People are just discovering what the laundry symbols on clothes labels mean

People are warned that they could be their clothes, sheets and towels all wrong by neglecting to read the laundry care labels on them. For many, checking each individual label isn't a routine task.

Instead, it's more about chucking everything into the machine and hoping for the best. However, consumer experts from have now broken down what each of these small, baffling symbols mean - and how ignoring them can lead to damaging your clothes.

There's one symbol that indicates you shouldn't be washing the item at all, and another which means it should steer clear of any bleach-based stain removers. On , the experts started by explaining one of the most common signs - the one that looks like a bucket of water.

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This signifies that the item can go into the washing machine, and it sometimes has a number in it too, which denotes the maximum temperature it should be washed at. Another similar symbol, looking like the bucket of water but with one solid line underneath it, means it should be washed on a synthetic cycle which is a lower spin speed, reports .

And that same sign but with two lines underneath suggests that it should be washed on a gentle or wool cycle. If the label has the bucket of water symbol with a cross in the middle, this means it shouldn't be machine washed at all - not even on a delicate cycle.

The bucket of water with a hand in it signifies a hand-wash only scenario. However, most modern washing machines have a hand-wash cycle, so it's worth checking yours.

When it comes to actually cleaning your clothes, avoid using bleach on anything that has a label with a triangle crossed out. This indicates that bleach, including bleach-based stain removers like Napisan or Vanish, is off-limits.

The plain circle symbol means the item is strictly for dry-cleaning. As for the symbols related to drying your clothes, there are several important ones to note.

The square with a circle inside and a cross through it clearly indicates that the item should not be tumble dried - these items will need to be air-dried instead. The symbol resembling a piece of fabric being twisted with a cross through it means you shouldn't wring out the item to dry, as this could potentially damage the fabric.