I was looking for some wool socks to keep my feet from freezing. These are very warm and soft. Since I live in the United States and these socks come from Canada I didn't understand the washing instructions all there was on the label was small icons that I had no idea what they meant. I emailed the company and in very little time they responded back. They said the socks are machine washable and dry able. I wash in cold water and dry on the lowest setting. They haven't shrunk at all. Since they are a little big (I wear a size 7 woman's shoe)I wonder if I washed in warm if I could control the amount of shrinkage.