Symbols on the label of your clothes - How to avoid the most common mistakes?

Washing and care of clothing can become a real challenge. Probably, in fact, it has already happened to you to extract from the washing machine wool sweaters become smaller than three sizes or to see your favorite garment lose its shape after being ironed.

To ensure your clothes have a long life and to avoid damaging their quality, the basic rule is to pay attention to the symbols on the labels on each item of clothing. These rules are essential in particular for silk or wool garments, but they should not be neglected even in the case of colored clothing, made of cotton or synthetic materials.

Here we New York Laundry Service have collected a brief overview of the most common symbols that you should always keep on hand to be sure / or to wash and treat your clothes correctly. We present below the most important and globally recognized symbols:

•    Wash

•    Drying

•    Ironing

•    Bleaching

•    Dry wash

Washing symbols:

The first symbol you find on clothing labels always refers to the washing phase. Here are the instructions for washing in the washing machine, if indicated for the garment or not, and the temperature to be selected. The latter is expressed in degrees centigrade and is represented by a number written inside a basin of water. 

Remember to never exceed this value, because you could risk ruining your boss. If the basin is crossed with a cross, the garment cannot be washed at home but must be brought to the laundry and treated with professional procedures. If the hand wash symbol is present, remember to wash your garment with the hand wash program on your washing machine.

In addition to these more common indications, the label may contain further variations of the symbols just presented. If there is a line under the water basin, you will need to select the program for delicate items for washing. Each washing machine has a delicate or silk program. 

Also, remember not to load the washer drum too much when using this program. In case there is a double line under the water basin, it is necessary to use a special program, the so-called extra delicate. Some washing machine models have programs designed specifically for washing wool, silk or cashmere. If your washing machine does not have this type of program, simply select the hand wash. In the case of particularly dirty clothes, we advise you to go to the laundry and opt for a professional wash.

If you are not sure how to wash it properly, it is advisable to use the New York Dry Cleaning service.