Do you know what this means? The laundry display can be immediately and successfully attacked if you get the hang of 3!

If you are washing your clothes without paying attention to laundry labels because you don’t understand them by looking at them, a little knowledge may help you minimize the wear and tear caused by washing.

This paper explains the meaning of the symbols based on the current standard JIS L 0001:2024 (harmonized with ISO 3758:2023), using primary information. It was internationally harmonized by the revision on August 20, 2024.

First, a review of the basics of laundry labelingFive series of laundry labeling: washing, bleaching, drying, ironing, and cleaning

The first thing to keep in mind is the categories of laundry labeling. There are five categories: “washing,” “bleaching,” “drying,” “ironing,” and “cleaning,” each of which is labeled with its own graphic. The details of each are explained in the captions in the image gallery below.

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Wash: denoted by the symbol of a tub. The number is the upper temperature limit. One underline = weak wash, two underlines = very weak wash. The hand symbol means washable if hand washed, and the underline of the hand wash symbol indicates the upper temperature limit, which is complicated.

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Bleaching: It is indicated by a triangular symbol. Blank = chlorine and oxygen systems are acceptable, two diagonal lines = oxygen systems only, and an X = bleaching is not allowed.

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Drying: denoted by a square symbol. Circled = tumble dry, and the upper temperature limit is determined by the number of dots. By the way, x = tumble dry prohibited. Only lines = natural drying (vertical lines = suspension drying, two vertical lines = wet suspension drying, horizontal lines = flat drying, two horizontal lines = wet flat drying, diagonal line in the upper left = shade).

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Ironing: It is denoted by the ironing symbol. Number of dots = upper temperature limit; the higher the number, the hotter the ironing is allowed. ×＝X = not ironable.

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Cleaning: It is indicated by a circle symbol. This symbol is for professional cleaners, so you don’t have to worry too much about it for home care; it shows whether dry (P/F) or wet (W) is allowed, and the maximum strength of detergent.

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Editor Tachibana

Two things to keep in mind when doing normal home laundry would be ” washing” and ” drying”. When I buy clothes, I always look at the “wash” and “dry” laundry labels and make my decision to purchase based on whether or not the clothes can be washed at home. Bleaching” and “ironing” are for when you want to carefully care for your clothes. I always check the ” laundry ” when deciding whether or not to hire a vendor to take care of my clothes.

Check out this quick glance chart distributed by the Consumer Affairs Agency!

The Consumer Affairs Agency’s website distributes a quick guide PDF of clothing handling labels. The list shows that each icon, such as wash and dry, has a number, dot, line, and x symbol attached to it according to the condition.

caa.go.jp

See the Consumer Affairs Agency’s “New Laundry Labeling” special page / “Clothing Handling Labeling (Revised August 2024)” Quick Reference Table PDF at

Just remember this!3 tips to immediately capture the laundry labeling

So far we have introduced what kind of laundry labels are available, but to be frank, memorizing all the laundry labels is a hassle. However, we do not want to shorten the life of our precious clothes by washing them incorrectly. For those who want to avoid such a situation, I would like to introduce three tips that I have learned from professionals and am now practicing to get along well with the laundry labels.

The more complicated the icon, the stricter the restrictions

If you carefully compare the explanation of each icon on the laundry label, you will find that you should be careful in handling If you compare the descriptions by icon, you will notice that those with more lines, dots, symbols, etc., have more lines, dots, symbols, etc. By simply keeping this in mind, you will be able to understand to some extent the precautions to be taken when washing.

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For machine wash, the more the underline increases, the weaker the wash is recommended. For hand washing, the more the underline increases, the lower the upper limit of liquid temperature.

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Lines in the drying squares = instructions for drying. Vertical lines indicate hanging drying, and horizontal lines indicate flat drying. Two lines indicate that wet-drying is recommended.

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Tip 2: The numbers on the wash label only indicate temperatureJust remember that the number = the upper temperature limit for liquid temperature

” Smaller number in the “wash” tub symbol = lower upper temperature limit of water temperature for washing. It is OK as long as it is not washed at a liquid temperature that exceeds the number on the laundry label.

Tip 3: The meaning changes depending on where the 'x' is placed.Remember that 'x' means 'prohibited'

It is OK to assume that any icon with an ‘x’ indicates that something related to care is prohibited. For example, clothes made of rayon, cupra, and leather may have an “X” on all the icons on the laundry name.

Practice familiarizing yourself with the laundry label!Question: Try to read the laundry name used on the actual product

In the image gallery below, we have picked out laundry labels that are actually used on apparel products. The answers are written in the detailed information in the gallery, so try to see how well you can read them using the tips above. You should be able to understand some of what is said about ” washing ” and ” drying ” which are important in home laundry.

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↓Answers↓ . . . Washing: liquid temperature limited to 30 °C, may be machine washed very weakly. Bleaching: enzyme-based OK, chlorine-based NG Drying 1: tumble dry prohibited Drying 2: hang dry in the shade Ironing: ironing possible up to 160 °C on the bottom Cleaning 1: all solvent dry cleaning with weak treatment Cleaning 2: wet cleaning with weak treatment

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↓Answers↓ . . . Washing: liquid temperature limited to 40 °C, may be washed by hand. Bleaching: Bleaching is prohibited Drying 1: Tumble drying is prohibited Drying 2: Hang drying in the shade Ironing: Ironing is allowed up to a temperature of 160 ℃ on the bottom Cleaning 1: Can be dry cleaned with petroleum solvents with weak treatment Cleaning 2: Can be wet cleaned with weak treatment

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↓Answers↓ . . . Washing: No home washingBleaching: No bleachingDrying 1: No tumble dryingDrying 2: Hang drying in the shadeIroning: Ironing without steam is allowed up to 120 °C on the bottomCleaning 1: Petroleum solvent dry cleaningCleaning 2: No wet cleaning

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↓Answers↓ . . . Washing: liquid temperature limited to 40 °C, may be hand washed. Bleaching: enzyme-based OK, chlorine-based NG Drying 1: tumble dry prohibited Drying 2: hang dry in the shade Ironing: ironing possible up to 120 °C on the bottom Cleaning 1: petroleum-based solvent dry cleaning possible Cleaning 2: wet cleaning possible

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From the next page, we will introduce trivia that may help you improve your laundry skills and know-how on how to wash delicate materials. From the next page, we will introduce some trivia that may be useful to improve your laundry skills and know-how on how to wash delicate materials.