The Washtub Laundry Symbol Explained: 1 Line, 2 Lines, the Hand, and Which Washing Machine Cycle to Use
The most prominent symbol on a clothing care label is the washtub filled with water. But from the label alone, it's hard to tell what the number inside, the lines underneath or the hand mean, or which washing machine cycle to choose. This article breaks the washtub symbol into 4 parts (number, lines, hand and cross), explains how to choose a cycle when machine-washing clothes with 1 line, 2 lines or a hand-wash symbol, and what to do with clothes marked with a crossed-out tub. It follows the Japanese JIS L 0001 system, which matches the international ISO symbols.
Read the washtub symbol in 4 parts
The washtub symbol shows whether a garment can be washed at home and how vigorously. In the new care labelling in Japan from December 2016 (JIS L 0001), the tub shape is combined with numbers, lines, a hand or a cross, making 14 symbols in all. That looks like a lot, but there are only 4 things to look at.
| What to look at | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Number inside the tub | Maximum water temperature (the temperature of the water used for washing) | 40 means up to 40°C |
| Lines under the tub | How vigorously to machine-wash. No line = normal, 1 line = gentle, 2 lines = very gentle | 40 with 2 lines means up to 40°C, very gentle |
| Hand in the tub | Hand wash at up to 40°C | No number, just a hand |
| Cross over the tub | Do not wash at home | Not even by hand |
The number is the maximum water temperature (95, 70, 60, 50, 40, 30)
The number in the tub comes in 6 steps: 95, 70, 60, 50, 40 and 30. The higher the number, the hotter the water the garment can take; high numbers appear on white cotton or linen underwear, towels and sheets. The ones you'll see most often are 40 and 30.
Most Japanese households fill the washing machine straight from the cold tap, so even 40 and 30 garments can be washed without worrying about temperature. Take care when using leftover bathwater or hot water from the water heater. Hot water cools over time, but water fresh from the bath or straight from the heater can be too hot for a 30 garment.
- 95 and 70: Can take temperatures close to boil-washing. Good against sebum stains, yellowing and odours, but coloured and patterned items fade more easily.
- 60 and 50: Found on white cotton items and heavily soiled work clothes.
- 40: The most common. Up to lukewarm water.
- 30: Heat-sensitive materials or clothes whose colours run easily. Washing in cold water is fine.
The lines show agitation strength: 1 line, 2 lines and machine cycles
The lines under the tub show how much kneading and beating the garment can take in a washing machine. More lines means gentler, and 2 lines is the gentlest. The new labels don't name washing machine cycles, so you need to work out which cycle on your machine applies.
| Under the tub | JIS meaning | Approximate machine cycle | Also do this |
|---|---|---|---|
| No line | Normal washing process | Normal (standard) cycle | Nothing special |
| 1 line | Mild washing process | Low-agitation cycles such as delicates, "dry" or wool | A laundry net is reassuring |
| 2 lines | Very mild washing process | The gentlest cycle, such as hand wash, "dry" or soft | Use a laundry net and keep spinning short, 30 seconds to 1 minute |
Cycle names vary by manufacturer and model. The same "dry" cycle may suit 1-line garments on one machine and 2-line or hand-wash garments on another. Washing machine manuals usually include a list of the care symbols each cycle can handle, so checking it once saves a lot of guesswork.
A neutral detergent for delicates is the usual choice for 1-line and 2-line garments. The new labels don't specify detergent, but as the old label "弱 30 中性" (gentle, 30, neutral) showed, gently washed clothes were traditionally paired with neutral detergent. How the old labels compare is summarized in Old vs New Japanese Laundry Symbols.
A hand in the tub means hand wash up to 40°C: can you use the machine's hand-wash cycle?
The symbol of a hand in a tub means "hand wash, with a maximum water temperature of 40°C". No number is shown, but the upper limit is fixed at 40°C. The basic method is "press washing": make a detergent solution in a basin or tub, submerge the garment, and repeatedly press it down and lift it up, avoiding rubbing or scrubbing.
Many washing machines have a "hand wash" cycle, or a "dry" cycle designed for hand-wash garments, and you can often wash hand-wash clothes on it. Whether it supports hand-wash labels differs by model, though, so check the manual first. When machine-washing, fold the garment into a laundry net and spin for about 30 seconds.
- 1
Make the detergent solution
Dissolve a neutral detergent for delicates in lukewarm or cold water up to 40°C.
- 2
Press wash
Submerge the folded garment and repeat pressing it down with your palms and lifting it up about 20-30 times.
- 3
Rinse
Change the water and press-rinse the same way until no more suds appear.
- 4
Remove the water
Don't wring. Put it in a laundry net and spin for about 30 seconds, or press it between dry towels to soak up the water.
For a crossed-out tub, check the circle symbols to see if it can be professionally cleaned
A cross over the tub means "do not wash at home", neither in the machine nor by hand. How to care for the garment depends on the circle symbols further right on the label.
| Circle symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Circle with P | Can be dry-cleaned with perchloroethylene and petroleum solvents |
| Circle with F | Can be dry-cleaned with petroleum solvents |
| Circle with W | Can be wet-cleaned (special water cleaning at a professional cleaner) |
| 1 or 2 lines underneath | Use a mild or very mild process |
| Circle with a cross | That type of professional cleaning is not allowed |
A common misunderstanding is "a crossed-out circle (no dry cleaning) means I can wash it at home". Circle symbols refer to treatment at a professional cleaner; whether you can wash at home is decided by the tub symbol alone. A garment with every tub and circle crossed out may be made of material that can't take either water or solvents, so limit care to wiping with a well-wrung cloth, brushing and airing in the shade, and ask the shop or manufacturer if you're unsure.
Look up a label's washtub symbol with the tool
In the Laundry Care Symbols Meaning & Washing Guide Checker, tapping the same shape as the tub symbol on your label shows the JIS meaning and the approximate washing machine cycle. Even if you don't know the symbol's name, you can search with words describing how it looks, such as "tub 2 lines", "40 1 line" or "hand in tub".
- 1
Tap the shape or search with words
Tap the tub symbol in the symbol list, or type something like "2 lines" in the search box.
- 2
Read the meaning and what to do
It shows the maximum water temperature and whether to use the normal, low-agitation or gentlest cycle.
- 3
Choose the other symbols too
Also choose the bleaching, drying and ironing symbols, and it puts together the steps in order: wash → bleach → dry → iron.
How to approach washing clothes with different numbers of lines together is explained in How to Wash Clothes with Different Care Labels Together, and how to dry after spinning and the tumble dryer symbols in What the Laundry Drying Symbols Mean.
FAQ
- What's the difference between 1 line and 2 lines under the washtub symbol?
- 1 line means a "mild washing process" is allowed and 2 lines a "very mild washing process". For 1 line, use a low-agitation cycle such as delicates; for 2 lines, the gentlest cycle such as hand wash or soft. Put 2-line garments in a laundry net and keep spinning short, 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Does 40 on a care label mean I must wash in 40°C water?
- No. The number in the tub is the maximum water temperature, so washing in water cooler than 40°C or straight from the tap is fine. Water hotter than 40°C can cause shrinking or fading.
- Can I machine-wash clothes with the hand-in-tub symbol?
- If your machine has a cycle for hand-wash garments (such as a hand wash or "dry" cycle), you can often use it. Which garments it suits differs by model, so check the manual. When washing, put the garment in a laundry net and spin for about 30 seconds.
- Can I wash a no-line garment on the delicates cycle?
- Yes. Care labels show an upper limit, so washing on a gentler cycle than the label is fine. Stains may come out less easily, so heavily soiled clothes are best washed on the normal cycle.
- What should I do with clothes marked with a crossed-out tub and no dry cleaning?
- It means the garment can't be washed at home or dry-cleaned. If there's a circle with W, it can be wet-cleaned. If not, limit care to wiping with a well-wrung cloth, brushing and airing in the shade, and consult the shop or manufacturer.
Tools in this article
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