Decision Making for Curtain Cleaning
All you need to clean anything should be within a topic below:
Once you've decided to clean your curtains you need to clean them the best way to ensure good results. There are 3 primary types of fabric curtain;
In this sections we'll help you with both cleaning and finishing.
The tops of a plain curtain are usually held together using a triple drawstring that when pulled gathers the fabric into ripples or partial pleats at the top. If they form very exact pleats at the top then don't undo the drawstring when cleaning them, as getting them back into the right position will be a time consuming and potentially a very difficult job.
These strings have a horrible tendency to tangle while washing if they're left untied. If this happens you'll spend ages unraveling the string. It's consequently a good idea to tie them up before cleaning and if you can find a neutral coloured cloth bag place the ends in the bag and tie it up.
As we have noted before, the washing instructions for the fabric are likely to be on the very edge of teh material, tucked away in a seam. Follow these precisely, curtains are often a large investment and mistakes can be very costly. Further, following the instructions means uyou will have recourse to the retailer of either the curtains or the fabric, should anythiung go wrong.
Here we have a representation of ironing a plain curtain. There is likely to be some gathering left in the top, even if you've undone the cords at the top. There's no need to iron the tops themselves as there's a band at the top and ironing it could cause damage to the face of the curtain. Instead move the curtain head off the board and be prepared to iron up to but not over it. Then, working from the lead edge and pulling the curtain towards you iron the top section, making sure any lining is flat before you start or you may cause a shine. Move on a section at a time making sure you do the next section that hasn't been done.
Remember as the top is gathered there's more material width below the top than actually at the top. This means your going to have to maneuver the curtain to ensure you don't miss any of the fabric. Continue moving section by section until you've completed the whole top section then, if the curtain is longer than the ironing board, shift to the bottom section starting once again with the leading edge, pulling the curtain towards you. Now you don't have to worry about stretching as the fabric will naturally lay flat, but you still need to be aware of any linings that may crinkle underneath.
These are often made of heavy material and may be lined or even interlined. As they are fitted and often expensive dry cleaning may be the best option in cleaning.
Whatever the material of your curtains if you have chosen a pleated style you have other things to take into account. The primary cause for concern is the buckram that stiffens the fabric at the top (otherwise the pleats would just sag and look limp). This may not be washable even if the fabric you have chosen is, and it may also be affected by heat so tumbling the curtains or ironing them may stick this stiffening in the wrong place. Some movement of the buckram often occurs in dry cleaning so in washing (which gives a harsher treatment) is more likely to give adverse results. The next thing to consider is the lining.
The majority are a simple cotton but others have a rubber coated back, designed to keep heat in, that is not dry cleanable in the normally used solvent. This means you would have to have special treatment, which often costs more if you choose a fabric that isn't washable. Interlinings (a wadding inserted between the curtain and lining to aid heat retention) cause another problem as these are often not washable and also make it difficult to iron the curtains. Curtains made to fit and which are pleated cost a great deal of money. To take their cleaning lightly may be a costly mistake. It's better to look to a professional solution if any error would be unacceptable.
The illustration left is a representation of how to iron a pleated curtain. Start from one side, remembering to always pull the curtain towards you, and do the tops first. You need to iron in between each pleat to where the folded pleats under the gathering begin to disappear. Then steam the pleat itself and pull it in position with both hands (one at the top of the pleat and the other where you finished your iron stroke). Then move on to the next pleat and so on until you have finished the whole top of the curtain.
Then start at the leading edge again and place the curtains on the ironing board so that the fabric on the board starts from where you finished the pleat tops. Now you'll have a completely flat curtain that you can iron as you would a plain curtain. Keep pulling the fabric toward you as you finish a section making sure you don't miss any section (remembering that most irons taper meaning you have to pull the fabric on less than you may have already ironed). If the curtains are longer than the board simply move the curtain up the board and start from the leading edge again until it's all done.
These are curtains with extra pulleys to gather the length, but as this can cause problems it's worth looking at these as a separate topic.
This diagram illustrates how the cords, used to draw the bottom of the festoons up, are threaded through a number of hoops (or they may go through any kind of channel that keeps them in line). These go right to the top of the curtain where they all turn towards one edge and are passed through all the remaining top hoops. By pulling each of the cords in turn, when the curtain is in place, you can make sure the gathering is level, or shaped to your taste, and once happy with the length they can be tied off so they don't move. The gathering should be let down for cleaning.
.....so the cords must be undone and the curtain stretched out. However, letting the cords out of the hoops is a mistake and leads to lots of string all in a tangle at the end of the wash. Instead, push one safety pin through each cord and pin it onto the top band just above the top hoop. Take another safety pin and put that through the end of the cord attaching it to another part of the curtain. This ensures that you know where the end of each cord is when the wash is finished and you simply have to rethread the top hoops to gather the bottoms again.
Festoons are very similar to plain curtains once the cords have been let down. Here we have a representation of ironing a festoon curtain. As with plain curtains there is likely to be some gathering left even after undoing the cords at the top. There's no need to iron the tops themselves as there's a band at the top and ironing it could cause damage to the face of the curtain. Instead move the curtain head off the board and be prepared to iron up to but not over it. Then, working from the lead edge and pulling the curtain towards you iron the top section, making sure any lining is flat before you start or you may cause a shine. Be certain not to go over the hoops or any banding that the hoops run on otherwise it may cause shining.
Move on a section at a time making sure you do the next section that hasn't been done. Remember as the top is gathered there's more material width below the top than actually at the top. This means your going to have to maneuver the curtain to ensure you don't miss any of the fabric. Continue moving section by section until you've completed the whole top part then, if the curtain is longer than the ironing board, shift to the bottom section starting once again with the leading edge, pulling the curtain towards you. Now you don't have to worry about stretching as the fabric will naturally lay flat, but you still need to be aware of any linings that may crinkle underneath or any hoops or bands that the hoops are on.
Office:
Pool House
34 Ivinghoe Road
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 Phone: 020 8421 8866
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