Laundry Wash VS Dry Cleaning For Curtain

When dealing with delicate fabrics such as curtains, the cleaning method it will go through should be carefully considered. Some may opt laundry cleaning while others choose dry cleaning. If the dusts are your only problem, it is best if you just vacuum the curtains instead.

Curtains are made of delicate and heavy material. By vacuuming the dusts off, you will not have to worry about fabric discoloration and the alteration of its texture, which occasionally happens with dry cleaning and laundry washing if not done the right way.

But if you value your curtains highly and you are petrified to do the cleaning on your own, then choosing a professional cleaning service is your best option. But the question is which one of the two cleaning services will do the job efficiently and properly? This article will help you evaluate the two options and make you decide what suits your curtains best.

Before looking into the two cleaning methods, you need to do a few steps. The following steps are: 

1. Look at the label
Find the label of the curtain and see if it mentions what type of cleaning method it requires. If it says DRY-CLEAN ONLY or LAUNDRY WASH ONLY, you must follow it and not retreat to any other option. If it says LAUNDRY WASH or DRY-CLEAN, it means it is the recommended method yet not the only method.

2. Study the fabric
If in case the label does not mention the cleaning method, study the fabric instead. If it is made of delicate fabric such as silk, velvet, wool, acetate, and taffeta, among others, it is best if you bring them to a dry cleaning service. On the other hand, fabric such as cotton, linen, cashmere and nylon can be laundry washed.

3. Consider the embroidery and detailing
Some curtains have sequins and other embroideries. Make sure that these detailing are sown to the fabric and not glued. Especially if you are considering laundry wash, embroideries may come off if they are simply glued to the cloth. If this is the case, you can take your curtains to a dry cleaning service. It does not use water as its cleaning medium but heat and pressure instead. This way it would not wash off the glue on the fabric.

Having said all these, let us now weigh the two cleaning options and see what works for your curtains best.

Laundry Wash
The laundry wash method makes use of water as its primary cleaning medium. It is the best option for fabrics that are softer, thicker, and less delicate. That is why cotton, linen, and other fabrics of the like are best cleaned through laundry washing. So if your curtains are made of such materials, this option is perfect for it.

Stains are also removed much more effectively via this method. Since the water penetrates the tiniest strands of fabric, it removes stains better. The only downside of this is that it may cause the fabric to discolor and change its texture; but, again, this is highly dependent on the material. Less delicate materials can withstand the process of laundry as compared to much fragile ones.

Dry Clean
This method specializes on fragile fabrics. If your curtains are made of materials that are delicate such as silk, wool, velvet, and others that were mentioned above, dry-cleaning is what you are looking for. In this method, heat and pressure is used and not water. This makes it a much more careful approach as opposed to laundry.

Discoloring and changing of texture is not a problem in dry clean method. However, taking the same garments too many times for dry cleaning would eventually result in the fabric to wear off. So it is important that you do not do this method excessively. It is recommended that the type of garments you take to a dry clean service are those that are delicate such as most curtains and those that you wear on special occasions, which include gowns, suits, etc. Everyday clothing is not advised for this method.

To conclude, the cleaning method for your curtains depends on factors such as the label, fabric, and detailing. Simply put, curtains made of less delicate material are best laundry-washed while fragile ones are best dry-cleaned. 

Contact us today for curtain laundry or dry cleaning services today!