Washing label: deciphering it and learning how to best treat your garments

The washing label is that little piece of cloth that almost no one looks at and, indeed, most of us cut off and discard.

This is a big mistake, because this label, if interpreted correctly, explains how to care for your clothing items – jeans, pants, sweaters, etc. – in the proper way. Understanding its symbols and instructions is the basis for keeping your clothing in excellent condition for longer.

Three good reasons to pay more attention to the washing label:

• you can avoid fading, shrinking, or even any eventual deformation (have you ever had your favorite sweater shrink after washing it? …or had it become felted? …or have the sleeves stretch? Well, you probably hadn’t paid enough attention to that seemingly insignificant slip of fabric);
• if your garments last longer, of course, you can replace them less frequently and thus save money;
• the instructions on the label will help you reduce the environmental impact of washing, because you’ll be able to use less water and energy (which, by the way, also translates into financial savings) – the sustainability benefit is obvious.

And not just strange but even cryptic: this is the perception all of us have when we try to decipher them. But this is really only a problem of laziness: once we understand the logic, it’s very easy to decipher them at a glance.

Here are the most common mistakes:

• machine wash: a tub icon with a superimposed number indicates the maximum water temperature. 30°, 40°, 60°, and 90° are the most common indications (and here’s a tip: if your garments are not particularly soiled, or if they’re delicate, feel free to lower the temperature from the one listed: for example, if the label indicates “40°,” adjust the temperature to 30°: Your garment will still come out clean, but you will have saved it from a more aggressive washing while also saving water and energy);
• hand-washing: in this case the icon could not be clearer: the hand immersed in water does not permit a different interpretation, that garment must be washed by hand: no complaining, forget being lazy, if you care about the garment you must wash it by hand; and this is especially true for more your delicate garments, for example, like wool or silk. Besides, what did our grandmothers do? There were no washing machines, so hand washing was the only option. And thus, their garments literally lasted a lifetime;
• dry cleaning: if the tub icon is superimposed with an X, don’t even dream of getting the garment near water, because it must absolutely be dry-cleaned. Here you have no choice: you must take it to a fully equipped laundry.

• the garment can be dried in the dryer if you find the icon on the label is a square with circle inside it; the same symbol also shows the drying temperature indication: one dot means use a low temperature, two dots means use medium heat, and three dots means you can increase the temperature to maximum (obviously, you wouldn’t use maximum temps with delicate garments, but with sheets, towels, etc.);
• if the square with a circle symbol is superimposed with an X, the garment should not be dried in the dryer at all (always keep in mind that in this case the convenience is balanced by an inevitable and constant increased wear and tear on the garment; wear and tear that increases as the temperature and spin speeds increase);
• if the square has curved lines at the top, the garment must be hung out in the open air to dry; you can also find other similar symbols suggesting drying on flat surfaces (wool sweaters, for example) or drying in the shade (and here we add that the latter, with its slower drying time, is almost always preferable to drying in direct sunlight).

• an icon in the shape of an iron with dots indicates the temperature at which you can iron the garment without problems: apply the same principle as for the dryer: one dot corresponds to low temperature, two to medium, and three to the highest temperatures;
• an iron symbol superimposed with an X obviously means that the garment should not be ironed. There are, in fact, fabrics that can fuse and be damaged by direct heat sources; what are these fabrics? The ones that tell you so on the label, of course!

• if you find a circle with a letter inside on the wash label, you should use only R113, R111 petroleum-based solvents, hydrocarbons, and trichloroethane (better to have a laundry take care of that, don’t you agree?);
• If the symbol is a circle superimposed with an X, it means that the garment should not be dry cleaned because its fabric could be damaged by the solvents.

As you have seen, the washing label is a very important element that you should always pay the utmost attention to, to make sure you treat your favorite garments with attention and rigor.

These labels are so important that there are international regulations governing their wording, and these increasingly stringent and strict standards seek to raise awareness among producers and customers in the fashion world to make and choose increasingly sustainable garments.

Here at Tonello, we, too, have purposely chosen to take the path of responsibility and respect for the environment. In fact, with our Metro software, we are able to measure all the production processes and track their key characteristics in an ad hoc tag (a larger washing label) that shows all the important data (such as how many energy resources are used to produce a pair of jeans, for example) and that gives the garment a sort of “sustainability passport“, a kind of report card with detailed and transparent data on the production process and the garment’s environmental impact, to help consumers make more conscious choices.

Learn more about Metro and how it promotes sustainability.