Pestävä

Pestävä is a Finnish adjective meaning "washable" or "that can be washed." It is used to describe items that can be cleaned by washing without being damaged. The form is derived from the verb pestä (to wash) with the participle suffix -vä, creating a present passive participle that signals washability. In everyday language and on product care labels, pestävä appears mainly in contexts involving textiles, clothing, upholstery, and other materials meant for washing.

In practice, pestävä is most visible in compound and descriptive phrases such as konepestävä (machine washable) and käsin pestävä (hand-washable). The word is declined like other Finnish adjectives and is written in agreement with the noun it describes. Examples include pestävän kankaan, pestävä vaate, and so on, depending on grammatical case and number.

Care labeling frequently uses pestävä to indicate that washing is an appropriate cleaning method, sometimes accompanied by details about temperature or method. For instance, a label may specify pestävä 60 °C, or simply mark a fabric as konepestävä. While pestävä confirms that washing is suitable, it does not replace specific care instructions, which may specify machine washing versus hand washing, allowed detergents, or drying methods.

Related terms include käsin pestävyys (hand-washability) and eri pestävyystasot (varying washability standards) used in consumer guidance. Overall, pestävä serves as a concise, practical descriptor on Finnish care labels and product descriptions, helping consumers choose appropriate cleaning methods for fabrics and other washable items.