Curtains: cleaning and care
Metres of fabric hanging in sunlight: often dry-clean-only, usually lined, and prone to shrinking unevenly. The care label — not the stain — decides the method.
Curtains are the surface people forget until something hits them — then discover that many are dry-clean-only, lined, interlined or heat-set into pleats, none of which survives casual wet cleaning. Always start at the care label. Spot-clean in place where the label allows; take curtains down for anything larger, working on a flat clean surface. A lined curtain wet-cleaned at home can come back with the face fabric and lining shrunk to different lengths.
Safe cleaning methods
- Spot treatment in place with minimal moisture, where the label allows washing
- Taking curtains down and treating flat for anything beyond a small spot
- Dry-cleaning solvent on a cloth for dry-clean-only fabrics, tested on the hem
- Professional dry cleaning for lined, interlined or heat-pleated curtains
Never use these
- water-based cleaning on dry-clean-only fabric — watermarks and shrinkage
- bleach, which destroys most curtain dyes and linings
- scrubbing lined curtains — the face and lining shrink differently
- machine washing anything with interlining, buckram headers or fibreglass
Do and don’t
Do
- Read the care label before anything touches the fabric
- Support the hanging fabric with a towel-wrapped hand behind the stain while you dab
- Test on the hem or an inside fold first — sun-faded dyes behave unpredictably
- Rehang only when completely dry so damp fabric does not stretch under its own weight
Don’t
- Never wet-clean dry-clean-only or lined curtains beyond the smallest spot
- Never scrub — sun-weakened fabric tears and fuzzes easily
- Never machine-wash curtains with buckram headings or thermal coatings
Drying
Spot-cleaned areas dry in 1 to 2 hours hanging in a ventilated room. Fully washed curtains should dry flat or over two lines to spread the weight, and be fully dry before rehanging.
Stain guides for this material
- How to get red wine out of a curtains
- How to get coffee out of a curtains
- How to get pet urine out of a curtains
- How to get chocolate out of a curtains
- How to get cooking oil out of a curtains
- How to get ballpoint ink out of a curtains
Curtains FAQs
How do you clean a curtains?
Spot treatment in place with minimal moisture, where the label allows washing. Curtains are the surface people forget until something hits them — then discover that many are dry-clean-only, lined, interlined or heat-set into pleats, none of which survives casual wet cleaning. Always start at the care label. Spot-clean in place where the label allows; take curtains down for anything larger, working on a flat clean surface. A lined curtain wet-cleaned at home can come back with the face fabric and lining shrunk to different lengths.
What should you never use on a curtains?
Avoid water-based cleaning on dry-clean-only fabric — watermarks and shrinkage; bleach, which destroys most curtain dyes and linings; scrubbing lined curtains — the face and lining shrink differently; machine washing anything with interlining, buckram headers or fibreglass. These are the products and habits that cause the permanent damage — usually worse damage than the original stain.
Is a curtains safe to wet-clean?
Only with real care. Curtains is moisture-sensitive: keep any water-based cleaning to a barely damp cloth, and dry the area promptly and completely.
How long does a curtains take to dry?
Spot-cleaned areas dry in 1 to 2 hours hanging in a ventilated room. Fully washed curtains should dry flat or over two lines to spread the weight, and be fully dry before rehanging.
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