Exploring Bedroom Furniture, Decorations and Layouts

Exploring Bedroom Furniture, Decorations and Layouts

Washing Window Treatments: How To Keep Your Curtains And Blinds Fresh

Margie Craig

With the number of different window treatments you can install in your home, every curtain and every blind will need regular cleaning. However, you will never clean a blind the same way you clean a curtain or a shade. You simply cannot throw them all in a washing machine or drop them at a dry cleaner's. Plus, if you only want to spot clean a window treatment, there are different means to do that as well.

Lace and Sheer Curtain Panels

These are very delicate curtains, which can tear easily in a washing machine. If you wash them at home, be sure to place the panels in a lingerie bag to protect them. If there are some stubborn stains on your lace or sheer curtains, use a gentle pre-treatment and fold the curtains such that the stained areas are at the surface of the lingerie bag. Hang them straight from the washer to drip dry so that they do not tear in the dryer or wrinkle.

Cloth/Roman Blinds

You may think that because these blinds are made of cloth you might be able to wash them in the washing machine. Unfortunately, their mechanical construction prohibits them from entering a machine of any kind. Cloth and Roman blinds must be washed by hand and then unfurled completely to air dry.

Plastic or Vinyl Blinds

Perhaps the most tedious to clean, you can reduce the amount of time needed to clean these window treatments by dusting them at least three times per week. Once a month, take a warm, soapy cloth and wipe down each of the slats, front and back, to keep your plastic or vinyl blinds from collecting too much dust, dirt and food stains.

Vinyl-Backed or Room Darkening Curtains

These curtains are the type that need to be dry-cleaned only. Because of the vinyl coating, washing them any other way will cause the vinyl to crack, split and fall off in chunks. Not only does this get very messy, but it also prevents the curtains from blocking extra light and heat from your home. If these curtains are looking or smelling a little funky, take them down, pull out the curtain hooks, and drop them at your nearest dry cleaner. Until they are ready to be picked up, you will just have to hang blankets over the windows for privacy.

Understanding Special Instructions for Cleaning

Like most of your personal laundry, your window treatments come with special cleaning instructions. It helps to understand why your window treatments each require their own special cleaning instructions so that you do not damage them and do not have to replace them more frequently. If you have some window treatments that do not have attached cleaning and care instructions, you can refer to the above instructions or ask the seller/manufacturer like D. Schultz Interiors how to clean them.


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About Me
Exploring Bedroom Furniture, Decorations and Layouts

Hi, I'm Victor Grayson. The bedroom is my sanctuary. After working at a labor intensive job all day, I look forward to falling into bed and relaxing. As a result, I really took the time to prepare my bedroom for the ultimate in relaxation. I paid close attention to the different types of furniture, bedding and decorations that would work well in that space. I used a variety of techniques to make sure my bedroom made it easy to rest without distractions. That means that my room is free of electronics and light emitting devices, beyond the single lamp on the bedside table. However, there are many different ways to set up the bedroom space. I will use this site to discuss the different types of bedroom layouts you can create. I will also talk about the wide range of furniture items you can choose for your sleeping space.