While it would be lovely if homes simply stayed in their original, clean state forever, the reality is quite different. Carpets get stained, walls start to look haggard, and your curtains, once pristine, start to get dirty.
What many people will want to know is how often they should clean their curtains, and how they should do it. This guide aims to clear that up slightly, helping you keep your home a clean and pleasant environment.
How Often Should They Be Cleaned?
When it comes to cleaning curtains, as with cleaning most things, it’s better to clean them sooner rather than later. A recent hygiene study found that while it might sound like a lot, cleaning your curtains, whether at the home or office, every three to six months is the recommended frequency.
Leaving it longer often means that they can end up looking quite tatty. After all, you’ll be touching them almost daily, leading to the build-up of hand marks over time. In addition to that, they can often act as dust traps – great for the rest of the room, not so great for your curtains.
How Should You Clean Them?
There are two options when it comes to cleaning your curtains – machine washing and dry cleaning.
Machine Washing
For some curtains, generally if they’re synthetic or cotton and have a wash-resistant dye, it might be ok to wash them at home. Always check the label first, and if the label doesn’t say, contact a curtains expert like Woodyatt Curtains to ask for their advice.
If they can be machine washed, first you’ll want to make sure that they actually fit in your washing machine without overfilling it. You’ll also want to pick a nice warm day to dry them on, or make sure that you have enough space inside your home to dry them.
Before washing them, make sure that you’ve taken off any hooks or other pieces of hardware. These could not only end up wearing holes in the curtain, but could also potentially damage your washing machine.
Hanging the curtains when they’re still just a little damp can help ensure that they don’t crinkle or crease unnecessarily, but be careful – if you hang them when they’re still too wet and heavy, they could pull the curtain rail off the wall and break it.
Dry Cleaning
If your curtains are made of a more delicate fabric such as linen or silk, or if they contain more delicate dyes, then it’s often a good idea to get them professionally dry cleaned. Using a washing machine could permanently damage curtains made from these materials, potentially ruining an expensive home investment.
If you’re unsure about what to do, or if your curtains were especially expensive, then it’s probably best to err on the side of caution and get them professionally cleaned. If you shop around a little, you can likely find a good deal, especially if you become a regular customer.
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