A square containing a single curved or drooping line across the top represents Line Dry (also known as Hang to Dry). When this symbol appears on a garment care label, the item should be suspended from a clothesline, drying rack, or contoured hanger after standard washing and machine extraction to air-dry naturally.
Quick Answer
After a normal spin cycle has removed excess water, hang the damp garment vertically from a clothesline, drying rack, or shaped clothes hanger. Position it in an area with good ambient airflow, away from direct sunlight and radiant heat sources, smoothing seams and collars to minimize wrinkling as it dries.
What the Curved Line Symbol Means
The square outline universally signifies the drying process in international garment care systems. The curved line dipping from the upper corners mimics a piece of string or wire sagging under gravity, representing a classic clothesline.
This symbol communicates two key handling requirements:
- No Mechanical Tumble Drying: The garment should not be subjected to the heat, friction, or drum rotation of a standard dryer.
- Sufficient Tensile Strength for Vertical Hanging: Unlike fabrics that must dry flat to avoid stretching, items marked for line drying have enough dimensional stability in their weave or fiber structure to hang vertically without distorting under their own damp weight.
Common items marked for line drying include cotton dress shirts, linen trousers, denim jeans, synthetic activewear, and woven blouses.
Step-by-Step: How to Line Dry Properly
To prevent distortion, wrinkles, and prolonged drying times, follow this sequence:
- Ensure Proper Machine Extraction:
Line drying assumes the garment has completed a standard wash and spin cycle, leaving it damp rather than soaking wet. - Smooth and Reshape the Fabric:
Before hanging, give the garment a gentle shake to release deep wash folds. Smooth out the plackets, collars, pockets, and hemlines with your hands. - Choose the Right Hanging Tool:
- Woven Shirts and Blouses: Hang directly on broad, contoured plastic or wooden hangers to maintain natural shoulder shape and reduce ironing time.
- Trousers and Denim: Fasten the waistband and hang by the hem using clamping trouser hangers, or peg them at the waistband along a clothesline.
- T-Shirts and Casual Tops: Drape over a smooth horizontal drying rack bar or peg inverted from the bottom hem to avoid shoulder marks.
- Optimize Airflow and Lighting:
Position the drying line or rack in a room with strong ambient air circulation or outdoors in a breezy location. If the label specifies shade, keep it out of direct UV light to prevent color degradation.
Mistakes to Avoid
- Do not use thin wire hangers: Wire hangers concentrate the garment’s damp weight over a narrow surface, causing stretched shoulder puckers (“hanger horns”) that are difficult to press out.
- Avoid pinching visible fabric with harsh clothespins: Wooden or hard plastic pegs pressed directly onto collars or mid-chest fabric leave permanent indentation marks and can crush delicate fibers. Always peg along internal seams or bottom hems.
- Do not hang loose, heavy knits: Heavy wool, loose cotton knits, and cashmere retain water weight that will pull the garment downward, permanently elongating the torso and sleeves.
- Avoid stagnant drying areas: Drying laundry in closed, unventilated spaces traps humidity, leading to stiff fabric textures and musty odors.
Line Dry vs. Other Air-Drying Symbols
Care labels use subtle variations in the square icon to specify exact air-drying methods:
- Curved Line at Top (Line Dry): Garment is damp from a standard spin cycle and is suspended vertically.
- Horizontal Line in Center (Dry Flat): Garment is prone to stretching and must lay flat on a horizontal surface.
- Three Vertical Lines (Drip Dry): Garment is hung soaking wet straight from the wash without prior spin extraction or wringing.
- Diagonal Lines in Corner (Dry in Shade): Added to any air-drying symbol to indicate sensitivity to direct sunlight.
Following the line-dry symbol protects woven garments from the shrinking and seam-puckering associated with tumble dryers while utilizing natural gravity to keep everyday clothing crisp and wearable.