Have you looked at clothing care labels lately? The simple hot or cold; iron or no iron; bleach or no bleach symbols have been replaced with over 45 different laundry instruction symbols. For most of us, this makes clothing care even more confusing. So, why are there so many labels?

According to textile experts at Cornell University, more complex clothing, designs, and fabrics require more precise care. In addition, advanced technology provides more cleaning options.

For example, beach and fabric softener coat fire-resistant clothing and reduce its effectiveness. In addition, the wrong cleaning process ruins everything you loved about moisture-wick workout clothes and warm fleece garments.

Understanding Labels

Today, most manufacturers provide directions on how to keep your garments clean safely. This is one reason to keep care labels attached to every piece of clothing. Even so, the law requires manufacturers to provide only one cleaning method that works. This is not always the best method. To be certain, bring your clothing to any of our 19 DELIA'S Cleaners locations and ask our professionals for advice.

In the meantime, remember what these common symbols mean before adding clothes to your laundry.

  1. Do not wash clothes with a symbol that looks like a washing machine with a -�X-� through it. Dry clean these items.
  2. Never use a machine dryer when you see a symbol that looks like a square with an -�X-� through it. Proper drying instructions sometimes accompany this symbol.
  3. Do not dry clean garments that have a symbol with a circle with an -�X-� through it.

 

Because clothing and cleaning methods become more complex, the cleaning professionals at DELIA'S Cleaners continually train and study the latest methods. Regardless of the symbols, our team knows the best methods and cleaning solutions to use so your clothes look and feel their best.