Any clothing with the tumble dry symbol, a square with a large circle inscribed in it, can go in the dryer, but some garments require a certain heat setting (the more small black dots inside the circle, the higher the heat).
Any setting you can select on a dryer is considered a tumble dry setting. Most dryers allow you to select a time, heat level or dryness level, and sometimes you can choose a cycle where settings are predetermined, like Normal, Delicate, Heavy Duty or Quick Dry.
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.
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.
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.
The letter P inside the dry cleaning symbol means dry cleaning can be done with PCE or petroleum-based solvents. The letter F inside the dry cleaning symbol means dry cleaning should only be done with petroleum solvents. The dry cleaning symbol with the letter W stands for professional wet cleaning only.
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.
Tumble dry settings can be used as an alternative to air drying to help save you time and keep your clothes ready to wear. With high heat, low heat or no heat options, tumble dry is a versatile option to get your items dry. Just remember to check your garment's care tag to make sure it can be tumble dried.
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.).
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.
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.
If a tag says “do not tumble dry,” that means you should not put the item in the dryer, regardless of the setting. Instead, follow the manufacturer's instructions. If there aren't any explicit instructions for how to dry it, play it safe and hang it up to air-dry.
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?
Air dry, air fluff, or no-heat cycle
A clothes dryer doesn't need heat to operate, which is why many people call it a tumble dryer. Most dryers have a setting listed as "air dry," "air fluff," or "no-heat," which indicates the program adds no additional heat while spinning your garments.
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.
Tumble Dry Low Symbol
If the box with a circle has one dot inside, it means to dry on low heat.
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.
The low heat setting can be used after washing a down comforter or to tumble dry a duvet (but do check the tags on the items to make sure this doesn't conflict with the manufacturers' recommendations). Low is around 120 to 122°F (49 to 50ºC) on Samsung tumble dryers, as an example.
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. In the US and Japan, there are other icons for natural/line drying.
A capital P in a circle is the copyright symbol used for sound recordings, just as the circled C copyright symbol and circled R registered trademark symbols are used to indicate that a work is protected by copyright or registered trademark laws. The P in the symbol stands for phonogram, which is a sound recording.