Those little tags sewn into every one of your clothing garments may be scratchy or downright annoying. But before you yank it off or cut it out and throw it away forever, it's important to realize just how helpful that tag can be to the lifespan of your clothes. If you look closely on your labels, you'll find a number of little symbols, like circles and squares -- or circles inside squares.
No, those icons aren't gibberish. They're a cheat code for how to properly take care of and launder your garments so they look new for longer. These symbols can prevent shrinkage, discoloration and pilling, so it's important to decipher exactly what they mean.
Here's what the most common laundry symbols mean on your clothing's care label. (And for more laundry tips, explore these popular laundry products you need to ditch and the most energy-efficient way to do your laundry to save money.) Wash bin icon The wash basin symbol has a lot of variations, and they all mean something different.
The wash basin icon is a diagram of a tub with water, which means your garment can be washed in the washing machine. While that seems simple enough, there are several different variations of this icon as shown in the illustration above. Let's break all of those extra markings down: Dryer icons We'll help you figure out what these dryer icons on your clothing tags mean.
If you see a circle inside of a square on your care label, this icon breaks down drying instructions. If the dryer icon is crossed out, don.
