Should Curtains Be Dry Cleaned or Dry Washed? The best method to clean your curtains depends on the fabrics of the curtains. Some curtains need dry washing as they might hold too much dust and are heavy to clean. Other curtains need hand washing since their material can be easily ruined.
You can check on the seal and see if the manufacturer set some instructions on whether to dry clean. You do not need to wash your curtains very frequently in the machine. This might make them wear out or tear. Instead, take some precautions that will maintain your curtain and ensure that you do not have to clean them regularly.
However, some curtains are strictly meant to be dry washed thus doing the opposite might damage your curtains. Read on – Should Curtains Be Dry Cleaned or Dry Washed?
You need to dry clean your curtains after every three to four months to prevent a lot of dirt from accumulating or gaining permanent stains. You can have a dust maintenance routine to have a longer cleaning period. When you frequently dust your curtains and remove cobwebs from your curtains will ensure that your home has clean air.
Every week, you need to vacuum heavier fabrics with an upholstery brush. Shake the sheers and other light covers on your window. You can use a long handle brush to dust the curtains gently and ensure that you dust the top of your curtains. Wipe the rods with a wet cloth to prevent too much dirt from falling off your curtains.
This fabric appears to be very lightweight and is likely to shrink or wrinkle when they are wet. With this fabric, dry washing might destroy the curtain. The sheer or lace fabric is best when hand-washed. Put water in a sink. The water should be cold to prevent the fabric from stretching.
Use one teaspoon of liquid detergent. Before soaking them in water, shake them to dislodge the dust and hair from your pet.
Wash one curtain at a time and give it quality time to ensure that all dust and stains are removed. After that pour the soapy water and rinse with another clean water. For you to acquire the crisp feel from your sheer or lace curtains, dissolve one glass of Epson salt in a sink with cold water.
Add the freshly washed curtains to the sink for approximately ten minutes. Afterward, press out unnecessary water and do not rinse again. Hang them on the laundry lines for them to dry.
The acrylic bead or shell fabric can easily get tangled therefore you need to clean them in a place. Here are some basic tips on how to clean acrylic or shell fabric.
Velvet curtains are different. Some can be hand washed while others are dry cleaned. Check the label and see what the manufacturer advises. Velvet fabrics that are lined should be dry washed. Test unlined velvet for colorfastness. Ensure that you dab hidden areas with a dab clean cloth. In case dye spreads to the other areas, treat it as a dry cleaning material.
If the color is not spreading to other areas, ensure that you wash them in cold water and half the amount of detergents. Handle the damp curtains gently since most velvet crashes. Do not hang the fabrics. Lay them on a flat cotton sheet to dry.
Most lined curtains come with a label stating that they Dry clean only. Polyester curtain state so too. If you buy expensive curtains and you are concerned about not mishandling them, look for an experienced dry cleaner. You can try to hand wash them to see if there will be some improvement.
However, there are high chances that can be ruined by hand washing especially if they are labeled dry clean only. You should one panel of a curtain at a time and use cold water strictly. Remove the curtain panel after cleaning immediately to prevent its lining from shrinking and lay them flat to dry. Avoid drying them on a dryer since they will wrinkle.
The instructions come with the right temperatures at which you should dry clean your curtain. If the curtains cannot contain a lot of water such as cotton you can pop them in a dry washer with the normal amount of detergent. Select a delicate cycle or a cool washer on a slower spin cycle.
In conclusion, whether you are dry cleaning or dry washing the curtains, the way you dry the curtains can ruin or maintain them. Ensure that your curtain is completely dry so that it does not have some odors that come along with dumpiness. Dry them under the sun and breeze to ensure that they get enough air and prevent bad air from containing the curtains.
Iron your curtains if you are not sure whether they are totally dry and to make them look neat. Ensure that when you have colored curtains, do a run test first.
It will prevent you from ruining your curtains with colors. When dry cleaning your curtains ensure that you remove all the hardware such as hooks, rings, and pins. This will ensure that your washing machine is not ruined or even the curtains themselves.