How to Wash Your Curtains and Get them Clean Safely

How to Clean Curtains - Remove dust, odors, and mold spores from any type of curtains or drapes with these tips. #cleaning #laundry #housewifehowtos

Find out how to clean curtains at home, and then you lot tin can remove grit and odors without damage, no affair what they're made from.

Curtains or drapes assemble grit, pet hair, and dander — even mold spores. Over time, these things accumulate and make your window treatments look muddy.

Every time you open up or shut dirty curtains, the dust and other debris swirls around in your domicile'due south air. Eventually, it lands on your furniture and floors, making your dwelling house wait and scent dirty. If you endure from indoor allergies, washing your curtains regularly will really help ease symptoms. (Then will these other steps to reduce dust in your home.)

How To Clean Curtains

Flowers in a glass vase on a windowsill with sheer curtains in the background showing how to clean curtains

The all-time style to make clean your curtains depends on the fabric they're fabricated from, so take a moment to cheque. Start with a seasonal cleaning then proceed upwards with the maintenance cleaning instructions below.

If you're unsure what type of curtains y'all have, stick to the maintenance cleaning instructions (described at the lesser of this mail), so you don't damage your window coverings.

Garment Fabric Curtains

  1. Remove all hardware.
  2. Shake outdoors if possible.
  3. Wash two panels at a fourth dimension on the frail cycle using the common cold setting.
  4. Dry on a depression-heat setting.
  5. Immediately remove from the dryer to preclude wrinkles and rehang.

Sheer Material or Lace Curtains

The lightweight cloth of these curtains makes them decumbent to wrinkling and snagging when they're moisture. For that reason, information technology's best to hand wash them in a sink filled with cold h2o and one teaspoon liquid dish detergent.

  1. Milkshake outdoors to dislodge dust and pet hair.
  2. Wash 1 console at a fourth dimension by submerging it in the soapy water for ten minutes so swirling to loosen debris.
  3. Bleed, refill the sink with cold water and swirl the panel over again to remove lather residue.

TIP: To restore a crisp feel to sheer or lace defunction, dissolve i cup of Epsom salt in a sink total of common cold water. Submerge freshly-done curtains for 10 minutes. Bleed, gently press out any water only practise not rinse. Let the curtains drip dry out from your shower rod or laundry line and hang them.

Acrylic Bead or Shell Curtains

Bead or vanquish curtains get tangled easily, so you'll need to wash them in place. Here'due south the easiest way to launder them:

  1. Hang a bedsheet behind them and fasten it to the curtain rod with clothespins.
  2. Comprehend the floor beneath your curtains with a towel.
  3. Fill up a spray bottle with 2 cups warm water and 2-iii drops of liquid dish detergent and liberally spray the curtain top to bottom.
  4. Wipe them clean with a damp white cotton washcloth, lightly rubbing heavily soiled areas every bit needed. Move the bedsheet to the other side and echo.
  5. Accept the bedsheet down and permit your bead defunction air dry.

Velvet Curtains

Some velvet curtains are machine washable while others crave dry cleaning. Check the manufacturer'southward label to find out which yours are.

  1. Lined velvet curtains should be treated every bit Dry Clean Only. (See next section.)
  2. Test unlined velvet curtains for colorfastness by dabbing a hidden expanse with a damp white washcloth. If the dye transfers to the cloth, treat them like dry-clean curtains. If the material is colorfast, launder them one panel at a time on the delicate bicycle using cold water and half the usual amount of detergent.
  3. Exist gentle with damp velvet curtains, so you don't shell the cloth. Never put them in the dryer or hang them on a line. Instead, lay them flat on a cotton sheet to dry.

Dry out-Clean Only or Polyester Curtains

Formal or lined curtains may accept a label proverb they should be Dry Cleaned Merely. Polyester curtains normally say this, too. If they're expensive or yous're concerned almost ruining them, past all means, have them to a trusted dry cleaner!

If you just desire to refresh dry clean-only defunction, try a dry clean at-dwelling house kit. Yous can also try washing them to see if there's whatever improvement but know that washing may ruin them, so at that place's definitely a gamble.

  1. Wash one panel at a time in the motorcar on the gentle cycle using common cold water.
  2. Remove each curtain panel from the machine immediately to keep the lining from wrinkling and lay them flat to dry.
  3. Practice NOT dry out them in the dryer, or the liner will about likely compress.

Maintenance Keeps Curtains Fresh

Keep your curtains in good shape between washings with the following steps.

Weekly: Before cleaning a room, give the defunction a good milkshake to dislodge dust. Expect 10 minutes for the dust to settle before dusting piece of furniture and vacuuming the floor.

Monthly: Use the dust brush attachment on your vacuum to clean defunction from top to lesser. Cover the finish with a nylon sock or slice of cheesecloth if your mantle fabric is very delicate. Don't use the upholstery zipper since its teeth may snag the fabric and destroy your curtains.

Monthly alternative: If vacuuming isn't an option, you lot tin also remove grit from curtains by running them through the dryer on a "no heat" (or fluff) setting for 5 minutes. Remove promptly and rehang to foreclose wrinkles.