Normal Cycle Medium Heat - This symbol indicates to use the Normal dry cycle with medium heat. It's depicted as a square with a circle and two dots inside. Normal Cycle High Heat - This symbol means to use the Normal dry cycle with high heat. It's represented by a square with a circle and three dots inside.
So what do they all mean? A square with an empty circle inside it – means you can dry the garment in the Tumble Dryer. 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.
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.
Normal Cycle Medium Heat - This symbol indicates to use the Normal dry cycle with medium heat. It's depicted as a square with a circle and two dots inside. Normal Cycle High Heat - This symbol means to use the Normal dry cycle with high heat. It's represented by a square with a circle and three dots inside.
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. A square with a single horizontal line indicates to lay the garment flat for drying.
Hot/high heat
The dryer symbol with three dots in a circle indicates that you can and should dry your item at the highest temperature.
The sun symbol simply means that the machine is in the dry cycle. Unplug it for about one hour to reset the electronic control.
As a general rule, higher temperatures are best used for heavy items, like towels, jeans and jackets. Low to medium heat settings are ideal for sheets, blouses and undergarments, while no-heat settings are designed for heat-sensitive fabrics or garments containing rubber or plastic.
The tumble dry symbol with one dot in the center indicates the dryer should be set on the lowest temperature setting.
The iron dry symbol depicts an iron. This setting leaves clothes slightly damp and ideal for easy ironing.
Choosing the right drying cycle
For polyester and mixed fabrics, use the synthetics cycle, which operates at medium heat. Delicate items benefit from the low heat of the delicates cycle. If you're in a hurry, many dryers offer a quick dry cycle for small loads or items you need fast.
If you pull your clothes out of the dryer and notice that there are burn marks on them, your dryer is running far too hot. If your dryer is hot to the touch, that may be another sign of too much heat. Naturally, the dryer will be a little warm to the touch while it's running, but it shouldn't be significantly hot.
It has been shown that bed bugs in all stages of life die at a minimum dryer temperature of 113 degrees Fahrenheit — as long as that temperature is consistent for at least 30 minutes.
When you see “regular cycle,” “automatic,” or “timed dry,” keep one thing in mind — this setting uses the highest heat of all the dryer temperatures. You'll set the drying time yourself when using the timed dry option, whereas the automatic or regular option uses a moisture sensor to detect when clothes are dry.
The regular cycle is your go-to cycle for towels, sheets, sweats, and jeans. Whether you choose automatic dry, which uses a moisture sensor to determine if your clothes are dry, or select the amount of time you feel the clothes need, the regular cycle is going to use the highest heat setting available on your dryer.
The Delicate cycle is typically a tumble dry cycle that uses low heat. Depending on the make and model of your dryer, the cycle may be labeled Delicate, Gentle or Tumble Dry Low.
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. 2 dots = medium temperature. 3 dots = high temperature.
The Sun: used for warm air or heat mode. The Snowflake: used for cold air or cool mode. The Raindrop: used for dry mode. This should be used when the conditions are humid, and temperatures are mild.
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.
If your garment can be tumble dried, the laundry care label will indicate that with a dryer symbol (a square around a large circle). Laundry labels with a dryer symbol with an “X” drawn through it show that the item should not be dried using tumble dry.
The 5 most common symbols include the machine wash icon, hand wash symbol, cold water symbol, warm water symbol, and do not bleach symbol.
The letters A, F or P inside a circle on your garment's care tag indicates that the item should be dry cleaned and instructs the dry cleaner what type of cleaner to use. An A means they can use any solvent, an F means any solvent except Trichloroethylene and a P directs them to use petroleum solvents only.