Mrs. Stewart's Bluing: Care Label Guide

Mrs. Stewart's
Guide to Clothing Care Labels

Caring for fabric in the proper way is important enough that Federal Regulations have been enacted requiring garment manufacturers to provide information about how to care for the garment. This information must be attached to the garment and must be readable upon purchase. The following guide will aid you in understanding the instructions on the Care Label of your garment. We encourage you to check the Care Labels on your garments and other fabric products and follow the instructions given for washing, drying and ironing. Doing so will prolong the life and quality of your garment.

Block to Dry	Maintain original size and shape while drying.
Cold Water	Water with a temperature up to 85 degrees F.
Cold Wash / Rinse	Use cold water or set washing machine for cold water.
Damp Wipe	Clean surface with damp cloth or sponge. Do not machine wash or dry.
Delicate Cycle / Gentle Cycle	Use appropriate machine setting with slow agitation and spin and reduced washing time. Or, wash by hand.
Do Not Bleach	Do not use bleach of any type.
Do Not Dry Clean	Use recommended care instructions. Dry cleaning chemicals should not be used.
Do Not Iron	Do not iron or press with heat.
Do Not Spin	Remove garment before spin cycle begins.
Do Not Use Chlorine Bleach	Do not use chlorine bleach. Oxygen bleaches may be used.
Do Not Wring	Hang dry, drip dry or flat dry only. Handle to prevent wrinkling and damage or distortion of fabric.
Drip Dry	Hang wet and allow to dry with hand shaping only.
Dry Clean Only	Garment should be dry cleaned only, including self-service dry cleaning.
Dry Flat	Lay garment horizontally flat on breathable surface to dry. Do not use automatic dryer.
Hand Wash	Launder only by hand in lukewarm (hand-comfortable) water. May be bleached. May be dry cleaned.
Hand Wash Only	Launder only by hand in lukewarm (hand-comfortable) water. May be bleached. Do not dry clean.
Hand Wash Separately	Launder by hand in lukewarm (hand-comfortable water alone or with like colors. May be bleached. Do not dry clean.
Home Launder Only	Wash, bleach, dry and press by any customary method. Dry cleaning chemicals should not be used.
Hot Wash	Use hot water or set washing machine for hot water.
Iron Cool	Set iron at lowest setting.
Iron Damp	Dampen garment before ironing.
Iron Hot	Set iron at hot or hottest setting.
Iron Wrong Side Only	Turn garment inside out to iron.
Line Dry	Hang damp and allow to dry. Do not dry in automatic dryer.
Machine Wash	Wash, bleach, dry and press by any customary method, including commercial laundering and dry cleaning. If no temperature is specified, water up to 150 degrees F. can be used.
No Heat	When drying, choose the "no heat" or "air dry" setting on your automatic dryer. Or, air dry without a machine.
Permanent Press	Use appropriate machine setting with warm wash, cool rinse and reduced spin cycle.
Professionally Dry Clean Only	Use the services of a licensed, professional dry cleaner only. Do not use self service dry cleaning.
Remove Promptly	Tumble dry. In absence of cool down cycle, remove at once when tumbling stops.
Steam Iron	Iron or press with steam.
Tumble Dry	Dry in tumble dryer at specified setting. If no temperature is specified, a hot setting may be used.
Warm Iron	Set iron at medium setting.
Warm Wash / Rinse	Use warm water or warm washing machine setting.
Warm Water	Water with a temperature between 90 and 110 degrees F. "Hand-comfortable".
Wash Inside Out	Turn garment inside out before washing to protect fabric.
Wash Separately	Wash alone or with like colors.