People have just realised what the dots on clothing labels actually mean

People are just realising what the little dots on their clothing labels mean - and it turns out you're not supposed to iron all your clothes the same way. Who knew?

After noticing the tiny symbol on his clothes during laundry day, one guy started doing some digging, and when he figured out what they meant, he took to TikTok to spread the word.

Let's see if you already know:

So, yes, some of the symbols we've seen on our clothing labels are pretty self-explanatory. The icon of a water basin with the number 30 means you need to put the clothes in a 30C cold wash, the triangle with an 'X' through it means avoid bleach at all costs, and the symbol that looks like an iron means, well, you can iron it.

But, did you notice that the iron symbols on your clothes tags either comes with one, two, or three dots?

When Jake Murphy (@jakemurphy67) did, he got straight online to let his followers know what they were missing.

He told viewers: "I've only just discovered that the iron symbol on every clothing label has dots on it so that you can put your iron to the exact setting for the perfect smooth ironing experience."

Panther Media GmbH / Alamy Stock Photo

And it's true. According to Ariel's website: "An iron with dots inside representing the maximum temperature that you should use to iron the garment."

One single dot means you should cool iron your garment at a maximum temperature of 110C, while two dots means a maximum of 150C. And, finally, three dots means you should iron with a maximum temperature of 200C.

While some people were mind-blown by this revelation, other viewers couldn't believe that people had gotten this far without this information.

"I just iron everything on the same setting", confessed one TikToker.

"I put it onto the highest setting and pray for the best", added a second.

And a third admitted: "I literally just put it on the highest settings omg."

Panther Media GmbH / Alamy Stock Photo

Meanwhile, one horrified viewer, who couldn't believe this wasn't common knowledge, wrote: "Yes. We learned the meaning of all those labels in primary school."

Another, equally disappointed TikTok user commented: "For real people don’t know that!?? Y’all think you can iron cotton and silk at the same temperature??? Lordy, lordy, lordy."

And a third viewer added: "My mam told me this when I was a kid? Don’t understand why life skills aren’t passed on."

Topics: Fashion, Home

Ali Condon

Ali is a journalist for LADbible Group, writing on all things film, music, and entertainment across Tyla, LADbible and UNILAD. You can contact Ali at [email protected].

@alicondon