Delicates
A catch-all term for fragile garments and fibres that need gentle handling, such as lingerie, fine knitwear, silk, lace and loosely woven fabrics.
What it means
Delicates are items whose fibres, structure or trims are easily damaged by the agitation, heat and spin of a normal wash. The label often shows a hand-wash or double-bar delicate machine symbol to signal the reduced action required.
What to do
Wash delicates on a delicate or hand-wash cycle inside a mesh laundry bag, use a mild detergent, and skip the high spin. Reshape and dry them flat or on a line rather than tumble drying.
How to use this term
Use this fabric-care term to understand why the same detergent, heat or stain method can behave differently across fibres.
- Read delicates with the other symbols on the same care label; the strictest symbol wins.
- Match the instruction to the garment's most fragile part, including trims, lining, prints and finishes.
- If the label, fabric behaviour and stain method disagree, test a hidden area or choose the lower-risk route.
Common mistake
It is tempting to treat the delicate cycle as automatically the safest choice, but it is not gentle in every sense. Its high water-to-fabric ratio can shed more plastic microfibres from synthetic delicates than a normal cycle does. Since the ratio is what matters, a satin or chiffon top is often better washed in a fuller load than alone in a half-empty machine.
For the broader method, use the Washing machine cycles explained and then return to this term when the label changes the safe option.
Related terms
Sources
- ISO 3758:2012 Textiles — Care labelling code using symbols — International Organization for Standardization