeds leave towels damp. And if you’ve ever pulled a sweater out of the dryer and found it covered in pills, that’s not bad luck—it’s a sign you didn’t separate fabrics properly. Laundry terms tell you how to sort by material, color, and soil level, not just by what looks dirty.

What you’ll find below are real guides that break down what those tiny symbols actually mean, why some fabrics need special treatment, and how to fix common laundry disasters. You’ll learn what "dry clean only" really implies, when you can ignore it, and how to spot a fake care label. There’s no jargon here—just clear, practical answers from people who’ve washed their way through mistakes and figured out what works. Whether you’re new to doing laundry or just tired of ruining clothes, these posts give you the exact details you need to get it right—every time.