How to read a care label before you wash or bring it in

Every garment you buy has a small label sewn into a seam. It is easy to cut off or ignore, but it is the most useful thing to read before you decide how to clean something. Here is how to make sense of it, and when it is telling you to bring the item to us instead.

The five symbols

Care labels use five basic symbols. Each one can be crossed out, which means "do not".

• The washtub is washing in water. A number inside it is the highest temperature in degrees. A hand in the tub means hand wash only.
• The triangle is bleaching. A plain triangle allows any bleach. One with two diagonal lines allows only non-chlorine bleach.
• The square is drying. A circle inside it means tumble drying, and the dots show how hot.
• The iron is ironing. One dot is a cool iron, two is warm and three is hot.
• The circle is professional cleaning. A letter inside it, usually P or F, tells a dry cleaner which solvent is safe. A W means professional wet cleaning.

When the label says "dry clean only"

If the washtub is crossed out and there is a circle with a letter in it, the maker is telling you that water is likely to damage the garment. Wool can shrink and felt. Silk can lose its sheen and show water marks. Structured jackets can lose their shape, because the linings and interfacings inside them are not made to be soaked.

Some people take a chance with a cool hand wash. Sometimes it works. When it does not, the damage usually cannot be undone, and a tailored jacket or a good coat is an expensive thing to lose.

When there is no label at all

Older garments, handmade pieces and some vintage clothes have no label, or one that has faded. In that case it is best to treat the item as delicate. Bring it in and tell us what you know: what it is made of, how old it is and whether it has been cleaned before. We will look at the fabric, the seams and the trimmings before we suggest how to clean it.

Marks and stains

A care label tells you how the fabric will cope with cleaning. It does not tell you how to remove a stain. A few general points help:

• Blot a fresh spill with a clean white cloth. Do not rub, because rubbing spreads the mark and can damage the surface of the fabric.
• Avoid hot water on stains such as blood, egg or milk, because heat can set them.
• Do not iron over a mark. Heat can fix it into the fibres for good.
• Tell us what the stain is when you hand the garment in, and roughly how long it has been there.

The more we know, the better our chance of removing it.

Trims, buttons and beading

A label describes the main fabric, but buttons, sequins, beads and leather trims can need different treatment. Please point them out when you bring the garment in, along with any loose buttons or small tears. If something needs mending, our repairs and alterations service can often put it right at the same time.

If in doubt, ask

If you are not sure what a label means, bring the garment to either of our shops in Barnes or East Molesey and ask at the counter. It may save a favourite piece of clothing.