Laundry symbols can also be deciphered without an additional app

The small pieces of paper in clothing always have symbols printed on them that explain how the textiles should be washed and treated. While the most well-known symbols are self-explanatory, there are some clues that are not immediately understood. Either start a quick Google search or use the specially designed app “Laundry Lens” (App Store link). Below you can read how you can decode the symbols without an app.

Laundry Lens, available as a free download since 2020, is very easy to use. You simply hold the camera over the symbols and the app shows you the appropriate description for each recognized symbol. In the new version 2.0, the developers have not only added more languages, but also optimized and streamlined the design.

Laundry Lens also provides a library in which you can view all available symbols – including a description in German. Laundry Lens works well, but use of the app is limited to a few times a year. Whether you leave this “app corpse” installed on your iPhone is up to you – the download is only just under 70 MB in size.

Laundry Lens is available as a free download for iPhone and iPad and is rated 4.6 out of 5 stars.

Decode laundry symbols without an app

Since iOS 17, Apple has also offered laundry symbol recognition out of the box. “Visual Lookup” is the feature in the Photos app that recognizes and explains laundry symbols. All you have to do is take a photo and then access the details. Here you will also see the appropriate description and explanation. If you only look for the symbol explanation for a particular piece of clothing a few times a year, you don’t have to install an app; you can also use the lookup function on iOS.