Washing labels aren't always the most straightforward to read, and if you don't know what they mean you could end up ruining your clothes. Thankfully the symbols they use are (mostly) universal, so ...

We've all been there, frantically searching our laundry tags to determine if we need to hand our new pants over to the dry cleaner - or if we can toss them in the wash with the rest of our things.

Before you start a load of laundry, familiarize yourself with the care label symbols on tags. If a hand-wash symbol, which looks like a hand in a bucket of water, appears on the tag, you'll know ...

Know your laundry symbolsdid you know the triangle is the symbol for bleach? The hand-washing symbol is usually a hand reaching into a wash basin. Check for stains and spot treat with your choice ...