A Laundry Symbol Guide Because We’re All Honestly Confused

Let's start with the easy ones. If you had to guess, what would you say this looks like? An iron, right? But what about the dot? You can think of the dot as an indicator telling you how much heat is enough. One dot means keep the temperature low.

Three dots means you can turn up the heat. Hate waiting for cheap irons to warm up? This Maytag iron has seriously, good reviews on Amazon, and it's only 40 bucks.

If you see the iron sign crossed out with an x on a clothing label, keep that item far away from the iron.

Here's where things get a little bit more confusing. When you see a circle within a square, that represents tumble dry. Again, the dot tells you the temperature. If you only see one dot, keep it low. Two means medium. And three let's you know that a high temperature is best.

Again, the x is a sign to slow your roll.

Now, it's time to introduce a new symbol: the horizontal parallel lines. Those are a cue to select a gentle cycle.

This one, looks like a bucket filled with water, and it represents the washing process. When you see it alone, you can wash the item on a normal cycle.

If those two horizontal lines appear underneath it, remember to use a gentle cycle.

I know it's always confusing to remember the conversions for Fahrenheit and Celsius. But that's why you've got the dots to guide you. Remember, one dot is an indicator to keep the temperature low and cool.

Three dots means hot water will work best.

Now that you know what the washing machine laundry symbol looks like, this one is pretty easy to figure out.

I honestly don't know how this one makes any sense. But triangles equal bleach in the laundry world. We recommend sticking to a non-chlorine bleach ($10; amazon.com) that's also safe on colors for beginners.

And crossed out triangles are a warning to avoid using bleach.

Somehow, circles are a symbol for dry cleaning.

I'm sure you're getting the hang of this now and can figure this one out.