Laundry symbols - Definition and Overview

Laundry symbols, also called care symbols, are pictograms which represent different methods of washing, drying, dry-cleaning and ironing clothing. They are written on labels attached to clothing, to indicate how a particular item should best be cleaned. There are different standards for care labels for the different countries/regions of the world. Below there are links to four of the most common standards. In some standards, pictograms coexist or are complemented by written instructions.

The Canadian system is the most colourful one - it uses three colours - green for "go ahead", yellow for "be careful", and red for "stop".

External links

• European/International symbols (http://www.ginetex.org/SITE%20ANGLAIS/accuA.htm) - GINETEX (Groupement International d'Etiquetage pour l'Entretien des Textiles or International Association for Textile Care Labelling)
• US care symbols (http://www.textileaffairs.com/c-common.htm)
• Ordering details for Canadian standard (http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/epic/internet/incb-bc.nsf/vwGeneratedInterE/cp01008e.html) - Government of Canada Competition Bureau
• Japanese symbols (http://www.kisc.co.jp/KIEA/onepoint2.html)