Curtain & Blind Care Guide

Curtains

Washing

Most curtains can be machine washed on a cold, gentle cycle.

• Remove the curtains from the rail
• Make a note of the number of hooks
• Ensure the washing machine is not overloaded

• Rehang the curtains while slightly damp to reduce creasing
• Place towels along the floor as some dripping is normal
• Allow the curtains to dry naturally while hanging

Blockout Linings

Curtains with blockout lining require extra care, as the rubber backing is delicate.

• Do not dry clean
• Do not tumble dry
• Avoid scrubbing or rubbing the backing
• Wash only on a short, cold, gentle cycle
• Ensure the washing machine is no more than ⅔ full

If your curtains are too large for your washing machine, a laundromat with larger machines can be used. Alternatively, curtain cleaning services that clean curtains while they hang are also suitable.

Rehanging Curtains

Once washed:

• Replace the same number of hooks
• Ensure all runners face forward
• Do not skip runners

Wave Curtains

Wave curtains rely on evenly spaced hooks to maintain their shape. The sections between hooks should alternate:

When blockout curtains are hung behind sheer curtains, you may have more hooks than runners. Rehang your curtain with 2 hooks to 1 runner. The hooks that should go to the same runner are closer together on the curtain.

Blinds

Roman Blinds

• Dust regularly using a soft brush vacuum attachment
• Spot clean gently with a damp cloth

Roman blinds can be machine washed if necessary:

1. Remove the blind from the brackets
2. Carefully remove the strings
3. Remove the dowels (rods) from the back pockets
4. Wash on a cold, gentle cycle
5. Air dry only — do not tumble dry
6. Once dry, replace the dowels and re-thread the strings

Roller, Cellular & Venetian Blinds

• Dust regularly with a microfibre cloth or feather duster
• Marks can usually be removed with a slightly damp cloth
• Avoid excessive water near the mechanisms

Rails & Tracks

To keep your curtains gliding smoothly:

• Occasionally wipe the rail with a dry cloth
• Ensure runners remain facing forward
• If a runner breaks, it can easily be replaced — contact us for replacements

Renovations & Dust

If you are painting, sanding, or doing renovations:

• Keep curtains fully open or tied back
• Construction dust can permanently mark fabric
• Avoid splashing paint or chemicals near curtains

Lifespan & Faults

Coated fabrics age differently

Blockout and coated fabrics carry a specialised backing that behaves nothing like plain cloth. How long it lasts depends heavily on UV exposure, heat, moisture, ventilation, cleaning method and daily use — a sunny west-facing window is a far harder life than a shaded bedroom.

This means a blockout lining cannot be compared directly with an uncoated curtain or lining of a similar age. Two curtains bought the same day, hung in different rooms, will not wear the same way.

Manufacturer instructions come first

Where a fabric, blind or component comes with its own care instructions, those take precedence over this page. Textiles genuinely are not interchangeable, and the maker knows their own product best. Keep any care label or leaflet supplied with your order — and if you can’t find it, ask us and we’ll send it again.

Four different problems, four different answers

“Something’s wrong with my curtains” usually turns out to be one of these, and they are not the same thing:

• Workmanship — a hem coming undone, a seam or heading tape failing
• Installation or hardware — a rail pulling away from the wall, a bracket working loose, a mechanism sticking
• The fabric or its coating — fading, backing going tacky or flaking, delamination
• Wear, environment or accident — sun damage, damp and mould, pets, a washing mishap

Telling them apart matters, because the cause decides the fix. Send us a photograph and we’ll tell you which one you’re looking at.

Tell us early

If you notice unexpected deterioration, delamination, stitching coming apart or anything else that looks like a fault, please contact us promptly, with photographs. Early is always better: we can look at it while the cause is still visible, and while something can still be done about it. Eighteen months of the same problem is much harder to help with than eighteen days.