How often should you wash tulle and other types of curtains?

Despite new trends in interior design, few people decide to leave their windows without curtains. Women are happy to choose textiles and the type of fabric, but they do not always know how to properly care for them. How often should curtains be washed, what detergents and washing mode should be preferred for this or that material? Let's figure it out.

First of all, curtains are washed at least twice a year: in autumn and spring. At the same time, windows and window sills are washed. But if for some reason the textiles quickly become dirty, then the frequency of washing changes - the curtains have to be washed much more often.

What determines the frequency of washing?

How often you need to wash your curtains depends on several factors:

• Room type. Keep in mind that dirt accumulates faster in some rooms than in others. Kitchen curtains need to be washed several times more often than curtains that hang in the bedroom. A children's room also requires increased attention: dust serves as a breeding ground for microorganisms and fungi, which can be extremely dangerous for a fragile immune system.
• Type of curtains Multi-tiered structures with lambrequins collect much more dust than simple, no-frills curtains.
• Material type. More dust accumulates on fleecy and openwork textiles (for example, tulle) than on smooth ones.
• Location. This may include the location of a house or apartment in an industrial area, the proximity of a particular window to the road and general climate indicators.The worse the environmental situation, the more dust and dirt there is near the house, the more often you should wash the curtains and wet clean the entire house.
• Number of household members. It is necessary to take into account not only adult family members, but also children. In addition, dogs and cats are also sources of pollution.

Cleaning Frequency

The first thing most people agree on is that cleaning curtains should be combined with general cleaning of the house. Most often it is carried out twice a year - in autumn and spring. During this period, it is better to clean the window completely - wash the frame, glass and window sill. In this case, the clean curtain will remain that way for a longer period.

However, in large cities, due to the abundance of dust and smog, wet cleaning of the premises must be carried out monthly. There is no strict need to include washing curtains in this process. You can simply vacuum them.

It is recommended to disinfect curtains, as well as other fabric surfaces (upholstery, capes, carpets, etc.) after serious viral or bacterial diseases. This procedure will help clean the room from viruses and germs.

Particular attention should be paid to curtains if there are small children in the house. Quite often they can leave complex stains on the fabric (sauce, jam, paint stains and much more). In this case, the main thing is to wash the material in a timely manner so that the dirt does not become embedded. This will help avoid the cost of unplanned and expensive chemical cleaning.

General recommendations

Information regarding washing varies significantly depending on the type of fabric, but some key points can still be highlighted:

• The water temperature for washing is selected individually, but it should not be colder than 40–45°C.Otherwise, there is a high risk of not washing the fabric at all; the cleaning agent may not completely dissolve. The latter, by the way, can lead to white stains on the surface of the curtains.
• Before the main wash, stubborn stains are removed by treating them with a stain remover.
• Before soaking, remove all hooks and clips from the fabric.
• You can use washing powder for washing. But in cases where the material is quite delicate or fleecy, it is better to use liquid detergent mixtures.
• Most types of curtain fabric are prone to shrinkage and deformation. That is why rough washing and rinsing are unacceptable.
• The material should be dried on a flat surface, such as a clothes dryer. If drying is carried out on a rope, the material must be secured with clothespins, placing them evenly, fairly close to each other.

In most cases, it is better not to wash curtains at all. In the absence of serious contamination, you can limit yourself to dry cleaning, for example, by vacuuming the fabric or steaming it with an iron.

Old curtains need to be washed more often than new ones.

Those who bought curtains not so long ago should know: many manufacturers use special impregnations that repel dust. But with each wash, the impregnation is washed away - and the fabric loses its antistatic and hydrophobic properties.

So, you need to wash curtains, regardless of their type, at least twice a year. If the curtains get dirty faster, you shouldn’t wait for the fabric to absorb dust - don’t be too lazy to remove the curtains from the curtain rod and freshen them using a washing machine or by hand.