Regardless of the name, dry cleaning is a process that utilizes liquids other than water to clean clothes, bedding, upholstery and other types of materials. Water can damage certain fabrics-- such as wool, leather and silk-- and a washing machine can wreak havoc on buttons, lace, sequins and other delicate decorations. Get in dry cleaning. Dry cleaning chemicals Dry cleaners utilize a variety of solvents to clean fabric. Early solvents consisted of gasoline, kerosene, benzene, turpentine and petroleum, which were extremely flammable and harmful, according to the State Coalition for Remediation of Drycleaners (SCRD), a group whose members share information about clean-up programs. The 1930s saw the advancement of synthetic, nonflammable solvents-- such as perchloroethylene (likewise known as perc or PCE) and decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (likewise known as GreenEarth)-- which are still used today. Cleaning agents are generally added to the solvents to assist in the elimination of soils, ...