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Care Symbol Guide

Do not dry clean

Professional dry cleaning is prohibited. Do not use stain removers that contain solvents.

Prohibition: this is a “do not” symbol

What to do

Skip dry cleaning and solvent-containing stain removers. Follow all remaining care symbols for permitted care.

What to avoid

This mark does not itself permit home washing or forbid a separately permitted professional wet-cleaning process.

How to spot it on a label

Find the standalone circle at the far right of the label and check for an X made from two intersecting strokes. Both run through the circle's outline instead of forming a letter inside. This mark prohibits professional dry cleaning and solvent-containing stain removers.

Easy to confuse with

  • Do not dry clean
    Dry clean

    Check the mark

    Look for an X whose two arms meet over the circle and continue past its border. The plain dry-clean circle has an empty, uninterrupted center.

  • Check the mark

    Follow the dark marks to the circle's edge. The prohibition pair intersects over the center and continues beyond the outline; the W stays centered inside without touching it.

On a real label

Appears on
US and international labels

Related symbols

Common questions

What does a crossed circle mean on a care label?

It forbids all professional dry cleaning. Do not use a stain remover that contains solvents.

Is a crossed circle the same as do not tumble dry?

No. The do-not-tumble-dry mark is a crossed circle inside a square. A do-not-dryclean circle stands alone at the end of the label.

Can a cleaner use a gentler solvent when the circle is crossed out?

No. The crossed circle forbids dry cleaning rather than asking for a gentler dry-cleaning process.

Does a crossed dry-clean circle mean I can wash it at home?

Not by itself. This symbol grants no washing permission. Follow all remaining care symbols, including any professional wet-cleaning instruction.

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