In plain English: No bleach of any kind — chlorine or oxygen. The fiber or dye can't tolerate bleach chemistry at all.
What it looks like on the tagA triangle outline with an X crossed through it. Sometimes drawn as a solid black triangle with crossing lines.
What to do
- For stains, use an enzyme stain remover or a soak in plain detergent solution.
- For dinginess, try a longer wash, a detergent booster, or sunlight (carefully).
- Read stain-remover labels — some “boosters” are oxygen bleach in disguise.
What happens if you ignore it
Bleach on a do-not-bleach garment causes permanent yellowing (wool, silk, nylon), holes in weakened fibers, and blotchy dye loss. There's no recovering from it.
Where you'll see it
Wool, silk, leather trims, spandex-heavy activewear, and many dyed delicates.
Common questions
Even color-safe bleach?
Even color-safe. The crossed triangle rules out the entire bleach family — that's the difference from the two-line triangle.
How do I whiten something I can't bleach?
Gentle route: soak in cool water with a wool/silk-safe detergent, then dry in indirect sun. For serious cases, ask a professional cleaner.
Related symbols
- Non-Chlorine Bleach Only — only non-chlorine (oxygen-based, “color-safe”) bleach is allowed
- Hand Wash Only — too delicate for a washing machine
- Dry Clean — professional dry cleaning is safe
Or just scan the label
CareLabl reads the entire care label in one photo — every symbol on it, decoded into plain English, plus the fabric composition. Works with international and US labels. Try Pro free for 3 days, no credit card needed.