Cleaning Curtains

by Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger

23 Mar 2009 12:07 PM

Spring time is a great time to start thinking about your curtains. Most of the time, curtains tend to just hang there, ignored in the normal household cleaning. But curtains do need to be cleaned on a regular basis. Here is how to clean your curtains.

Regular fabric curtains can usually just be thrown in the washing machine on gentle. You can hang them to dry or dry them in the dryer on low. If you do use a dryer, be sure to remove the curtains immediately and rehang, otherwise you may have to iron them first. Make sure to remove any metal or plastic hardware before you machine wash your curtains.

Curtains can also be washed in the bathtub. This is a good idea for any curtains that are gauzy or delicate. Use a gentle soap, such as Woolite, rinse and hang to dry. Do not wring delicate fabrics. Use bleach or non-chlorine bleach to get dingy curtains back to white.

If your dry-clean-only curtains are clean but have some pet hair that needs to be removed, there are two ways to do this. The first is to put the curtains into the dryer on air fluff (no heat). This will pull the pet hair into the lint filter. (Be sure to clean out the filter right away.) You can also use a lint brush or masking tape wound around your hand to remove pet hair from curtains while they are still hanging.

Pay special attention to curtains hanging in the bathrooms. Frequent humidity can cause a mold build up on your curtains, so they will need to be washed more frequently than the rest of the curtains in your home.

Rusty and dirty curtain rings can sometimes be restored by boiling them in water to which you have added a little vinegar. This method can often remove both the rust and the grime.

How often do you clean your curtains?

Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, creating a home in the Home Blog, caring for little ones in the Baby Blog and now relationships in the Marriage Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here or subscribe to the blog using the subscription box on the right.

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Learn more about Mary Ann Romans

Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat.

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