Curtains - Dry clean or wash them myself?

hardpressed

laughing_cow wrote:

Thank you - will give it a go. Not too worried about them shrinking - they're too long anyway and I've never got round to having them shortened :rolleyes:

In that case, go for it, good luck.

tanith

I guess this will be too late but DON'T DO IT... I washed my cream 100% cotton bedroom curtains on a delicate wash low spin and not only did they shrink which didn't really matter they creased to -uggery... no amount of ironing would get the creases out ... I tried steaming them at the windows and washing again and folding , nothing worked they were ruined.... but saying that I couldn't afford to buy new ones so they are still up at the windows and they look a right state.. :rotfl:

vivaladiva

I have some ridiculously expensive, very large, very heavy, interlined curtains. Each curtain weighs about 10Kg. They would potentially stop a draught at 100 paces! However they need freshening up and I have been quoted about £50 per curtain to get them cleaned. :eek: :eek: Do you think I dare a) bung them in the biggest machine at the laundrette and give them a cool wash? or b) have a go at steaming them? The fabric is 100% cotton.
Any other suggestions would be most gratefully received.
Thanks in advance.

tobydog27

I would not advise you to wash your curtains (100% cotton) they would shrink, by how much would depend on temperature of wash etc.

I would advise you to "Steam-Clean" them while in position using a cheap steam-gun.... http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/4060716.htm
as an example.

Hope this helps.

Sarahsaver

Dry cleaning is advised because of the difference in the fabric in the curtain, the lining and the interlining. Mum works in a fabric shop and people spend thousands on one pair of curtains. If they are as good as they sound to be, then £50 for cleaning is at least less than replacing them!

susank

I made some really cheap curtains from calico for my son - it says it shrinks 6% so washed a low temp and was fine but if I had bought really expensive ones I would pay to dry clean them - sometimes the launderette has a dry cleaning machine you can use!

nearlyrich

We have just been decorating and I was toying with the idea of having my huge curtains drycleaned, we have 3 picture windows so you can imagine how much it would cost. I decided to take them down whilst we painted and hoover them, they were a little dusty around the tape and across the tops but they now look good again. I wouldn't put them in the washer either too risky.

If they smell musty or of smoke try febreeze and hang out on a dry but windy day.

wendym

Years ago I made my mother some really heavy curtains. She regarded dry cleaning as 'stuff and nonsense' and when they were only a year old (she was a heavy smoker) she washed them and absolutely destroyed them. The main fabric shrank and warped, the lining shrank differently etc etc.

I'm not sure I'd even steam clean them. Perhaps hoovering them will transform them, and if this weather holds an hour or two on the line would freshen them.

Is 'shrank' a real word? It looks very odd!

JoeyEmma

It would cost a fortune to replace them. Bunging them in the washer or steam cleaning them could turn out to be false economy.

aimeelister

Our curtains are dry clean only, but i couldnt be bothered to do that so i put them in on a 30o wool wash and they came out fab.