---
title: "Upholstery cleaning code X — what it means"
description: "Vacuum or brush only — no liquid cleaner of any kind. What the symbol looks like, what happens if you ignore it, and where its meaning differs by country."
url: https://atoneplace.net/symbol/care-upholstery-x/
site: "At One Place"
---

# Upholstery cleaning code X

**Upholstery cleaning code X: Vacuum or brush only — no liquid cleaner of any kind.**

X

## What it looks like

A letter X on the care tag.

## What it means

The most restrictive code, found on delicate wovens, some chenilles and textured fabrics where any liquid causes shrinkage, staining or pile distortion. Even a professional cleaner is limited to dry methods. In practice an X fabric on something that gets daily use is a maintenance commitment rather than a warning about one bad spill: regular vacuuming is the only thing that keeps it looking right, because there is no way to correct a build-up later.

> Defined by US furniture industry cleaning code convention. Where a symbol differs between standards, the difference is described above rather than resolved — both versions are in circulation on real labels.

## Other product care symbols

| Symbol | Means |
| --- | --- |
| Upholstery cleaning code W | Clean with water-based cleaners only. |
| Upholstery cleaning code S | Clean with solvent-based cleaners only — no water. |
| Upholstery cleaning code W-S | Either water-based or solvent-based cleaners may be used. |
| Period after opening (open jar with 12M) | How many months the product stays good after you first open it. |
| Cosmetics hourglass (minimum durability) | The best-before date of a cosmetic product — it is best used before the date shown. |
| Footwear: leather | That part of the shoe is leather. |
| Footwear: coated leather | That part is leather with a surface coating no thicker than a third of the total thickness. |
| Footwear: textile | That part of the shoe is a textile, natural or synthetic. |
| Footwear: other materials | That part is made of something that is neither leather nor textile. |

## Common questions

### What does the upholstery cleaning code x symbol mean?

Vacuum or brush only — no liquid cleaner of any kind.

### What does it look like?

A letter X on the care tag.

## Related pages

- [Upholstery cleaning code W](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/care-upholstery-w/)
- [Upholstery cleaning code S](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/care-upholstery-s/)
- [Upholstery cleaning code W-S](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/care-upholstery-ws/)
- [Upholstery cleaning code W](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/care-upholstery-w/)
- [Upholstery cleaning code S](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/care-upholstery-s/)
- [Upholstery cleaning code W-S](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/care-upholstery-ws/)
- [Period after opening (open jar with 12M)](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/care-pao/)
- [Cosmetics hourglass (minimum durability)](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/care-cosmetic-hourglass/)
- [Footwear: leather](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/care-shoe-leather/)
- [Footwear: coated leather](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/care-shoe-coated-leather/)
- [Footwear: textile](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/care-shoe-textile/)
- [Footwear: other materials](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/care-shoe-other/)

## Sources

- Typical range compiled from manufacturer specifications — At One Place (/about/)