Why can’t a can of kerosene or gasoline be closed with a cork wrapped in a rag?

There is such a capillary phenomenon when a liquid rises due to surface tension. With kerosene, a slightly different example can be given. Previously, people used kerosene lamps, their device is simple, the whole point is in the wick. It is due to the fact that there are long channels in matter or paper through which the liquid rises, the kerosene reaches the flame. It is undesirable to keep the same gasoline in a vessel covered with a cork with a rag, because it will rise and be exhausted through this material. It will simply lead to its loss.