One of the most common questions we get at Half Price Drapes is whether or not our curtains are washable. The truth is that most of our materials are high-quality, delicate fabrics that should not be washed. Instead, send them over to your local dry cleaner or use your upholstery attachment on your vacuum cleaner to get rid of dust.
However, there are some draperies that can be washed. Note that you should only assume you can wash your drapes when they explicitly say they are washable. If you have draperies like that, then these are the best tips you’ll find to safely get them clean.
First of all, always either hand wash your curtains or use the gentle cycle. You want to stick to cool or cold water and only use mild detergent. They do make detergent specifically for window treatments, but you can likely more easily find laundry detergent that’s labeled for “delicates.” This will work fine for your washable window treatments.
When you load the washing machine, make sure you don’t overload it. If you have to do one load for every panel, then you should do that. One of the biggest risks you run is tearing your delicate curtains. If you try to load all of your cotton or linen curtains in a single washing you could end up with ripped and torn curtains.
If you’re washing them by hand, make sure you’re being both gentle and thorough. It can be tempting to start out slow and start washing more vigorously, or to quit before the curtains are really free of dust and dirt. We highly recommend that you be patient, careful, and thorough.
Once your curtains are washed, you have to decide how to dry them. Some curtains can be cleaned on low in the dryer. Better yet, if you’re going to use your electric dryer and it has an air setting, use that. However, the best option is to line dry them. If you don’t have a laundry line in your yard, simply lie them out flat or hang them to dry in your closet.
Once they’re washed, you can iron them to make them look crisp and lovely. Make sure you’re ironing them on the side that faces the wall when they’re hanging. You don’t want to end up marring them with the iron in some way and having that show.