Do not machine wash
An ISO 3758 washtub crossed out, indicating the garment must not be washed in water by any method, whether by machine or by hand.
What it means
A cross through the washtub is an absolute prohibition on wet cleaning. Water would shrink, distort or dissolve the construction, so the item must be cleaned another way — usually professionally, as shown by the accompanying circle symbol.
What to do
Do not put the item in water. Check for a dry-clean circle on the same label and take it to a professional cleaner, or spot-clean carefully if no wet method is allowed at all.
How to use this term
Use this washing symbol before choosing water temperature, cycle intensity or whether the item should go in the machine at all.
- Read do not machine wash 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
'Do not wash' isn't a synonym for 'dry clean only.' The crossed washtub rules out home laundering — machine, and usually hand washing too — not every water method; it leaves the professional verdict to the circle beside it. That circle may show a dry-clean letter, a 'W' for water-based professional wet cleaning, or its own cross. Read the washtub alone and you risk a wasted trip or a declined garment.
For the broader method, use the Washing Viscose 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