Care instructions

The best way to lengthen the life of textiles is by taking proper care of them. An item of clothing washed incorrectly may lose its shape, colour, surface texture and size in one wash. Correspondingly, when cared for carefully, the same product may even endure decades of use. Textile care covers much more than just washing them. Textiles are washed much too often. Instead of washing, it would often be sufficient to air out, brush, steam or even freeze textiles to freshen them up between washes.

Why do we have care instructions? 

By taking care of textiles correctly, you can significantly increase their useful life and thus lengthen a textile product’s lifecycle. 

  • The washing instructions help users take proper care of clothing. 
  • The washing instructions enable the sale of textile products. 
  • Any claims can be settled in the manufacturer or vendor’s favour if the product has not been treated according to the washing instructions. 
  • Care symbols are simple and clear. 
  • Care symbols make it easier to sort laundry at laundries.

The care instructions should include the symbols for washing with water, bleaching, tumble drying, ironing and dry cleaning. Permission to use the care symbols must be applied for by using an application form prepared for this purpose. By signing the form, you commit to the use of the care symbols and payment of usage fees in accordance with TSL instructions. 

A manufacturer of textile products is obligated to provide consumers with guidance on the use of their products. The easiest way to do so is by using care symbols. They are simple and clear markings that allow care instructions to be conveyed in a concise and unambiguous way without language problems. 

Textile products sold to consumers must include care instructions, conveyed either with symbols or words. In Finland, this obligation is imposed by the Consumer Safety Act (920/2011), the Government Decree on information to be supplied in respect of consumer products and services (613/2004) and the Act on Amending the Consumer Safety Act (1258/2001, Chapter 5, Section 12a). The use of care symbols is subject to a permit. 

The textile care symbols are registered to Inspecta Sertifiointi Oy at the Finnish Patent and Registration Office and may not be used without Inspecta Sertifiointi’s permission in Finland. The symbols were developed by GINETEX (Groupement International d’Etiquetage pour l’Entretien des Textiles, International Association for Textile Care Labelling), of which Inspecta Sertifiointi Oy is a member. 

A textile care label must include the following: 

  • information on the product’s manufacturer and origin 
  • the size of the item of clothing 
  • the fibre content, with the information provided in both Finnish and Swedish 
  • the care symbols, five in total.  

Hoito-ohjeet

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Elsewhere online

About textile careLinkki
About textile care labelsLinkki
Care symbolsLinkki

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