Dry clean, any solvent
An ISO 3758 circle containing the letter A, indicating professional dry cleaning is permitted with any solvent.
What it means
The letter A inside the circle tells the cleaner that any standard dry-cleaning solvent is safe, including tetrachloroethylene and hydrocarbon solvents. It is the least restrictive professional-cleaning instruction.
What to do
Hand the item to a professional cleaner; no special solvent restriction applies, so any reputable dry cleaner can process it. As with all dry cleaning, flag stains and remove belts or trims that should be cleaned separately.
How to use this term
Use this professional-cleaning symbol when the item may need a dry cleaner or wet-cleaning specialist instead of home washing.
- Read dry clean, any solvent with the other symbols on the same care label; the strictest symbol wins.
- Match the instruction to the garment's most fragile part, including trims, lining, prints and finishes.
- If the label, fabric behaviour and stain method disagree, test a hidden area or choose the lower-risk route.
Common mistake
"Any solvent" describes the professional solvents a dry cleaner's machine uses, not a green light to pre-treat the garment yourself with household solvents such as acetone, nail-polish remover, or white spirit. Those can dissolve or mark dyes, finishes, or some fibers that a controlled professional process tends to handle more safely. The circle is an instruction to the cleaner, not permission to reach for solvents at home.
For the broader method, use the Stain remover by stain and fabric and then return to this term when the label changes the safe option.
Related terms
Sources
- ISO 3758:2012 Textiles — Care labelling code using symbols — International Organization for Standardization