Do not dry
An ISO 3758 drying square crossed out, indicating the garment should not be subjected to the natural-drying process shown — a general prohibition on that drying method.
What it means
A cross over the plain drying square forbids the associated drying process. It is most often seen together with a wet-cleaning or dry-clean instruction, signalling that ordinary domestic drying is not appropriate for the item.
What to do
Do not dry the item by the prohibited method. Read the rest of the label for the approved care route — frequently professional cleaning — and follow that instead of improvising a home drying method.
How to use this term
Use this drying symbol before choosing tumble heat, line drying, flat drying or shade drying.
- Read do not dry 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
People see a crossed-out square and reach for the clothesline, assuming only the dryer is banned. But that is the do-not-tumble-dry symbol's job (a square enclosing a circle). The plain square stands for natural drying, so crossing it out can rule out line, drip, and flat drying too — exactly the home method you were about to substitute. Hang it up and you may water-spot or distort an item the label often routes to professional care.
For the broader method, use the How to Wash Silk 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