The tags on our clothing contain very handy washing instructions, though some have know idea what many of these mean. Here's a breakdown of each symbol.

Machine washable – this is the basic symbol of a bowl of water. In most cases, you’ll get another symbol with it to give you more information. Wash cold – a bowl of water with 30°C printed ...

Laundry symbols are key to long-term clothing care. They tell you how to wash and dry your clothing and if you should use bleach, iron, or dry clean.

When you locate the tag inside the garment for its care instructions, you’re faced with a scramble of tiny symbols. Not only are the symbols hard to see, even with your reading glasses on, but ...

Dry cleaning symbols Chums says: “If your garment needs the care of a professional, or you just want to have the item cleaned professionally for a special occasion, the dry cleaner in question ...

The symbol for dry cleaning is a circle, and if it doesn’t have an X through it, it means you can take it to the dry cleaner. If the label specifies “dry clean only,” you should definitely ...

There was a 40 degrees washing symbol, a triangle with lines in, a tumble dryer, iron, the letter F in a circle and a square with two lines in. In fact, the triangle refers to bleaching.

Washing and laundry symbols, also called care symbols, on your clothes tags will ensure your garments are washed correctly. From dry-clean only to ideal water temperature, we tell you what the symbols ...

Of the symbols, “ hand wash only ” was the most well known, with 79 per cent, followed by “ dry clean only ”, with 61 per cent – but how many do you understand?

The care label on your clothes may feature a hand, indicating that the item should only be hand-washed, while a cross through the symbol means it's not suitable for machine washing.