What do people get wrong about washing knitwear?

This answer is a draft. It stays unpublished until legal review and source verification are complete.

The belief that knitwear cannot be washed at home is stubborn the world over. In Japan the labelling system changed in 2016, and the label now gives you more to go on. If you already know the international care symbols, you know most of the Japanese ones too.

The labelling system

On 1 December 2016, Japan's care labels moved from a Japan-only standard (JIS L0217) to JIS L0001, which is aligned with the international standard. The number of symbols rose from 22 to 41, and a revision in August 2024 brought it to 43.

There are five basic symbols (washing, bleaching, drying, ironing, professional cleaning). The number inside the wash tub is the maximum temperature of the wash water (°C); lines under a symbol show how gentle the process must be (more lines, gentler).

[Verify] The dates and symbol counts are based on Consumer Affairs Agency material. Before publication, confirm them on the Consumer Affairs Agency's care labelling page.

Misunderstanding 1｜All knitwear goes to the dry cleaner

Some labels allow washing at home. A tub with a hand in it means hand-wash; a tub with a number means machine-washable (up to that temperature).

Misunderstanding 2｜Only hot water makes it shrink

Besides temperature, mechanical force (rubbing, strong spinning) also causes shrinking. The lines under the tub show the upper limit for that force.

Misunderstanding 3｜Hand-washing means you can rub it

Rubbing tangles the fibres. Press-washing (押し洗い, *oshi-arai* — gently pressing the garment through the water) is the basic method.

Misunderstanding 4｜Dry it on a hanger

Hung up wet, a knit stretches under its own weight. The new labels include a "dry flat" symbol (a square with a horizontal line inside). Follow it.

Misunderstanding 5｜The less you wash it, the better

Skin oils and sweat left in the fibres are themselves a strain on them. Judge by how many times you have worn it and by the label.

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Sources

• Consumer Affairs Agency, "The new care labels" [新しい洗濯表示]

https://www.caa.go.jp/policies/policy/representation/household_goods/laundry_symbols.html

• Consumer Affairs Agency, "Care labels (from 20 August 2024)" [洗濯表示（令和6年8月20日以降）]

https://www.caa.go.jp/policies/policy/representation/household_goods/guide/wash_02.html

• Government Public Relations Online, "It's the season to change your wardrobe. Are you washing correctly?" [衣替えの季節です。あなたは正しく洗濯していますか？]

https://www.gov-online.go.jp/article/201812/entry-9307.html

⚠️ Editorial note: the source URLs above were identified by search. Our working environment cannot reach go.jp domains, so the contents have not been checked against the text. Verify every source before publication and record who checked it and when.

About this article

What we share here are ideas and everyday practices passed down among people living in Japan, together with general information drawn from public sources. They are not official recommendations, and they are not professional instruction. Practices vary between households and regions.

This is general information. Results vary from person to person and depend on your own conditions and surroundings.

Please decide for yourself, using your own judgement, whether any of this suits your situation. We cannot accept responsibility for any damage, loss or injury arising from following this article.

Follow the care label and the maker's instructions for any garment, shoe or bag. For expensive or sentimental items, ask a specialist cleaner or repairer.

Sources

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