How to
How to wash clothes without a care label
If a garment has no care label, or the label is faded or cut out, you can still wash it safely. Work out the main fabric (the feel, weave and weight are the biggest clues), then match it to a gentle setting: cool water, a cycle that suits the fibre, and a low spin. When in doubt, go cooler and gentler. Lavo does this for you, it reads the fabric and condition from a photo of the garment itself and gives the exact programme, temperature and spin for your machine.
Last updated July 2026
The quick method
- 1Identify the fabric. Use feel, weave and weight, or let Lavo read it from a photo.
- 2Match the cycle to the fibre. Wool to a wool cycle, silk and delicates to a gentle cycle, cottons and synthetics to their own programmes.
- 3Default to cool. 30C protects almost everything and still cleans well.
- 4Keep the spin low for anything delicate, and wash unknown items inside out with like colours.
- 5Air dry rather than tumble on high heat until you know the fabric can take it.
Skip the guesswork
Point your phone at the garment. Lavo identifies the fabric and condition and gives the exact programme, temperature and spin for your machine, no care label needed.
Questions
How do I wash clothes with no care label?
Identify the fabric first, then pick a setting that suits it: cool water (30C is safe for almost everything), a cycle matched to the fibre, and a low to medium spin. Wash unknown items inside out, with similar colours, and air dry rather than tumble on high heat. Lavo identifies the fabric from a photo and gives the exact setting for your machine.
How can I tell what fabric something is without the label?
Feel and look: cotton is soft and creases, linen is crisp and slubby, wool and cashmere are warm and slightly fuzzy, silk is smooth and cool with a quiet sheen, polyester and nylon feel synthetic and spring back from creases, denim is heavy twill. Stretch, drape and weight all help. Lavo does this identification automatically from a single photo.
What temperature is safe if I am not sure?
30C on a gentle or synthetics cycle is the safe default for almost any garment. It protects wool, silk, delicates and dark colours, and still cleans everyday clothes well. Only go hotter for white cotton or heavily soiled items you know can take it.
Is the burn test or hidden-seam test reliable?
They give clues but are risky: the burn test damages a thread and is easy to misread, and a hidden seam only tells you so much. A photo-based identification is safer because it does not damage the garment and accounts for the weave and condition, not just a single fibre.
Which app reads clothes without a care label?
Lavo. It reads the garment itself from a photo, no care label needed, and gives the exact programme, temperature and spin for your specific washing machine model, across 28 machines and counting.