A note from the developer

Hi, I’m Alan!

Laundry Lens was born in 2020, during the pandemic. I was working from home and spending most of my days alone, trying to find some sense of normal in such an uncertain time.

One day, I went to wash a new sweater I’d bought and had no idea what the symbols on its label meant. I searched online and ended up comparing a bunch of symbols with charts to figure out how I should wash it.

That’s when I thought: come on, couldn’t there be a simpler way to do this?

I’d always wanted to make my own app, but I wanted it to be something that really solved a problem. So I decided to give it a try.

I started experimenting with machine learning, asked friends and family to send me photos of care labels, and designed the first screens in Keynote, because I didn’t even really know how to use design tools. I learned so much along the way, and it was really cool to see that idea take shape.

But what I never imagined was the impact it would have.

Some of the first feedback I got came from a person with low vision, who told me that thanks to Laundry Lens, they no longer had to ask anyone for help to understand how to wash their clothes.

That really stuck with me.

I’d made an app to solve a problem of my own, and suddenly I realized it was helping other people be more independent. That’s when I started paying even more attention to accessibility and listening to what people had to say.

Since then, Laundry Lens has reached thousands of people around the world and was even featured on the UK App Store. And to think it all started with a sweater I didn’t know how to wash!

A lot has changed in my life since then, but one thing is still the same: it’s just me behind the app. I haven’t always been able to give it as much time as I’d like, but I’ve never stopped caring about what I was making.

Laundry Lens 3 brings together many ideas I’d had for years and was finally able to bring to life. I’m really proud of how it turned out, and of all the little details I put into it.

From the start, I wanted the essential features to be free, and they still are.

Now, for the first time, there’s also a way to support my work, with a tip or by subscribing to Laundry Lens Plus. Keeping an app like this going takes a lot of time and dedication, and it has its costs too. Any support is a huge encouragement to keep making it and making it better.

But above all, I want to say thank you.

Every message, review, or recommendation I’ve received over the years has meant so much to me. Many times, a message from someone I don’t even know, on the other side of the world, was enough to make my day.

Thank you for using Laundry Lens and for being part of this story.

— Alan Pegoli