2 questions about curtains.......

Ruby_Pudding · 24 August 2005 at 8:13PM

Hello all you lovely people who seem to know the answer to everything.....

I've inherited some truly horrible curtains which are going to have stay put for at least another 6 months until I can afford my beloved wooden blinds. They're not too bad really, just not the sort of thing I'd have bought. Anyway, they are pretty heavy and run on a pulley system and that seems to have developed a bit of a problem on one side of the window. I can open them no problem at all but I can't close them - the string seems to have caught and I can't work out how to fix this. Anyone else had this problem?

The second thing is that they smell a little musty and I really, really resent the fact that I might need to dry clean them when they are going as soon as I can replace them. I thought as a temporary measure I could use a febreeze type thing but I wonder if anyone's got any better ideas for something I could use that's a bit more OS?

misty · 25 August 2005 at 12:37AM

I'm sure some proper Old stylers will be along soon - but are they def dry clean only? I'd be tempted to put them in the washing machine - or launderette if they won't fit a domestic one. How long are they? If they are floor length even if they shrink a bit you could live it with for a few months...... If not what about hoovering them - then leaving them for a blow on the line outside for a few hours and then spraying with a dliution of essential oils.

pol · 25 August 2005 at 12:26PM

Have you looked for a label at the top? What does the fabric feel like? Sometimes they say dry clean only simply because they will be very heavy when wet. Can you give more detail about the type of material?

I ignore most dry clean only labels if I think that the material will wash. I have washed jackets, velvet curtains and wool coats without mishap. As long as you are careful how you dry them, most things will wash, either by hand or in the washer.

If you're still not sure, take them to the nearest launderette with a dry cleaning machine, it only costs about £6 for a full load.

Depending on how old the rail system is, the pulley will probably have an opening at the top. If you can get up you'll see that the cord runs on two parallel tracks, it should be fairly easy to see how they have become tangled and sort it out.
hope this helps.

pol

Ruby_Pudding · 25 August 2005 at 12:33PM

I'm a bit worried about taking them down though - especially as this stupid pulley system seems really complicated

squeaky · 25 August 2005 at 12:51PM

Taking your curtains on and off the rails won't make any difference to the way the pulleys work, honest.

If you can't see a tangle it might just be wear and tear and accumulated muck. Sometimes mine will pull closed easily enough but then tend to jam when trying to open them. I don't have a pelmet to protect them from dust and stuff and when this happens I take the curtains down and clean the rails. This usually does the trick - or most of it. Rubbing the bits of rail where the hangers slide with a candle, or even, if desperate, spraying with furniture polish helps even more

Ruby_Pudding · 25 August 2005 at 1:37PM

OK, I might just give it a go next week then - I'll take the curtains down, run them through the washing machine and check to see if I can clean the pulley thing at the same time using your tips

Many thanks! :T

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2 questions about curtains.......

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