You should consider the type of fabric, colour and size of the garment before taking it to the dry cleaners. You should also check the tags to see if it says not to dry clean. As a general rule, shirts made of cotton and polyester can be cleaned in a washing machine while winter coats, suits, formal, and evening wear need to be dry-cleaned. Silk, wool, suede, leather, linen and denim can all be taken to the dry cleaners.