Laundry Care Symbols - An Example For How To Interpret And Apply Them

by Kandace

I was asked this laundry question about applying laundry care symbols properly by a reader, so I am answering it here to give everyone an example:

Kandace asks:

Hi. I bought my son a heavy fleece hoodie, and the instructions are wash in cold water and no fabric softener.

The other symbols are no dryer, no dry clean, no bleach, no iron.

How do I dry this thing? The shell is 80% cotton, 20% poly. The interior 63% poly 37% acrylic, the sleeves 100% nylon and the insulation is 100% poly. Ya, I know, stay away from fire...

Could you tell me how to clean this thing? It was an $80 investment.

Thank you so much for your advice in advance.

Taylor's answer:

Kandace, thanks for the question about applying and interpreting laundry care symbols.

Sometimes clothes manufacturers don't really think about how people will actually need to use (and clean) their products when they are making them, and this seems like a prime example of that to me. What a pain with all those restrictions!

The instructions don't really allow much room for drying this thing at all.

Based on your question I know you've already deciphered your care label.

In addition, I would suggest reading my article about what laundry symbols mean and when you can ignore them.

Now, to solve your problem. Since the item says no dryer, I wouldn't put it in there.

Generally acrylic doesn't have a melting point until 430 degrees F, so I'm not sure why you can't put it in the dryer, at

least on a low heat setting, but acrylic is a rather general term and the manufacturer would know its exact melting point for the type used.

Therefore, after washing I would use one of two methods to dry it, hang on a hanger to drip dry, or lay flat to dry.

If one of these methods is suggested on the laundry care symbols on the tag that is the one I would use.

The danger with hanging on a hanger to drip dry is that it can sometimes stretch the fabric. However, if that is the case then generally the tag will say to lay flat to dry to avoid that problem.

I hope this information helps! In addition, although it is an expensive reminder for you, I hope it can help all of us remember to check the laundry care symbol tags at the store, before we purchase things to avoid hassles like this.

I myself learned this lesson the hard way, and I do still tend to forget sometimes. We're all human, after all. However, when I remember this rule I've also saved myself some aggravation in the laundering department several times by refusing to buy an item, especially children's clothing, which had difficult laundering instructions.

So, do you have a question to ask me, Taylor, about laundry? If so, submit your laundry questions here (or your own laundry cleaning tips too).

Photo by mysza831