Article Summary
Did you ever wonder about those mysterious symbols on your clothing tags? Like what the 'P' inside a circle with a straight line really means? Well, it stands for mild dry cleaning with solvents, and we've all been scratching our heads over these cryptic laundry icons! Here's the game-changer: your iPhone, with iOS 17 or later, now becomes your perfect assistant in decoding these laundry symbols. Just snap a pic of the laundry tag in the Photos app, swipe up, or tap the information icon at the bottom. With the “Look Up Laundry Care” feature, you'll get straightforward explanations for each symbol right at your fingertips. Plus, you can click for additional information online! Isn't that just brilliant? Who knew your phone could be such a fashion ally? Would you try using this feature to ensure spotless clothes? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

Washing symbols or clothing care symbols are pictograms printed on clothing tags or labels to indicate the best way to clean clothes. These symbols provide instructions for washing, drying, ironing, and bleaching.

Some clothing tags provide symbols along with care instructions, such as “Do not bleach,” “Do not iron,” or “Dry clean only.” However, some tags only have symbols without instructions, which can make following the correct washing instructions confusing.


Doing laundry is boring enough without having to ask online for a symbol, say, a “P” in a circle with a straight line. (It means “mild dry cleaning with solvents.”)

iPhone helps you understand laundry symbols

The cool thing is that an iPhone running iOS 17 or later, even without Apple's smarts, can help you understand the laundry symbols. 

Take a photo of a laundry label with symbols, and in the Photos app, swipe up on the photo or tap the “info” icon at the bottom, which looks like an “i” inside a circle. It may take a few seconds to appear, but you’ll see “Find Laundry Care” below the caption text field.

Click on that, and it will show the symbols it has identified, along with an explanation of each symbol on the clothing tag. There's more, below any such explanation is a website address and if you click on that or the text, you'll be taken to a page on iso.org that explains more about the symbol.

Did you know this trick before? And will you use it? Tell us in the comments!

Source:

macrumors

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