How to Clean Curtains

“Curtains are ball gowns for your windows” Oprah once said, and you can find some super fab curtains online.  Well mine certainly don’t look like ball gowns – but they can look great with a bit of TLC.  Whether you are renting your home, or it’s all yours – curtains can be expensive and need to be looked after to keep them looking good – so here are some tips but please try them on an inconspicuous bit of material first!  All our methods are gentle however it would depend on the quality and age or your curtains as to the outcome!

It’s a good idea to clean your curtains at least once a year, preferably in the warmer weather when you can get them washed and dried in a single day (not in direct sunlight).

Dusty Curtains

Dusty curtains can be easily ‘dusted’ by removing them and hanging them on the clothes line and giving them a good old fashioned ‘beating’.  An alternative is to use a clothes brush whilst they are still hanging and holding them firm with a hand underneath.

Mouldy Curtains

Dissolve a kilogram of non-iodised salt into a bucket of room-temperature water, when dissolved add a 1/2 teaspoon of Clove Oil.  Add the curtains (don’t crowd the bucket – one at a time if you can) and leave to soak for two – four hours.  Gently remove the curtains and squeeze out as much water as you can back into the bucket.  Without rinsing, hang the curtains up to try in a warm windy place.  When the curtains are dry you will notice that the salt will crystallise onto the curtains – grab a clothes brush and gently wipe away the salt crystals.

How to Clean Rubber-Backed Curtains

Rubber backed curtains need lots of gentle loving care.  Remove them from the windows and hang in the shade.  Wet them with cold water (the hose usually works best) – and using a gentle detergent (wool wash is usually the key) – gently sponge the curtains all over.  Then rinse again with cold water to remove any suds, and dry in the shade.  Just make sure the curtain backs don’t touch the curtain backs of other curtains (does that make sense?) – as the rubber will stick to rubber – and you will be in all sorts of trouble!

Shower Curtains

Shower curtains are easy to clean but are certainly not long lasting.  If you can, aim to replace your shower curtain every one to two years.  If it is looking a bit on the shabby side, remove from the shower and place in a bucket of warm water with 1/2 cup Napisan.  Leave for an hour or two, rinse well and hang back up to dry.  Most shower curtains can also be washed on the gentle cycle in your washing machine.

Dirty Curtains

Got some lovely cream-coloured curtains with some not-so-lovely grubby finger marks? There are a few ways you can clean them. You can soak light cotton curtains in a solution of Napisan and water, or even throw into the washing machine and hang out to dry. Heavy back, upholstery style curtains can be really tricky to DIY clean. Spot cleaning a small section is fine with your chosen spray solution, however we do not recommend machine washing these types of curtains. Best left to the experts, see if you can find a local dry cleaner that will give you a good deal on dry cleaning all your curtains at once.