First things first. The main event. Variations are key here, to avoid damage or colour fading. Mild Process, Delicate Washes and Hand Washing are less likely to stress out your delicate fabrics. Like putting your clothes in a relaxing hot tub, rather than sending them down the rapids.

If you see this symbol, the fabric used is not colour-safe, so by bleaching it you could cause fading, weakening of the fibres, or unintentional areas of tie-dye.

To avoid creating your own Universal Works kids’ collection, never tumble dry if the label tells you not to. You might see a symbol telling you whether to dry flat, or on the line. This gives you the best chance of retaining your garment’s shape.

If you see the Do Not Iron warning, this means ironing could cause damage. For items you can iron, the number of dots on the symbol indicates the temperature you should iron at. One dot means low heat. And so on.

A circle with a letter inside tells the Dry Cleaner the type of solvent to use (so no need to worry about that if you are just dropping it off). Some items should not be dry cleaned, as the solvents or processes used might damage them.