Speed Queen, the leader in industrial laundry and self-service laundries, explains below the meaning of the various washing, drying, ironing and bleaching labels you may find on your clothes. Regardless of washing labels, the type of textile fiber is critical: if in doubt about the correct way to washing something, ask a professional.

Laundry instructions

Symbols / Meaning
Item must not be washed
The item must not be washed, either by machine or by hand: dry cleaning must be used.
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Hand wash only
Hand wash only. Maximum temperature, 40 ° C.
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Machine wash, cotton program
Machine wash, cotton program (standard wash) at 30 ° C maximum.
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Normal wash cycle at 40 ° C maximum
Normal wash cycle at 40 ° C maximum.
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Normal wash cycle at 60 ° C maximum
Normal wash cycle at 60 ° C maximum.
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Normal wash cycle at 95 ° C maximum
Normal wash cycle at 95 ° C maximum.
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Wash your clothes at 30 degrees maximum
You may find one or two horizontal lines below and of these symbols. If there is only one line, use the synthetics program (medium speed). If there are two lines, use the wool program (minimum speed).

Example: The symbol above means you should wash your clothes at 30 degrees maximum with a wool program or a special program for delicate fabrics (minimum speed).

Ironing and drying instructions

Symbols / Meaning
Do not iron
Do not iron.
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Iron without steam
Iron without steam up to a maximum temperature of 110 ° C. Recommended for acrylics, nylon, acetates.
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Iron at medium temperature, 150 ° C
Iron at medium temperature, 150 ° C. Recommended for polyester and wool.
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Iron at high temperature, 200 ° C
Iron at high temperature, 200 ° C. Recommended for cotton and linen textiles.
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No machine drying
No machine drying.
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Dry in the dryer: delicate program
Dry in the dryer: delicate program.
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Dry in the dryer: normal program
Dry in the dryer: normal program.

Professional cleaning instructions

Symbols / Meaning
Do not dry clean
Do not dry clean.
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Do not wash in water
Do not wash in water.
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Professional water washing only
Professional water washing only The W in the symbol refers to Wet cleaning (water cleaning or wet washing).
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Wash using perchloroethylene, hydrocarbons, R113 and R11
The laundry may be washed using perchloroethylene, hydrocarbons, R113 and R11 solution.
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Can be washed with R113 solution and hydrocarbons
The laundry can be washed with R113 solution and hydrocarbons.
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Specific indications regarding temperature and moisture
The laundry may be washed with perchloroethylene, hydrocarbons and solutions R113 and R11, but there are specific indications regarding temperature and moisture.
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The laundry may be washed with R113 solution and hydrocarbons
The laundry may be washed with R113 solution and hydrocarbons but there are specific indications regarding temperature and moisture.
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The linen can be washed by wet washing (wet cleaning)
The linen can be washed by wet washing (wet cleaning) but there are specific indications regarding temperature and moisture.

Instructions for bleaching laundry

Symbols / Meaning
No particular instructions for washing
No particular instructions: you may bleach your laundry using any bleaching agent.
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No particular instructions for the laundry
No particular instructions: you may bleach your laundry using any bleaching agent.
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Do not use bleach
Do not use bleach. Use products intended for colors and delicates.
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Sodium percarbonate may be used
Sodium percarbonate may be used.

Instructions for natural drying

Symbols / Meaning
Dry flat/in the sun/after machine drying
Dry flat/in the sun/after machine drying.
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Dry flat/in the shade/after machine drying (by drainage)
Dry flat/in the shade/after machine drying (by drainage)
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Dry flat/in the sun/without machine drying.
Dry flat/in the sun/without machine drying.
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Dry flat/in the shade/without machine drying.
Dry flat/in the shade/without machine drying.
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Dry on a line/in the sun/after machine drying.
Dry on a line/in the sun/after machine drying.
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Dry on a line/in the shade/after machine drying
Dry on a line/in the shade/after machine drying.
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Dry on a line/in the sun/without machine drying.
Dry on a line/in the sun/without machine drying.
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Dry on a line/in the shade/without machine drying
Dry on a line/in the shade/without machine drying.