Guide · Laundry and clothes washing ·
What Temperature to Wash Clothes
The right washing temperature keeps clothes clean while protecting their colour and shape. The care label always comes first: the number or dots in the washtub symbol show the highest temperature that item can take. This guide explains the general temperature ranges for each type of laundry, the label symbols and the most common mistakes.
How to read a care label
- Washtub symbol: the number inside (30, 40, 60…) or the dots show the highest washing temperature; one dot means 30 °C, two dots 40 °C, three dots 50 °C and four dots 60 °C.
- Lines under the washtub: one line means a gentle (synthetics) programme, two lines a very gentle (wool and delicates) programme.
- Hand symbol: the item is hand wash only.
- Crossed-out washtub: the item must not be washed in water; it usually needs dry cleaning.
- Triangle: shows whether bleaching is allowed; if it is crossed out, do not use bleach, and a triangle with stripes allows only non-chlorine bleach.
Washing temperature by type of laundry
- White cottons: 40–60 °C if the label allows.
- Coloured laundry: 30–40 °C; a lower temperature slows fading.
- Black and dark colours: 30 °C, turned inside out.
- Reducing fading on black clothes: how to wash black clothes.
- Shirts and sweaters: how to wash shirts, how to wash sweaters.
- Cotton towels and bed linen: 60 °C if the label allows.
- Underwear: 40–60 °C for white cottons if the label allows; 30 °C or hand wash for lace and elastane items.
- Bras: how to wash a bra.
- Synthetics and blends: 30–40 °C on the synthetics programme.
- Wool and silk: cold or at most 30 °C, on the wool programme or by hand.
- Sports and technical clothing: 30 °C; do not use fabric softener.
- If the label shows a lower value, always follow the label.
At what temperature do clothes shrink?
Natural fibres such as cotton and wool can shrink at high temperatures and in hot tumble drying; wool also felts in hot water and with rough agitation. Staying within the temperature on the label, choosing the wool programme or hand washing for wool, and following the label setting in the tumble dryer prevent shrinking.
On why clothes shrink and what to do with shrunken clothes: why do clothes shrink.
Getting a clean wash at low temperatures
- Use detergent at the dose on the label; liquid detergents dissolve quickly in water, which makes them practical for low-temperature programmes.
- Pre-treat stains before washing: how to use stain remover.
- Avoid hot water on protein stains such as blood and milk (how to remove blood stains); on grease stains, however, the hottest water the label allows works better (how to remove grease stains).
- Do not overload the machine; laundry needs room to move.
Common mistakes
- Washing everything at the same temperature.
- Washing new and dark items together with whites (how to wash laundry).
- Using bleach on fabrics whose label does not allow it (how to use bleach).
- Washing wool in hot water: it felts and shrinks.
- On why colours fade and how to slow it: why do clothes fade.
For hotels and laundries
In hotels, hospitals and laundries, the washing temperature for bed linen, towels and workwear is set according to the textile manufacturer's recommendation, the institution's procedure and the machine programmes. TETİK Machine Washing Powder for whites and colours is sold in 20 kg packs; for a product list, see laundry supplies and chemicals, and for bulk purchases you can request a quote.
