About LaundrySymbols

LaundrySymbols exists because care labels are a language everyone reads and nobody was taught.

The five-symbol care system (wash, bleach, dry, iron, professional care) covers every garment on earth with a handful of variations: dots mean temperature, bars mean gentleness, crosses mean never. Once decoded, the tag tells you exactly how a garment wants to be treated — and how it will punish you.

The database decodes 16 essential symbols in their four families, with the practical consequences (what "do not tumble dry" actually means for your favorite shirt) and the mistakes each symbol prevents.

We are educators, not a detergent brand. Nothing here sells softener, and the decoder works offline in your browser.

What makes LaundrySymbols different

• Your numbers never leave your browser. Every calculator on LaundrySymbols runs entirely on your device. We never see, store, or transmit the figures you enter — there are no accounts and no server-side processing of your inputs.
• Published methodology. Each calculator page explains the exact formula it uses and the assumptions behind it, so you can check our work or reproduce it in a spreadsheet.
• Free, forever, without a paywall. LaundrySymbols is supported by advertising. There is no premium tier, no email gate, and no upsell.

Independence

LaundrySymbols is an independent educational project. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of any government agency, lender, insurer, or the organizations whose formulas and public data we reference (such as ISO 3758 and ASTM care-labeling standards). All trademarks and referenced standards belong to their respective owners.

Questions, corrections, or suggestions are genuinely welcome — get in touch.