While some laundry symbols are pretty obvious, like a bucket of water with a temperature on it which shows the maximum temperature the item can be washed at, some have the internet absolutely baffled.
These slightly more obscure symbols on the labels of clothing have had people scratching their heads and pleading for an easier explanation for their garments – but luckily, there is an answer.
One of these lesser known symbols is the triangle – a common symbol.
The white triangle on clothes labels can take four forms; an empty triangle, a triangle with a cross through it, and a triangle with two diagonal lines through it.
It could also be a triangle with CL inside and a cross through.
Every form of triangle has one common feature though as they are all to do with bleach.
If the triangle is empty, it means you can bleach the clothing but if there is a cross through it, it means it can’t be bleached.
A triangle with two diagonal lines or a CL inside, and a cross through both means you should use non-chlorine bleach.
It’s not just the triangle that has people confused though – the other mark which baffles people is the X.
This common symbol appears across all kinds of other symbols, and means no(almost universally) but unless you know what the symbol it is crossing means, you’re lost.
For example, if the X appears over a bucket filled with a water symbol, that means don’t put the item in the washing machine.
If it’s over a weird symbol that looks a bit like a sweet, that means don’t wring the garment out and if it’s over a square with a circle inside it, that symbolises a dryer – so don’t put the item in the dryer.
