Collections
Reading collections
A collection is a short route through the guide for one specific task. Instead of reading everything in order, you go through three or four pages in a convenient sequence: the basics first, then the details. The label next to each item tells you where to start and what can wait.
A wool jumper that has shrunk in a hot wash will not stretch back. That is why the collections start with the simplest things: what is worth knowing before your first trip to the washing machine.
Collections include only published pages of the guide. We do not add external links or advertising for products or repair shops here: everything you need is on Orln's own pages.
Your first laundry on your own
For anyone facing a washing machine alone for the first time who wants their white T-shirts to stay white.
- Care label symbolsStart here
Washtub, triangle, square, iron and circle: what they mean and why a crossed-out symbol matters most.
- Sorting and cyclesStart here
Short answers on how to sort laundry into piles and what the numbers and bars in the washtub mean.
- Something new at homeGo deeper
Five steps from the care label to a place in the wardrobe, on the guide's home page.
Wool and delicate fabrics
Wool, silk and fine knitwear do not forgive haste: hot water, friction and a strong spin change them for good.
- Delicate cycle and spinStart here
What these terms mean in the glossary and how a gentle cycle differs from hand washing.
- Stains without harming fabricStart here
Why you should treat a stain quickly and how to test a product on the inside.
- Wool over the summerGo deeper
How to prepare jumpers for long-term storage and protect them from moths and damp.
Shoes through the seasons
For anyone who wants their boots to survive more than one winter and their summer shoes to keep looking good after the first rain.
- Drying and small repairsStart here
How to dry soaked shoes without a radiator and when it is time to take them to a cobbler.
- Storing until next seasonGo deeper
Cleaning, drying, shape-keeping inserts and boxes that let air in.
- Guide sectionsGo deeper
Where else to find pages on storing clothes and shoes.
Read next
- Guides
How to put winter clothes away for the summer: preparation, steps with illustrative examples, mistakes and a checklist. Plus the article catalogue.
- Questions
Short answers about care symbols, wash cycles, stains, household cleaning products, storage and shoes.
- Reference
Glossary: care symbols, wash cycle, delicate cycle, spin, sorting, fibres, pilling, moths.
- Sections
The guide's four themes: care label symbols, washing and drying, stains, storing clothes and caring for shoes.
Sources
- ISO 3758 "Textiles. Care labelling code using symbols" (general provisions)
This advice is general and reflects what we knew when the page was prepared. The best guide for any particular item is its own care label: if the label disagrees with our recommendations, follow the label. For expensive, vintage or complex items, it is wiser to turn to professional cleaning or repair specialists.