Laundry Decoder 🧺

Care labels are a pictographic language most people can't read — surveys consistently show the majority of consumers misinterpret care symbols, which is why shrinking sweaters and pink-white laundry are universal experiences. This skill translates symbols to plain instructions, tells you whether today's pile can be one load or must be several, and gives stain-specific first aid ordered by least-destructive-first.

Overview

Three jobs, one tool (scripts/laundry_decoder.py):

1. Symbol decode — describe a symbol in words (tub 40, triangle crossed, iron 2 dots, circle p, square circle 1 dot) and get the meaning, the risk if ignored, and the safe-action phrasing. Covers the ISO 37500 / GINETEX families: washtub (wash), triangle (bleach), square with circle (dry), iron (iron), circle (professional care).
2. Load planner — enter garments with color class, max temperature, fabric, and delicates flag; the planner partitions them into the fewest safe loads using real rules:
   • temperature = min of the load's ceilings
   • new/dark cottons bleed onto lights (hot water worsens it)
   • delicates never mix with heavy cottons/towels (abrasion)
   • wool/silk never mix with cotton terry (felting + snagging)
   • items flagged "hot wash only" (bad towels, workout synthetics) can't go cold
3. Stain first aid — 20+ common stains, each with a protocol ordered from least to most aggressive for the stated fabric, plus the one thing you must NOT do (heat-set proteins! bleach on wool!).

Everything is stdlib-only and offline — the data lives in the script.

When to Use

• "What does this symbol on my shirt mean?" (user describes it in words)
• "Can I wash these together?" — jeans + new red tee + white towels
• "What temperature should this load be?"
• "How do I get [red wine/blood/coffee] out of [cotton/wool/silk]?"
• "I washed a red shirt with whites — now what?" → reversal advice for dye-transfer accidents (in references)

Don't use for: dry-cleaning chemical handling (that's professional territory), leather/suede care (different domain entirely).

How It Works — Steps

1. Decode a label — user reads the symbols aloud:

   python3 scripts/laundry_decoder.py decode "tub 30" "triangle crossed" "iron 1 dot" "circle p"
   

2. Plan loads — one garment per --item (format: name;color;temp;fabric[;flags], color ∈ white/light/dark/red/new, temp = max °C, flags: delicate, hot-only):

   python3 scripts/laundry_decoder.py plan \
     --item "white towels,white,90,cotton" \
     --item "red tee,new,40,cotton" \
     --item "jeans,dark,40,denim" \
     --item "silk blouse,light,30,silk,delicate"
   

3. Get the partition: which loads, what temperature, what cycle, and the specific rule that forced each split.
4. Stain help:

   python3 scripts/laundry_decoder.py stain "red wine" --fabric cotton
   

5. Browse all symbols (--list) when the user wants a reference sheet.

Conflict Rules (the load-planner brain)

Worked Example

Items: white towels (90°C), new red tee (40°C), jeans (40°C), silk blouse (delicate, 30°C) →

Load 1: white towels — 90°C, cotton/heavy cycle
Load 2: red tee — 40°C, first wash alone (color-set: cold + salt/vinegar soak)
Load 3: jeans — 40°C, turned inside-out
Load 4: silk blouse — 30°C, delicates cycle, mesh bag

4 loads, each split justified by a rule — the planner names the rule.

Common Pitfalls

1. Heat-setting protein stains (blood, egg, milk). Hot water cooks the protein into fibers permanently. Always cold first — the stain table enforces this ordering.
2. Bleach on wool/silk/lycra — dissolves the fibers. Chlorine bleach is whites-cotton-only; oxygen bleach is the safer general choice.
3. Overloading detergent "for extra clean" — excess traps soil back into fabric and wreks machines (yes, the residue myth is real: it's called redeposition).
4. Assuming "dry clean" means dry clean ONLY. The circle means the manufacturer chose not to test home care; many silks and wools handle careful hand-washing — see references for the risk framework.
5. Tumble-drying what says "dry flat" — wool knits stretch under their own weight + tumble; the shape never comes back.
6. Mixing a bleeder "just once, cold" — new red/black cottons bleed even cold. Two solo washes first, then they join the family.

Verification Checklist

• Every load's temperature ≤ min of member ceilings
• No bleeder shares a load with a non-bleeder
• No delicate shares with heavy cotton/terry
• Stain protocol starts with the least aggressive step
• Protein stains never meet hot water in step 1

One-Shot Recipes

"Translate this whole label":

python3 scripts/laundry_decoder.py decode "tub 40 with bar" "square circle 1 dot" "triangle" "iron crossed" "circle p"

Weekly load plan for the family pile:

python3 scripts/laundry_decoder.py plan --item ... (one per garment) --json

Emergency stain card (print & keep by the washer):

python3 scripts/laundry_decoder.py stain --fabric cotton | a2ps