When you go out to purchase the blackout curtains for your living space, in order to gain a complete blackout or for the blockage of natural light coming into your room and disturbing your peaceful sleep. You usually look for such hangings that have some off-white or black acrylic material over them on the backside. When you get them installed, of course, there is the need for their maintenance. So, a very frequently asked question might pop up in your head, i.e. “How to Clean Blackout Curtains”.
Cleaning of the simple curtains is quite simple, all you have to do is just to put them into a washing machine, add some washing powder or any liquid detergent. Dry them out, and here you go with your clean curtains. But these hangings are not the same to get cleaned. They demand some cautions in their cleaning process. Here, we will discuss all cleaning of blackout curtains in some easy and simple steps.
Of course, blackout hangings differ in their fabric, so there are two major methods, providing you ease to clean blackout curtains accordingly. Because, ideally, two types of fabric, i.e. foam coated fabric and woven triple weave fabric, are used for blackout curtains and they both require different cleaning methods, of course.
How to Clean Blackout Curtains, Made Of Foam Coated Fabric
Usually, blackout hangings that are made of foam-coated fabric have a grey or white coating on their backside., these coated curtains require some gentle cleaning. Don’t go for a washing machine or soaking method to get them cleaned. Rather than this, spot cleans them with gentle hand wash, and then dry cleaning is the best way to clean these alluring hangings.
You can give them a hand wash using a mild detergent, do not go for a fabric softener, it can cause some damage to your blackout hangings, and they won’t work as efficiently as they are supposed to work. You can follow the steps given below to clean blackout curtains in a proper way.
1. Start By Vacuuming These Hangings
In the very first place, when you hang them off, from the window. Start vacuuming them in order to remove dirt and debris from them. Clean them properly from both sides. Hanging them off is not a mandatory thing to do while cleaning. You can vacuum them up while keep them hanging on the window, and by the use of a dust attachment with your vacuum.
Vacuuming them is important because you are going to give them a gentle hand wash, so vacuuming will make this task easier for you. Or, you can keep them clean without giving them a regular gentle handwash by the vacuum cleaning process.
2. Get Them Cleaned With Soapy Water
How to Clean blackout curtains that are made of foam-coated fabric, by giving them a proper hand wash. Don’t use the washing machine cleaning method because the machine can easily ruin the layers. It is recommended to prepare the soapy water in a bathtub, by mixing a specific amount (manufacturer’s recommended) in the warm water and get the bathtub filled with that soapy water.
Put your curtains into that tub and start washing them gently with your hands, then squeeze and scrub with the soft hands. Once you are done with the washing procedure, now unload the tub with that water and fill it with clean water. Rinse the blackout curtains from that water and let them dry.
3. Drying Method of the Blackout Hangings
Now, you have done with the cleaning of your blackout hangings, now it’s time to get them dried so that you can hang them up again on your windows and let them increase the beauty of your home decor. First thing first, wring the curtains in order to remove the excess water. Then, let them line-dry but make sure that the coated surface does not touch anything.
After that, hang them on the rods to get themselves dried out completely. And, here you go with your neat and clean blackout hangings, ready to be hung up on your windows to make them decorative.
Made Of Woven Triple Weave Fabric
These types of blackouts that are made of woven triple weave fabric are the ones, with no coating on their backside. They are very soft to touch and have drapery. You can get them cleaned by the washing machine cleaning method, but you have to clean them in a front-loading machine.
It is recommended to use a front loader because the rotator in the center of a simple washing machine could damage the fabric of these curtains by twisting them around them. You can follow the steps given below in order to give them a proper wash in the front loader.
1. Start By Vacuuming Them
This (vacuuming) is the most important step to clean blackout curtains so that they can get rid of all the dirt and debris and make the cleaning process easy for you. If you do the regular vacuuming of these curtains, then there will be less need to get them cleaned by that washing process.
2. Wash Them In A Front Loader
Put these blackout curtains in a front loader for a gentle wash so that their fabric could not get damaged. If you are going to use a simple washing machine, keep in mind that it could damage the fabric of your blackout curtains and they won’t be in theory original condition. In this way, you will make the situation worse rather than get them cleaned.
3. Dry These Blackout Hangings
After you get them washed properly in a front loading machine, now get them dry and hang them again on your windows. Wring them gently, and let them line dry. Hang each panel separately for a quick dry out.
Once they get completely dry, you can hang them up again to add charm to the beauty of your home and make it look attractive.
To Conclude
After knowing all the tips to clean blackout curtains, now it is safe to say that you can take great care of them and could maintain them in a very accurate way. Clean hangings are always attractive and give much elegance to your living area.
