Laundry symbols - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

A laundry symbol, also called a care symbol, is a pictogram

Pictogram

A pictograph, also called pictogram or pictogramme is an ideogram that conveys its meaning through its pictorial resemblance to a physical object. Pictographs are often used in writing and graphic systems in which the characters are to considerable extent pictorial in appearance.Pictography is a...

which represents a method of washing

Washing

Washing is one way of cleaning, namely with water and often some kind of soap or detergent. Washing is an essential part of good hygiene and health....

, for example drying, dry-cleaning

Dry cleaning

Dry cleaning is any cleaning process for clothing and textiles using a chemical solvent other than water. The solvent used is typically tetrachloroethylene , abbreviated "perc" in the industry and "dry-cleaning fluid" by the public...

and ironing

Ironing

Ironing is the use of a heated tool to remove wrinkles from fabric. The heating is commonly done to a temperature of 180-220 °Celsius, depending on the fabric. Ironing works by loosening the bonds between the long-chain polymer molecules in the fibers of the material...

clothing

Clothing

Clothing refers to any covering for the human body that is worn. The wearing of clothing is exclusively a human characteristic and is a feature of nearly all human societies...

. Such symbols are written on labels, known as care labels, attached to clothing to indicate how a particular item should best be cleaned. There are different standards for care labels for the different countries/regions of the world. In some standards, pictograms coexist with or are complemented by written instructions.

Treatment indicated by the symbols is "the maximum permitted treatment" and is not required or recommended. GINETEX states that "milder forms of treatment and lower temperatures than those indicated on the label are always permitted." For example, if a symbol indicates washing in hot water and tumble drying, washing in cold water and drying on a clothes line

Clothes line

A clothes line or washing line is any type of rope, cord, or twine that has been stretched between two points , outside or indoors, above the level of the ground. Clothing that has recently been washed is hung along the line to dry, using clothes pegs or clothes pins...

are also acceptable.

The Canadian system was formerly the most colorful one, using three colours: green for "go ahead", yellow for "be careful", and red for "stop". This system has been abandoned with the decision to move to a common international scheme.

GINETEX, based in France, is the international association for textile care labelling, and formed in 1963 after academic conferences in the late 1950s were formed to define one standard of labelling.

General

The care label describes the allowable treatment of the garment without damaging the textile. Whether this treatment is necessary or sufficient, is not stated. A milder than specified treatment is always acceptable. The symbols are protected and their use is required to comply with the license conditions. Incorrect labelling is prohibited. A bar below each symbol calls for a gentler treatment than usual and a double bar for a very gentle treatment.

Washing
Washing
Washing is one way of cleaning, namely with water and often some kind of soap or detergent. Washing is an essential part of good hygiene and health....

A stylized washtub is shown, and the number in the tub means the maximum wash temperature (degrees Celsius). A bar under the tub signifies a gentler treatment in the machine. A double bar signifies very gentle handling. A hand in the tub signifies that only (gentle) hand washing (not above 40°C) is allowed. A cross through washtub means that the textile may not be washed under normal household conditions.

Bleaching

An empty triangle (formerly lettered Cl) allows the bleaching with chlorine

Chlorine

Chlorine is the chemical element with atomic number 17 and symbol Cl. It is the second lightest halogen, found in the periodic table in group 17. The element forms diatomic molecules under standard conditions, called dichlorine...

or oxygen

Oxygen

Oxygen is the element with atomic number 8 and represented by the symbol O. Its name derives from the Greek roots ὀξύς and -γενής , because at the time of naming, it was mistakenly thought that all acids required oxygen in their composition...

. Two oblique lines in the triangle allow only oxygen as a bleaching agent. A crossed triangle prohibits any bleaching.

Drying
Drying
Drying is a mass transfer process consisting of the removal of water or another solvent by evaporation from a solid, semi-solid or liquid. This process is often used as a final production step before selling or packaging products. To be considered "dried", the final product must be solid, in the...

A circle in the square symbolizes a dryer. One dot requires drying at reduced temperature and two dots for normal temperature. The crossed symbol means that the clothing does not tolerate machine drying. In the U.S. and Japan, there are other icons for natural drying.

Ironing
Ironing
Ironing is the use of a heated tool to remove wrinkles from fabric. The heating is commonly done to a temperature of 180-220 °Celsius, depending on the fabric. Ironing works by loosening the bonds between the long-chain polymer molecules in the fibers of the material...

The iron with up to three dots allows for ironing. The number of dots are assigned temperatures: One point means 110°C, two points means 150°C and three points means 200°C. An iron with a cross prohibits ironing.

Professional Cleaning

A circle identifies the possibilities of professional cleaning. A bar under the symbol means clean gently, and two bars means very gentle cleaning.

Chemical cleaning

The letters P and F in a circle are for the different solvents used in the professional dry cleaner can be used..

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.