Clothing care labels are often overlooked by consumers when purchasing clothes. A recent survey found that only 32% of people read clothing care labels before buying an item of clothing, which is a big mistake! Clothing care labels can tell you a lot about the garment, including its colorfastness level, fabric content, and even how to wash it. We’ll walk through exactly what these tags mean in this article.
Meaning
Even though they’re small, care instructions on clothing can be lifesavers. For example, garment care labels offer guidelines to consumers about the best cleaning methods for a specific item of clothing and are used in conjunction with fabric specifics. Ensuring garments are cared for as directed on the label will preserve their look and wearability.
Manufacturers can be concerned about customers complaining because of damage to garments due to improper care, causing returns and a negative impression. Accurate and written care labels for clothing can help customers avoid problems that cause them to be unhappy. Clothing care labels have a beneficial effect on customers. Clothes that are easy to maintain and clean will usually be the preferred outfit for people.
Various care labeling systems exist throughout the world. Some care label colors are set by governmental law, while others are voluntary.
Facts about Care Label
The country where the garment was made is typically listed as the “country of origin” on a care label.
Labels should be permanently attached to provide the customer easy access and ensure that no items can be passed off as new when they are not. Clothes labels are typically located on the side or bottom of the clothing.
The person who orchestrates production is responsible for the accuracy of care instructions.
Products must be labeled before they’re sold, but sometimes the labels are printed on after importation.
International Labeling System
The GINETEX is the world body governing care labels.
GINETEX member nations include Belgium, France, Germany, England, Netherlands, Israel, Austria, and Switzerland.
The importance of uniform and simple care labeling symbols for textiles, without language variation
The goal is to promote a voluntary clothing care labeling system through GINETEX symbols, which avoids different systems.
Canadian Labeling System
Clothing care labeling became a legal requirement in Canada in 1973. Below is a guide to the labels that designate different levels of care. If you check variety of clothing care labels, the Canadian care symbol system uses five symbols to denote the level of caution required when washing clothes. For example, green means go ahead, but amber and red are signals not to try them or risk damaging your garments. Canadian clothing care labels have undergone some changes over the years. As a nation, they have adopted the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standards when we introduced our color-coding system to replace Canadian textile colors, dropping in popularity.
Labels should be arranged from left to right, in a line or column:
1) Washing 2) Bleaching 3) Ironing 4) Dry-cleaning 5) Drying
Not every colored fabric is bleached with chlorine.
Different garments have different symbols for washing/drying instructions. For example, tags on a garment may specify what type of care the garment should be washed in, how much heat and moisture it can endure, whether to turn or tumble dry and at what temperature setting, to air-dry only when the garment was made.
American Labeling System
The Care Label Rule states that care labels may be composed of either words or symbols. Care instructions appear in the following order:
Machine wash/hand wash only
Washing temperature – hot/cold
Washing Machine Programmes
Washing machines have programs that you need to use when washing your clothes. There are three different types of cycles to choose from: delicate, permanent press, and normal. The instructions for each will be on the back of the machine manual.
As seen on clothing care labels, there are three types of bleaching instructions: do not bleach, non-chlorine bleach only, and chlorine bleach only.
There are three ways to dry clothes: dry them in a warmer setting, hang them outside, or allow clothes to drip dry.
Ironing (do not iron / cool iron -> warm iron)
Manufacturers and importers must provide labels that:
Labels that are fixed onto clothes at the point of sale so they can be easily seen. If the product is packaged, displayed, or folded so that the customer cannot easily find the care information for the garment (such as a tag), there are still ways to get this important contact information communicated.
Items with an attached and clear care label should remain fastened and legible throughout the item’s lifespan.
Ensure that the product is machine washable or hand-wash only
It has been a common practice in the United States to indicate fabric content on clothing sold from December 1996 instead of using any words. The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) published revised care symbols in 1999.
European Labeling System
The European Union’s committees review existing care labels to create a unified system under the ISO standard.
GENETEX trademarks European labeling symbols, and those interested in using the marks for labeling garments need to pay a fee to GENETEX, the company that owns the trademarks.
A European care label must contain four or five symbols in this sequence: 1) Washing, 2) Ironing, 3) Dry-Cleaning & 4) Drying.
Japanese Labeling System
One of the more complex care labeling systems is that of Japan. Each label starts with a symbol specifying the type of fabric employed in manufacturing, followed by symbols giving clothing size and care instructions.
The Japanese system of caring labels is one of the complex ones. Labels should have symbols placed in a predetermined order according to this convention:
The following symbols should be arranged from left to right according to the washing, bleaching, ironing, dry cleaning, and drying.
Colored textiles not usually bleached may omit the bleach symbol.
For items not usually ironed, the symbols for ironing may be omitted.
Those clothes which can be washed in liquid should not need to dry-clean.
Conclusion
The article concludes with a list of the different types of care labels and how they work. Based on your garment, you should identify what type of label it has and make sure that you are treating it properly.
