Buying a new item is always a pleasant event. Bringing home jeans or a blouse, we hope for a long time to enjoy wearing the thing and show off a new thing in front of friends. At the same time, not everyone considers it obligatory to look at the label before the first wash or dry cleaning, and even fewer people observe the restrictions indicated on it. The result, as a rule, is sad: a spoiled thing, a fallen mood and the need for new cash costs. But all these troubles can easily be avoided by carefully reading the symbols on the clothing labels.
What are clothing labels for?
Many people immediately after the purchase rush to tear off the interfering piece of fabric. Do not do this in any case, because the label on the clothes plays the role of a kind of instruction manual. The symbols on it suggest how to wash a thing, whether it is possible to iron it, by what method to dry, and many other requirements that allow you to keep clothes in good shape for many years.
Any characters on the label represent a picture in which any information about the wardrobe item you bought is encrypted. In a sense, the icons on clothing labels are pictographic letters, and the meaning of many of them is intuitively understood. At the same time, they have their own nuances, and a mistake in reading them can irreparably ruin a thing.
What are the labels talking about?
Designations on clothing labels can be divided into several groups, depending on what information they contain. It can be warning symbols restricting the actions of people in relation to things, as well as prohibiting and informational. The latter provide the buyer with basic information about clothing, and if you, for example, are allergic to synthetics, then these icons should determine your choice of a wardrobe item.
Any label should contain answers to the following questions:
- what the thing is made of;
- can it be washed, and if so, is machine wash allowed;
- how is it allowed to dry this clothing;
- whether chemical cleaners are allowed;
- what is the maximum ironing temperature of a thing.
Sometimes the size of clothes and the manufacturer are also indicated here.
The shape of the symbols is fixed by both European and Russian GOSTs, so the label on the clothes always has recognizable features, regardless of which country the product was produced in.
How to find out how to wash by label?
To easily navigate the labels, you need to remember that they are all a schematic representation of a process. The simpler the picture, the less restriction in operation. Each additional requirement adds another symbol to the icon.
So, the icons related to washing are a stylized image of a trough with water. It can be crossed out with an oblique cross. This means that washing in any form is prohibited.
The maximum permissible water temperature is indicated by a number with the “°” symbol drawn in the middle of the picture. Sometimes, however, the numbers are replaced by dots - one, two, three or four. They mean, respectively, 30, 45, 60 or 90 degrees. But in the event that the thing can be washed only by hand, the corresponding symbol will contain a schematic image of the palm.
Pay particular attention to the use of chemical cleaners. Some things from the use of such funds can fade or shed. The letters Cl inscribed in the triangle allow the use of chlorine-based bleaches, but an empty triangle means that you will have to wash without additional cleaning agents.
Some items require gentle or gentle washing. You will be informed about this by one or two horizontal lines under the “trough”. As a rule, on these things you can also see a crossed out circle with a square. This means that squeezing clothes with a washing machine is not recommended.
How to find out about the ban on dry cleaning clothes?
Pay special attention to information on the use of chemical cleaners: some things from the use of such products can fade or shed. Chemical cleaning is indicated by a circle in which various additional symbols are inscribed.
- "A" - any bleach;
- "P" - only cleaners based on gasoline, hydrocarbon, monofluorotrichloromethane or chlorine ethylene;
- "F" - you can use only hydrocarbon, gasoline and trifluorotrichloromethane.
Do not forget that adding a horizontal line under any of these letters means a delicate wash with a little water and spin control.
How to find out on the label, is it possible to iron clothes?
Any item should have a drawing of an iron, made with one degree or another degree of reliability. Such symbols on clothing labels indicate precautions to be taken when ironing. Of course, any detail of the wardrobe can be crushed. But if some items can be ironed without fear, then others, especially synthetics, can withstand no more than 110 ° C, that is, the "first" mode. And something, you may have to completely grind and put to dry when unfolded.
The maximum allowable heating of the iron is shown by the points in the figure of the iron: one point - 110 ° C, 2 - 150 ° C, 3 - 200 ° C and above. On some things, you may have seen a familiar iron pattern, supplemented by several vertical stripes under the "bottom". This symbol means “steaming”, and as with other processes, it can either be enabled or crossed out.
How is drying clothes shown on the label?
How to dry a thing after washing, also the label will prompt. Clothing that can stretch if hung out to dry should have a “dry in horizontal position” icon. It looks like a horizontal line crossing a square. Accordingly, several vertical lines or a stylized envelope (more precisely, a fabric “thrown” through a rope) means the ability to dry your blouse on a wire, a hanger or in any other way convenient for you.
What do the letters on the labels mean?
In addition to information about the rules of operation, any label on clothing should indicate the composition from which the thing is made. This function is performed by the letters of the Latin alphabet. For example, “Co” - cotton, “Vi” - viscose, “PL” - polyester, “PA” - acrylic, “WS” - cashmere, as well as some other options.
Thus, when buying a new item in your wardrobe, do not rush to tear off the label. This scrap of fabric will always tell you how to handle clothes properly and help you keep your favorite thing for years to come.