The triangle with a cross through it on a clothing label is a warning to avoid products containing bleach. Ignoring it can lead to colour loss, patchy fading, weakened fibres, and damage to logos and finishes.
What the Triangle Symbol Means
Most garments carry a small tag covered in symbols for washing, drying, ironing and professional cleaning. Among the most common is the triangle with a cross. It signals that you should steer clear of chlorine bleach (sodium hypochlorite) and also detergents or fluids containing oxygen bleach or bleaching agents, even if they don't say "bleach" on the front. These are often found in "whitening" laundry powders and liquids, as well as powder stain removers and pre-wash sprays.
Taking these precautions may add a couple of minutes to your routine, but it's worth the effort to protect your wardrobe.
Other Laundry Symbols Explained
The consumer experts at Which? recently posted a TikTok video explaining different symbols on clothing labels. These include:
- Tub with an X = do not machine wash, even on a delicate cycle.
- Circle = dry clean only.
- Square with a circle inside, with an X through it = do not tumble dry, air dry instead.
- Twisted symbol with X through it = do not wring out your clothes.
Further helpful symbols include:
- Tub with two lines underneath = delicate / gentle cycle.
- Tub with a hand = hand wash only.
- Square with a circle inside – one dot = low heat, two dots = medium heat, three dots = high heat.
- Square with a curved line at the top = line dry.
- Square with one horizontal line = dry flat (helps prevent stretching).
- Square with diagonal lines in a corner = dry in the shade.
- Iron with an X = do not iron.
- Iron with steam lines crossed out (on some labels) = do not steam.
Understanding these symbols can help you avoid common laundry mishaps, such as shrinking, stretching, fading, and fabric damage, keeping your clothes looking newer for longer.
