How your iPhone Makes Laundry Care Easier

Are you confused by those little symbols on your laundry care tags inside your clothes? Tired of ruining your expensive clothing in the washer or dryer? Have you ironed something that shouldn’t have been ironed, only to notice it has stuck to the bottom of the iron? The importance of the details of laundry care can be overlooked and so frustrating. But I have the BEST iPhone hack for you that will keep your clothes safe!

Seriously. Is there nothing our phones can’t do??

 

Clothing is getting expensive!! (Heck, everything is getting expensive.) And after 33 years of having a family I am pretty good at knowing how to take care of the soft goods and garments in our home. But I have had a lot of trials along the way!

I ruined some of my favorite things back in my 20s while doing the laundry, all because I didn’t realize what the symbols meant on the laundry care tag inside. I either didn’t know or I thought it meant something different.

Have you done this, too?

I mean, take this tag below. I get that you’re not supposed to iron it.

It looks to me like I can wash it in a certain temperature and then dry it in the dryer. But I have no idea what the triangle and circle with the “X” through them means. (I actually don’t).

Before, I would have to go to my phone or computer and Google what a chart of the symbols and then find the one I was looking for.

But now I can just use my iPhone to show me the symbols and tell me exactly what I need to know to take care of THAT item!

And, it is as easy as snapping a photo.

Let’s dive into the simplicity of laundry care.

What do you need to know about laundry?

Aside from the most important one of separating your laundry into whites/lights and darks (so the dark colors don’t bleed onto your light colored items)?

You need to know what the laundry care symbols mean!

Laundry care refers to the proper methods for washing, drying, ironing, and maintaining clothing and textiles to preserve their quality and longevity.

This includes following specific instructions provided by manufacturers, often represented by laundry symbols on care labels, which guide users on the best cleaning practices for each fabric type.

Laundry care symbols are meant to help you get the most out of your garments. The better you care for your clothes, the longer the fabric will hold up, the less shrinking will happen, and the better they will retain the color saturation of the garments.

Below is a list of all of the different symbols and what they mean. And I am just going to leave this here and say that I had no idea that there was a symbol for “drying in the shade”.

Did you?

If you don’t want to have to try to remember them, just keep reading this post. This iPhone trick will change your laundry life!

 

 

5 most common laundry care symbols:

1. Machine wash
2. Hand wash
3. Cold water
4. Warm water
5. Do not Bleach

Now, here comes the most amazing thing I have seen in a long time.

How to read the laundry care tags with your iPhone

1. Find the care label inside your garment
2. Open up the camera and take a photo of the label
3. Hold your finger on the bottom of the photo. Swipe up on the photo and you will see the phrase “Look Up Laundry Care >” right underneath it.
4. Tap on that phrase to see the symbols from THAT SPECIFIC LABEL. Using Siri Knowledge, it will tell you exactly how to care for that specific garment and what the symbols mean for that item.

That’s it! No more guessing, no more hoping, and no more general care on Google. And these instructions will be specific to the garment in your hands!

I have been teaching my kids how to read the labels in their garments for years now. And my son is just starting to buy more expensive clothes for work and wants to know how to take care of them so they don’t get ruined. I can’t wait to show him THIS trick!

I had to go through trial and error in my younger years.

We didn’t have the internet when I started ruining my clothes doing laundry for myself and my family. So there was either Grandma’s wisdom if you could catch her on the phone, or hoping for the best and crossing my fingers that I didn’t shrink my favorite sweater.

And now your phone can tell you what to do. What a time to be aliiiiive!!

I hope this has made your laundry duties even easier than ever, and I would love to know what you think about this trick!

I have been doing laundry for decades and have found and settled into the items I love to use.

Here are my go-to Laundry Care items on Amazon

 

Laundry is just one way I keep my home and family healthy.

If you’re looking for some additional ways to take care of yourself and loved ones, here are 10 ways to help you avoid the flu.

I am always amazed at the latest technology and wish I had this decades ago. It makes caring for your laundry so easy!

Being a software developer, my son is impressed!

Have fun doing laundry! Well, as much fun as possible. It IS laundry, lol.

As always, remember you can do it yourself. But let’s do it together!