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.
Editorial owner: Launderwise · Updated
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