Machine wash, hot
An ISO 3758 washtub showing 60 °C (or three dots), indicating a maximum machine-wash water temperature of 60 °C.
What it means
The figure 60, or three dots, allows washing up to 60 °C. This is the temperature at which most household textiles are effectively hygienised, because 60 °C combined with detergent reduces common bacteria and dust-mite allergens on fabric.
What to do
Reserve 60 °C for items that genuinely benefit from it — towels, bed linen, tea towels and the laundry of anyone who is ill. Wash colourfast cottons only, and keep dyed or delicate items on a cooler cycle.
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 machine wash, hot 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
A hot 60 °C wash is also the cycle where protein-based stains — blood, sweat, egg — can set rather than lift, because heat tends to cook the protein into the fibres before detergent and enzymes shift it. Awkwardly, the items people pick 60 °C for (bed linen, towels, a sick person's washing) often carry those very stains, so rinse or pre-treat them in cold water first, then run the hot hygiene cycle.
For the broader method, use the Laundry Temperature Guide: 30/40/60 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