How to Wash: Laundry Symbols
Scan care labels, save clothes
Only for iPhone
Free · In‑App Purchases · Designed for iPhone. Not verified for macOS.
iPhone
Point your camera at the care label. How to Wash reads the symbols and the fabric, then tells you the wash that will not ruin it and how to get that stain out.
Most people have ruined something in the wash. A wool sweater that came out two sizes smaller. A white shirt that came out pink. A spill that set for good because the garment went in warm.
The care label had the answer. It was 5 symbols and no words.
Point your camera at the label. How to Wash reads the symbols and the fabric composition, then tells you in plain words what temperature to use, what cycle, what would wreck the garment, and what to do about the stain.
WHAT YOUR CAMERA READS
• All 40 ISO 3758 care symbols, across washing, bleaching, drying, ironing and professional cleaning. A model on your iPhone recognizes them from the photo.
• Fabric composition in 7 languages. Cotton, coton, cotone, algodón and Baumwolle all resolve to the same fabric.
• The temperature and cycle text printed next to the symbols.
Nothing is typed and nothing is looked up.
THE ANSWER YOU GET
• The maximum wash temperature, as a number.
• The cycle, and whether it can go in with everything else.
• Bleach, tumble drying, ironing and dry cleaning, each in a sentence.
• What would ruin this particular garment, said first, before the rest.
STAINS, MATCHED TO THE FABRIC
Generic stain advice is what ruins good clothes. Red wine on silk is not red wine on denim, and treating them the same way costs you the silk.
• 60 stains: red wine, coffee, blood, sweat, foundation, sunscreen, deodorant marks, grass, olive oil, ballpoint ink, nail polish, and 49 more.
• 20 fabrics, from cotton and denim to silk, wool, cashmere, suede, down and technical shells.
• 50 written exception rules for the pairs that actually destroy clothes. Blood on silk gets cold water and no enzymes. Grease on wool never sees hot water. Ink on denim is lifted before it spreads.
• Steps in order, with the ones that set a stain for good flagged first.
• Separate methods for a fresh stain and one that has already dried in.
Spilled something and you have no idea what it was? “I don’t know” is one of the 60.
IF THERE IS NO LABEL
Second-hand, vintage, or the tag was cut out because it itched. Start from the fabric instead and get the same answer.
YOUR CLOTHES, ON THE RECORD
Every scan is saved on your iPhone with its label photo, so the sweater you looked up in March is still there in November. Name the garment and the history becomes a care record for the things you already own.
BEFORE ANYTHING IS SPILLED
• A library of all 40 symbols, with what each one means and what to do about it.
• A stain guide you can read on a quiet evening rather than in a panic.
ON YOUR DEVICE ONLY
Symbol recognition, label reading and stain advice all run on your iPhone. No account, no sign-in. Photos of your clothes and your stains are never uploaded. The app sends anonymous usage analytics, which record the screens you open and the steps you take, never your photos, the text on your labels, or anything you type.
WORTH KNOWING
• Built on ISO 3758, the international standard used across Europe and on most imported garments, plus the permanent press and tumble-heat variants on North American labels. ASTM dot notation for wash temperature is not covered yet.
• Requires iOS 26 or later. iPhone only.
• The advice is informational. Check the manufacturer’s instructions on the garment itself.
SUBSCRIPTION
How to Wash Pro is an auto-renewable subscription: US$3.99 per week or US$79.99 per year. Both plans start with a 3-day free trial. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. The subscription renews automatically at the same price unless you cancel it at least 24 hours before the end of the current period, and your Apple Account is charged for the renewal within 24 hours before the current period ends. Manage the subscription and turn off auto-renewal in your Apple Account settings after purchase. Any unused portion of a free trial is forfeited when you buy a subscription.
Privacy policy: https://howtowash.app/privacy/
Terms of use: https://howtowash.app/terms/
Ratings & Reviews
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More accurate advice for stains and symbols.
• Blood, egg and milk get a cold wash, and other protein stains wash no hotter than 40°C. Hot water sets them.
• US labels with dots in the wash tub read at the right temperature: 3 dots is 50°C, 4 dots is 60°C.
• A label that lists only dry cleaning or professional wet cleaning sends you to a cleaner, and says why.
• Corrected symbols for 60°, 70° and 95° washes, ironing without steam, and gentle and easy-care drying.
• Clearer wording for hand washing and tumble drying, including labels that allow the dryer only without heat.
The developer, We Are So Back, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .
Data Not Linked to You
The following data may be collected but it is not linked to your identity:
- Purchases
- Location
- Identifiers
- Usage Data
- Diagnostics
Accessibility
The developer has not yet indicated which accessibility features this app supports. Learn More
Information
- Seller
- WE ARE SO BACK LTD
- Size
- 57.2 MB
- Category
- Lifestyle
- Compatibility
Requires iOS 26.0 or later.
- iPhone
Requires iOS 26.0 or later. - Mac
Requires macOS 26.0 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip or later. - Apple Vision
Requires visionOS 26.0 or later.
- iPhone
- Languages
- English
- Age Rating
4+
- 4+
- In-App Purchases
Yes
- Weekly $3.99
- Yearly $79.99
- Copyright
- © 2026 We Are So Back Ltd
