THE LABEL GAME

Words: Nhlanhla Masemola | Styling: Chris Viljoen | Images: Ian Engelbrecht

Remember when you were a child and collected cards or cereal toys and took extra care of your treasures, making sure they stayed spotless and protected from prying hands? As adults, we’re keeping the same passion and energy when it comes to caring for our clothes. Step one? Knowing how to wash your clothes correctly. Whether we’re washing with new Ariel Lavender or Ariel Pods with A Touch Of Downy, those labels we easily ignore are there to help us. Read on for the lowdown on how to better take care of your clothes, one label at a time

WASHING

Shown as a bucket of water, the washing instructions tell you what temperature or setting you should use. One dot inside the bucket means use with cold water, two dots: warm water and three dots: hot water. If the bucket has a single line beneath it, wash the garment on the permanent press setting. Two lines? Opt for a gentle cycle. A hand in the bucket means that handwashing is advised and a cross means that your clothes aren’t machine-wash friendly – turn to your nearest trusted dry cleaner.

DRYING

Seeing a circle inside a square? This symbolises a tumble dryer. Dots here, much like with washing instructions, tell you what temperature to use on your machine. One dot stands for low heat, two dots for medium and three dots for high heat. The tumble dry icon with lines across it means that you shouldn’t tumble dry at all. And the empty square? Hang your garment out to dry.

IRONING

The ironing symbol is modelled after an old-fashioned iron and follows the same temperature principles as above – one dot for low heat, two dots for medium and three dots for high heat. Don’t iron a garment with a cross over it.

BLEACHING

An empty triangle denotes that bleach can be used. If it’s filled with diagonal lines, only non-chlorine bleach can be used. A cross over the triangle means that you shouldn’t use bleach at all. Luckily, your dry cleaners will usually never bleach anything without your instruction, so if you’re unsure, they’re in safe hands with the professionals.

DRY CLEANING

This symbol is represented by a circle. While a circle that’s been crossed out stands for “do not dry clean”, dry-clean only clothes have the letter “P” inside the circle. Clothes that should be dry cleaned under normal circumstances have an “F” inside the circle. A circle with a horizontal line beneath it on the lower left side means dry clean on a short cycle. If the line is on the top left side, reduce moisture and if the line sits on the lower right, dry clean on low heat. Top right? Dry clean without steam.