Machine wash, normal
The basic ISO 3758 washtub symbol with no bar beneath it, meaning the garment can be machine washed on a normal (unrestricted) mechanical action, spin and rinse.
What it means
A plain washtub icon represents the standard wash process. The number inside the tub, when present, is the maximum water temperature in degrees Celsius; an absence of any bar under the tub signals that normal agitation, normal spinning and normal rinsing are all allowed.
What to do
Wash the item in a regular cottons or mixed cycle at or below the stated temperature. No special gentleness is required, so you can fill the drum to its rated load and use a standard spin speed.
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, normal 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
Because it carries no bar, this tub looks especially permissive, so it is easy to misread as a whole-garment all-clear — after which someone may tumble-dry on high heat or hot-iron an item the washtub symbol does not cover. The washtub governs the wash stage only: a normal-wash garment can still carry do-not-tumble-dry or low-iron marks. Read the bleach, drying, ironing, and professional-care symbols separately.
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