Little-known iPhone hack will stop your clothes shrinking in the wash

A brilliant laundry tip that prevents your clothes from shrinking in the wash has been revealed, and it won't cost you a penny. If you're tired of your go-to garments or trusty denims shrinking after a cycle, this clever trick could change your laundry game forever.

Laundry day can often seem like an unending chore, with many of us in a perpetual cycle of loading and unloading various garments, towels, and bed linens, each with their own specific washing instructions. Not to mention the importance of keeping our washing machines spick and span between uses.

One of the most aggravating laundry mishaps is retrieving a much-loved piece of clothing from the wash only to discover it has shrunk. However, thanks to this nifty hack, you might never have to face that issue again and the best part? Your smartphone could be doing most of the work for you.

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In a recent Instagram video, content creator Brad Canning shared how an iPhone feature can revolutionise the way you handle your laundry. In his post, Brad claims "this is going to blow your mind" and points out that while we're all familiar with the "crazy symbols" on our garment's care labels, there's "a little trick" to decode them easily, reports the Mirror.

"Just grab your phone and open up the camera, then take a photo nice and close," he instructs, focusing on the label you want to decipher. "I use the macro lens," he notes, before demonstrating that upon reviewing the photo, a washing machine icon should appear "right down at the bottom".

"If you press that," Brad explains, an option will then appear in the image settings that offers to "look up laundry care, and when you press that the results come up which show you what exactly they mean". The content creator also points out that "you can also use this to identify plants, dog breeds, cat breeds, statues, artworks, books - a lot of things."

The hack, which Brad describes as "honestly so good", is only available on "iPhone SE or later and you will need to be using iOS 16 or 17". The clip, which was captioned: "This iPhone hack is a game changer" got a lot of attention, with hundreds of users commenting on the post.

"Stop it no way," wrote one, with another joking: "Now I have no excuse if my plants die". However, many commenters were quick to point out that this feature is very similar to Google Lens, which is available on many Android phones, so the hack isn't exclusive to iPhones.