Drying. A circle in the square symbolizes a clothes dryer. One dot requires drying at reduced temperature and two dots for normal temperature. The crossed symbol means that the clothing does not tolerate machine drying.
A square with a circle inside it and 1 dot – means you can dry the garment on a low heat setting. A square with a circle inside it and 2 dots – means you can dry the garment on a high heat setting. A square with a circle inside it that's crossed through – means you cannot tumble dry this garment.
Drying Symbols
A square with a large circle inside that is crossed out means do not tumble dry. A square with circle inside symbol and a single dot indicates normal machine drying on a low setting. A square with three vertical lines inside indicates to drip dry, usually by hanging a dripping wet garment on a line.
Clothes dryer drying symbols
One dot – use low heat. Two dots – use medium heat. Three dots – use high heat. An X or cross over the symbol means the garment is not suitable for the clothes dryer.
The icon that looks like a bucket of water instructs how to wash a garment, the square with a circle in the center instructs how to dry it, and the iron symbol instructs how to iron it. The remaining laundry tag symbols refer to bleaching (triangle), dry-cleaning (circle), and non-machine drying (square) instructions.
Triangle (bleaching) Iron (ironing) Circle (dry cleaning) Square (drying)
The square with a circle inside is the general symbol for tumble drying. If you see it on a laundry label, your item can be tumble-dried , and it's safe to put it in the dryer . If a laundry item should not be tumble-dried, you will see the same square with a circle, but it will be crossed out.
Automatic Dry: It is more energy-efficient than a time dry because it causes your dryer to shut off when clothes are detected as dry automatically. Regular/Heavy: Fastest and hottest setting of your dryer. It's best to use this setting when you're drying white or light-colored clothing.
Tumble dry no heat means using the dryer without any heat. The dryer simply tosses your clothes using room temperature air. This setting is often used to fluff-up garments, and help remove dust or lint.
The LESS DRY setting indicates that a small amount of moisture is to be left in the clothing (to prevent wrinkling, etc.).
“Tumble dry no heat” means to dry in the dryer with zero heat. This setting may also be labeled “air only” on your dryer. It's meant for very delicate items that cannot withstand any heat, but is most often used to freshen, fluff or remove hair and other debris from dry items between washes.
Tumble Dryer settings explained.
Cupboard Dry – This setting should allow you to put your clothes away without the need to hang out. Easy Care – This is used for synthetic items (polyester,etc). Usually half the load. Anti – Crease – This setting is designed to stop clothes creasing.
A circle (special care) inside a square (drying) changes "dry" to "tumble dry." Adding lines, dots and other marks modify these base symbols and adds info.
Avoiding heavy duty cycles, fast spins and high-heat drying can also prevent shrinkage. Use delicate cycles instead, and place delicate clothes in a mesh laundry bag for added protection. When drying, consider a low-heat or air dry setting.
How long should a dryer take to dry? A typical drying cycle takes about 45 minutes, but this time can vary depending on the cycle, heat setting and size of your load. Delicate cycles take roughly 15 minutes, while heavy cycles, like bedding, can take up to three hours to fully dry.
With Timed Dry, selecting the longest drying time may be over drying your loads and contributing to wrinkling. The dryer runs the amount of time set. Use Automatic Dry for best drying results. Use Timed Dry for the occasional damp load that needs a little more drying time.
Even slightly damp towels can quickly mildew. The best dryer setting for towels is the regular or automatic setting that you use for other durable fabrics. This will use the highest heat and be most efficient in getting the job done. (Avoid overdrying; it can destroy the integrity of the individual cotton fibers.)
As a rule high heat can be used for heavy cotton items, medium heat suits clothes like T-shirts, and delicates and sportswear needs low heat.
You'll reduce wear and tear, and be able to wear them for longer, if you dry them on a lower heat setting. An adult sweater can morph into a child's sweater in one high-heat cycle. In addition, high heat settings can cause colors to fade and can weaken fabric, especially spandex.
Delicate or Gentle Cycle
The low heat helps keep your clothes safe during the drying process, as these garments are prone to melting or stretching under high heat. Keep in mind that you may have to wait a little longer for your clothes to become dry when using this setting.
Care labels on clothes play a very important role. Laundry symbols on care label, explains the accurate temperature and correct way of washing of our clothes. Therefore, care label acts as a guideline for increasing lifespan of our clothes.
Many dryers feature an End-of-Cycle signal. There is less chance of clothes getting wrinkled if they are removed from the dryer promptly and the signal alerts you that the cycle is about to end. 1995 and newer dryers give several short buzzes a few minutes before shutting off.
DRYING. If the care label has a circle inside a square, your item can be tumble dried. The more dots on the iron symbol suggests the temperature of heat that can be applied: 1 dot = low temperature.