How Often Should You Wash Your Home Curtains?

Curtains enhance your home’s beauty and prevent dust and dirt from entering your home. Vacuuming, cleaning kitchen counters and your usual dusting are the things you take care of on a regular basis.

However, most people (not just you!) tend to forget all about them once they are hung as they don’t come in contact with your skin. If you want to keep your house clean and rid of allergens, odor, pollen and dust, it’s important you wash your curtains regularly.

The next thing you ask is how often should curtains be washed. There is no steadfast rule about washing curtains, but the basic rule of thumb is to clean them once in six months with regular vacuuming in between. It’s better not to wait until your curtains become messy and grimy to wash them.

Home Washing Curtains or Dry Cleaning Curtains?

The next question that comes to mind is whether to dry clean or wash the curtains at home. Find out by checking the label care instructions as some curtains are fully machine washable while others need more care.

Home washing curtains

If you have cotton curtains, it’s safe to wash them separately in the washing machine. Do your washing on a bright and sunny day so that the curtains will dry in the open air after a gentle wash in the machine. It’s better if you iron your curtains when damp and immediately hang them up to prevent wrinkling.

Washing curtains may seem easy at home but remember that curtains have a lot of fabric and may not be easy to manage in a small home environment. So if you are worried about your washing machine not being big enough to wash your curtains, the ironing board being too small or insufficient space to dry your curtains, it is better having them professionally cleaned. Even if you have curtains that can be washed in the machine, it’s better having them professionally cleaned if they are heavily stained.

Dry cleaning curtains

It’s better to have your curtains professionally dry-cleaned if your curtains are lined, made of linen, silk or any other sensitive fabric or if they have some embroidery or beading. This is to prevent the risk of the water, heat, and friction of the wash cycle damaging, shrinking or fading the fabric. After spending so much on your curtains, you don’t want your washing cycle damaging them!

Reasons to Frequently Wash Curtains

There are these instances where it’s better to clean your curtains more often:

If someone in your home has allergies, it’s better to frequently wash your curtains as they trap lots of allergens like dust, pollen, pet hair and dander.

A smoker at home is another reason to wash your curtains frequently, preferably once a month. Cigarettes, cigars, and pipes emit smoke particles which get entrapped in the curtains and make them yellow and emit a strong smoke smell.

Salt air can affect the color and fabric of curtains. So if you live near the sea with a sea view, you’d better buy hard wearing curtain fabrics and frequently wash your curtains.

If you reside someplace dusty or near a heavily used road, wash your curtains as often as possible. The dust and other airborne particles enter your home through windows and attach to your curtains. It’s better to wash your curtains at least once every three months to keep your curtains looking beautiful. It also extends their life so that they look and smell clean throughout the year.

Curtains are expensive and it makes a home cozy and nice. Cleaning them at regular intervals will maintain their luster and freshness and more importantly smelling clean.