Curtains can be made of linen, silk, cotton, or other synthetic fabrics. We show you how to wash the curtains in simple steps without leaving the house.
When washing curtains, we may have a big question: is it better to wash them by hand or by machine? And it is that although the most practical thing is to do it in the washing machine, the fabric of some curtains can be too delicate,so it will be necessary to wash them by hand.
How to Wash Curtains at Home
To make sure that you choose the right shape without damaging the fabric, you can check the washing label and, if you don’t have it, check its composition in the place where you bought it. Anyway, we offer you some simple tips to wash the curtains. Here we go!
1. Wash the curtains in the washing machine
Before washing the curtains, if they have rings or metal parts, it is best to remove them. If not possible, putthat part inside a pillowcaseand tie it with a rope. This will protect the metal parts of the curtains and prevent them from snagging and damaging the fabric or hitting the drum. Then put the curtains in the washing machine.
Ideally, use amachine detergent for delicate items. In addition, you can add some special additive for silicone curtains. This additive smoothes the fibers to prevent wrinkles and gives them light, leaving the curtains glowing.
Select a program for delicate items with cold water and gentle spinning, i.e. between 400 and 600 rpm. In this way, the washing machine will remove excess water without wrinkling the curtains.
It is essential to remove them from the washing machine as soon as the washing program is finished to avoid bad smells and wrinkles more than necessary. Still wet,hang them in place so they don’t wrinkleand finish stretching. If they still have wrinkles, iron them while they are wet.
2. Hand wash curtains
If your curtains cannot be machine washed and you must do it by hand, the first thing is toprepare a large basin or do it in a bathtub. Always use cold water and a detergent to hand wash delicate items. Once washed, rinse them well so there is no soap between the fibers.
To prevent them from dripping, you can put them in the washing machine in the soft spin program, without water and only the curtains. In this way, the excess water will be removed before hanging them in place to avoid unnecessary wrinkles, sincetheir own weight will make them look smooth and perfect.
3. How to remove stains from curtains
Before trying to remove the stains on your curtains, it is essential to identify what type they are, since we will not treat a pen stain the same as an oil or chocolate stain. Each will need a different treatment.
There is a wide range of commercial stain removers that will remove any stain from your curtains. Also, if they are small and easy to remove, you can try doing it without taking them off the hook, just moistening the area a little and applying the appropriate stain remover.
The most common stains are those of humidity, so to eliminate these stains of mold on the white curtains you must do the following: fill a large bowl to be able toimmerse them with cold water and add a little bleach. Let them soak for a couple of hours, rinse well and wash them regularly. Forget this solution if they are string curtains or some delicate fabric, bleach can damage the fibers.
You can also remove mold spots by applying a mixture of vinegar and baking soda. Spread the mixture on the stain andleave it to act for10 minutes, rub it and wash the garmentas usual.
4. Tricks to wash white curtains
White curtains cause twice as much trouble cleaning colored curtains as dust and dirt are more visible. In addition, over timethey take on a yellowish or grayish tone.
To avoid this, it is important to never wash the white curtains together with more clothes, especially if it is of intense colors. If they already have stains and you want a solution,try soaking them with vinegar and baking soda a couple of hoursbefore washing them. Bleach lowered with water is also effective for whitening, but over time, it could yellow white curtains.
How to wash curtains according to your fabric
- Linen curtains. It is the most robust variety of linen, so the curtains of this fabric can be washed even at 40 °, but always with a delicate program. To avoid wrinkling, avoid using the spin. You can add a little starch to facilitate ironing, which must be done while the curtains are wet, with the iron at medium-high temperature and always horizontal.
- Wash the curtains of carded linen. This linen is lighter, so it is advisable to carry out two rinses without spin before washing itself. Do it with the delicate program at 30 ° with the spin at 400 rpm. Iron as in the previous case.
- Crumpled linen curtains. Proceed in the same way as with carded flax, but with a spin at 800. Place them while they are still wet, since it is not necessary to iron them.
- Wash the linen and wool curtains. The linen thread curtains are very delicate, so you should use a program for delicate clothes with cold water and a spin of no more than 400 rpm.
- Silk curtains. Silk is one of the most delicate fabrics, so check that they can be washed in water because dry cleaning is usually recommended. Use a delicates program if you can and don’t use spin. After washing, hang the curtains vertically.