Dry-cleaning is the use of solvents to remove soil and stains from fabric. It is called “dry-cleaning” because the solvents contain little or no water and do not penetrate the fibers as water does.
Dry-cleaning solvent is not harmful to any fabric, and dry-cleaning is the only safe method for cleaning many types of garments.
Natural fibers such as wools and silks will shrink and perhaps lose their color when washed in water but will dry-clean beautifully. Cottons and linens, unless they are preshrunk in manufacture, will also shrink in home laundering. Dry-cleaning is particularly effective in removing greasy, oily stains from synthetic fibers, which have an affinity for oils.