Read the label before the first wash
Care labels exist because rules require them in many places. In the United States, the Federal Trade Commission’s Care Labeling Rule, first adopted in 1971, requires most garments to carry instructions for regular care. Internationally, the symbols most people recognise — a washtub, a triangle, a square, an iron and a circle — are standardised in ISO 3758, built on the system developed by GINETEX, the international association for textile care labelling. The tub covers washing, the triangle bleaching, the square drying, the iron ironing and the circle professional cleaning. Dots indicate temperature; bars beneath a symbol ask for gentler handling; a cross means do not.
Labels state the maximum safe treatment, not the ideal one. A garment marked 40°C will usually be fine, and often happier, at 30°C.
Wash less, wash cooler
Many everyday clothes are washed more often than they need. Jeans, knits and outer layers can usually be aired between wears; underwear and base layers are the exception. When you do wash, cooler cycles reduce shrinkage, colour loss and wear on elastic. Modern detergents are formulated to work well at low temperatures. In the United Kingdom, WRAP’s Love Your Clothes campaign has long encouraged washing at 30°C and air drying to extend garment life.
Turn garments inside out to protect the visible surface from abrasion and fading. Close zips and fasten hooks so they do not snag knits. Do not overload the drum: clothes need room to move through water, and crowding causes more friction.