Dry clean symbols
Every professional cleaning instruction on a tag is one circle — plain, lettered, barred, or crossed out. Here is the whole circle family, in plain English.
The circle is the container for every professional cleaning instruction. On its own it means a cleaner has a safe process for this garment. A letter inside it — P, F, or W — names which process. A bar underneath asks for a gentler, shorter run. A line through the circle rules the whole thing out.
One thing worth clearing up before the list: the circle is permission, not a restriction. A lone circle does not mean “dry clean only” — it means dry cleaning is one route that works. The instruction people call “dry clean only” is really two marks sitting side by side: the circle, plus a washtub with an X through it saying water is out. Read the tub before you decide a garment can’t be washed.
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Dry clean · open circle
Dry cleaning works for this garment — any normal solvent and process.
If you ignore it: The circle alone doesn't forbid home washing; it just promises the cleaner a safe route.
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Dry clean, P solvents · circle with the letter P
Dry clean with perchloroethylene or hydrocarbon solvents — the P is an instruction to your cleaner, not to you.
If you ignore it: Nothing for you to ignore at home; hand the tag to the counter and the letter does its job.
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Dry clean, F solvents · circle with the letter F
Dry clean with petroleum solvent only — a gentler process your cleaner knows by the letter F.
If you ignore it: Same as P: it's cleaner-facing. Your only job is not to cut the tag out.
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Dry clean, P solvents, gentle · circle with the letter P, one bar beneath
Dry clean in P solvents on a reduced, gentler process — the bar under the circle asks the cleaner to go easy.
If you ignore it: Cleaner-facing again — but worth pointing out to a counter that looks rushed.
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Professional wet clean · circle with the letter W
Professional wet cleaning — a cleaner's controlled water process, not a home wash.
If you ignore it: A home machine has none of the controls the W assumes; treat it as a trip to the cleaner, not permission to wash.
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Do not dry clean · circle crossed out
No dry cleaning — the solvents themselves damage this garment.
If you ignore it: Solvents dissolve some coatings, foams, and glues; the damage shows up as delamination weeks later.
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Do not wet clean · circle with the letter W, crossed out
No professional wet cleaning — solvent-based cleaning is the only professional route.
If you ignore it: Cleaner-facing; if your cleaner offers 'eco wet cleaning' for this piece, this symbol is the polite no.
Questions people actually ask
Does a circle on the tag mean dry clean only?
No. A circle on its own says dry cleaning is a safe route for this garment, not the only one. The instruction people mean by “dry clean only” is the circle paired with a crossed-out washtub — the tub is what rules water out.
What do the letters P, F, and W inside the circle mean?
They name the process the garment was tested for. P is perchloroethylene or hydrocarbon solvent, F is petroleum solvent only, and W is professional wet cleaning. All three are written for your cleaner; your part is simply leaving the tag in the garment.
What does a bar under the circle mean?
A reduced, gentler process — less mechanical action, lower drying heat, a shorter cycle. It is the dry-cleaning cousin of the gentle wash cycle, and again it is the cleaner who acts on it, not you.
Is professional wet cleaning the same as washing at home?
No. Wet cleaning uses water, but it runs in machines with controlled agitation, temperature, and drying, plus detergents matched to the fabric. The W is a route to the counter, never permission for your own machine.
Holding a tag with several of these at once? Tap them into the decoder and get one plan.