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.
WHAT IS TUMBLE DRY? Tumble drying is simply machine drying rather than line drying or laying flat to dry. This method is called “Tumble Dry” because clothes tumble in the dryer drum where airflow, along with heat, dries clothes quickly. But not all fabrics are made to be tumble dried—always check the care tag first.
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.
A tag that says "No Tumble Dry" means don't use a dryer but instead follow other directions, such as hanging the item to dry. There is also a big difference between wash and spin cycle settings and which temperature to use for specific clothing items.
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.
After washing your clothes, put them on the highest spin cycle possible for a quick spin to get the most moisture out of the clothes and then hang them up in a bright room on a drying rack. If you can open the windows or get a fan blowing in the room for additional airflow, that would be great.
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.
Choosing the right drying cycle
Modern tumble dryers offer various cycles to suit different fabric types and drying needs. The cotton cycle uses high heat and is perfect for towels, bedding, and sturdy cotton items. For polyester and mixed fabrics, use the synthetics cycle, which operates at medium heat.
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 triangle laundry symbol represents bleach usage. An empty triangle indicates that bleach can be used on that item. A triangle with a cross through it means that you should absolutely not wash the item in bleach.
Those made of 100% cotton may shrink in a dryer so it's better to air-dry them. Heavy items like beddings and towels can be tumble dried at medium to high heat to ease the process. For smaller items like cotton tees and dresses, best to dry them on low for a shorter amount of time.
The sound recording copyright symbol or phonogram symbol, ℗ (letter P in a circle), is the copyright symbol used to provide notice of copyright in a sound recording (phonogram) embodied in a phonorecord (LPs, audiotapes, cassette tapes, compact discs, etc.).
You can still dry your wet laundry without a tumble drier, though it may be more time consuming. To dry your clothes without a conventional dryer, you can use an extra spin cycle in your washer to wring out excess water, then hang your laundry on a clothing line or drying rack to air dry.
Unlike air drying, where clothes dry through natural airflow, tumble drying uses heat and movement to reduce dry time and leave fabrics soft and wrinkle-free. It's essential to understand the different tumble dry settings on your dryer.
The “permanent press” or “wrinkle-resistant” setting is a great choice for many of your everyday clothing items — from slacks and dresses to outerwear and jackets. This setting generates a medium heat. It will dry your clothes without inflicting the damage high heat can cause.
Tumble dry is when you put your laundry items into the dryer instead of air-drying them. Every setting you choose when using your dryer is considered a tumble dry setting. Pretty simple, right?
Square with circle in it
Two dots means it can be dried on a high heat. If there is a cross through it, this is the do not tumble dry symbol, so the item is not suitable to be tumble-dried.
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.
Tumble dry refers to machine-drying, rather than letting your clothes air-dry. You can tumble dry laundry with low, medium, high, or no heat depending on the type of fabric. Washing and drying your clothes according to their care instructions is essential to avoid shrinkage, damage, and color bleeding.
Some dryers can leave brown stains on clothes due to the clothes rubbing across or getting caught in loose felt drum seals. Use a white cloth or rag to rub the inside perimeter of the dryer drum at the front and back to see if you get brown marks on the cloth or rag.
With all our washer dryers you can use the dryer function only. The options are: Cottons dry and Synthetic dry. Always refer to your manual for guidance, if you cannot find yours do not worry, you can download a copy by clicking here.