How To Clean Your Curtains – Basic Tips You Need To Know

Curtains require little maintenance and don’t usually need to be cleaned very often. But when that moment comes, what do you do? Should you use the washing machine? And how do you protect delicate fabrics? It doesn’t have to be such a difficult process if you know a few basic tips.

Remove all the hardware

Colorful shower curtain

So you took down your curtains and you’re ready to wash them. Make sure you remove all the hardware before you anything else. It can damage your curtains as well as your washing machine and if there’s metal involved, you might even see rust spots on your beautiful curtains.

Check the label

Obviously, this is the first thing you should do. The label on your curtains can give you valuable info such as whether you should use cold or warm water, the type of detergent you should use, etc. If you no longer have the labels or if they fail to help, try testing using a small corner with a mix of water and detergent.

Put the curtains in a mesh bag

Colorful shower curtain

Curtains made of lace or other delicate materials can get damaged inside the washing machine so it would be best to put them in a mesh bag or inside an old pillowcase which you tie shut tightly. This way you can prevent fraying and damage.

Hand-washing your curtains

This may sound like a super annoying and hard thing to do. However, hand-washing your curtains is often the best thing for them. This is something to take into consideration if you have sheer curtains or if they’re made of delicate materials.

Don’t over dry

It’s best to take your curtains out of the dryer before they’re 100% dry. If you over dry them they’ll get all wrinkled. If you take them out when they’re about 95% dry then ironing becomes super easy.

A quick ironing is all they need

The ironing process shouldn’t take long. A quick ironing is all the curtains need. And if you remove them from the dryer while they’re still damp, it’s all a piece of cake.

Colorful shower curtain

Cleaning the shower curtains

There are two options here. You can either clean the curtains by hand or using the washing machine. In the first case, run water over the areas where you see soap residue and dirt and use a scrub brush to clean those portions. If that doesn’t do the job, pour a little bit of laundry detergent or vinegar over the curtain.

Colorful shower curtain

If you put your shower curtain in the washing machine, use cold water and the gentle cycle and also throw in 2 or 3 towels. Add bleach to get rid of the mildew and soap scum.

Colorful shower curtain

image by Kelly Corbett Design

Of course, if your shower curtains aren’t made of plastic or vinyl, you can follow the steps described in the case or regular curtains.