The five basic care symbols
All laundry care labels follow international ISO 3758 symbols. Five categories: (1) Washtub — washing instructions (machine wash, hand wash, do not wash). (2) Triangle — bleaching (chlorine, oxygen, do not bleach). (3) Square with circle inside — tumble drying (low/medium/high heat, do not tumble). (4) Iron — ironing temperature (one dot = low, two dots = medium, three dots = high). (5) Circle — dry cleaning (P = perc-based, F = petroleum, W = wet-clean OK, no letter = any solvent OK). A line through any symbol means 'do not'. Two lines under a symbol means 'gentle treatment'.
Washtub symbol decoded
An open washtub means machine-washable. A number inside indicates max temperature in Celsius (30, 40, 60, 95). A horizontal line under the tub means gentle/permanent press cycle. Two horizontal lines mean very gentle (delicate) cycle. A hand symbol inside the tub means hand-wash only — water no warmer than 40°C, minimal agitation. A washtub with an X through it means do-not-wash; the garment must be dry-cleaned or wet-cleaned professionally. The most common Bangkok travel-wear washtub: 30°C with two horizontal lines = cold wash, delicate cycle. Our wet-clean service handles this carefully every day.
Dry-clean circle decoded — the 'dry clean only' question
An empty circle means dry-clean any solvent. A circle with P inside means perc-based only (most common Bangkok dry cleaners). A circle with F means petroleum-based only (rarer). A circle with W means professional wet-cleaning is acceptable — INCLUDING our service. A circle with a line through it means do-not-dry-clean. Underlines indicate gentle treatment. KEY POINT: If a label shows the dry-clean circle WITHOUT 'do not wet clean' restrictions, professional wet cleaning is generally acceptable. The phrase 'Dry Clean Only' written in text on a label is often the manufacturer's CYA recommendation rather than a strict prohibition.
Tumble dry, ironing, and bleach symbols
Tumble dry: square with circle inside. Dots indicate heat (1=low, 2=medium, 3=high). X means do not tumble dry. Underlines mean gentle. Ironing: iron shape with dots. 1 dot = low (silk/wool), 2 dots = medium (cotton blends/synthetic), 3 dots = high (cotton/linen). X = do not iron. Iron with steam X means iron without steam. Bleaching: triangle. Empty = any bleach OK. Two diagonal lines = oxygen-only bleach. X = no bleach. For Bangkok dry-clean-only items, you typically see: do-not-wash, do-not-bleach, do-not-tumble-dry, low-heat-iron — these are the items your dry cleaner will treat with care, NOT necessarily items that need solvent cleaning.
When the label is missing or unclear
Many vintage or hand-made garments have no care labels. Modern Asian-market clothes sometimes have labels in Thai or Chinese without symbols. If the label is missing or you can't read it, default to: cold water, gentle cycle, hang dry, low-heat iron. Better to be conservative than ruin the piece. For uncertain cases, send a photo of the garment + label to us on WhatsApp before booking. We'll examine fabric, construction, and any visible label, and recommend the right method (our wet-clean, our wash-and-fold, or refer to a specialist dry cleaner). Our /dry-cleaning-bangkok page has the full process and trusted referral list.
Common Bangkok-specific situations
(1) Hotel uniforms in tropical fabrics — almost always machine-washable on cold despite formal appearance. (2) Silk shirts bought at Chatuchak — usually machine-washable cold, gentle cycle, hang dry. (3) Custom tailored shirts from Indian and Chinese tailors in Bangkok — almost always machine washable; the 'dry clean only' label is CYA. (4) Wool suits made at Bangkok bespoke tailors — depends on canvas; ask the tailor when commissioning. (5) Thai silk traditional dresses — usually professional wet-clean only, often no label. (6) Buddhist monk robes — solvent dry-clean only, send to a specialist. When in doubt, we'll tell you honestly — we'd rather not take the risk on something we can't safely handle.
