Do you wash your curtains? If so how often?

I use my portable steamer and some of that lovely smelling Fabulosa (disinfectant) spray on my huge heavy living room curtains. The thought of physically washing them or even dry cleaning them sends fear through me. I do wash the light weight normal curtains in the bedrooms when I think they need it, no particular timescale for that though ?‍♀️

That made me laugh ?

I’ve lived in this home for five years and had new curtains made for the large patio doors in the living room. Last year I thought I ought to have them cleaned. It cost a fortune so I will not be doing it again in a hurry.

One bedroom has a blind, the other two have smaller patio doors with just a light curtain. I do wash those fairly frequently because the dog brushes against them on his way in and out so they tend to get grubby. Easy to wash and I hang them damp, they soon dry, in fact this thread has reminded me that it’s about time I did them again. Thanks.?

I wash net curtains and very light cotton curtains when they start to look a bit grubby. All the other curtains are dry clean only. Maybe I'd get them done once a year. No smokers in our house

I only wash my nets.

I have got winter and summer curtains in the lounge and I specifically chose washable ones. the summer are quite seasidey stripes and light and the winter ones are cosy red plaid. I change them more for decoration than cleanliness, this year they didn't get changed. I do wash them when they are down before I put them away but i wouldn't get them down just to wash them. In the bedrooms I can't remember the last time I washed them!

Once in a blue moon.
We don`t smoke or have pets.

Wash curtains ? No chance.
Apart from vacuuming( in a very lazy way) when I book my carpet cleaner he does 'em at the same time.

Very funny!

We've been in this house 5 years, I have washed the curtains once!! In the front room, all the curtains shrank, but the linings didn't!! - ouch!! They were left here Have been meaning to take them up - might do one day. I will wash them again when we have a summer where they will get dry! It's the ironing that gets me, so time consuming!

Have to wash our bedroom ones quite often as the cat likes to sit in the window there ! As her body rubs against the liner it eventually marks it and goes grubby. She's also a dark colour cat as well.

We only have heavy curtains in the sitting room, our bedroom and the GCs bedroom, they get hoovered fortnightly.

As if!?? unless you’re smokers I really can’t see why you would. I vacuum mine occasionally to get rid of dust, but our homes are so clean these days even that only happens once or twice a year. TBF I have blinds in every room for practically so the curtains are rarely closed, more for window decoration than anything, xx

I'm with you Oopsadaisy1. Never wash them. Our nice Sanderson curtains have been washed once in the 30 years we have been here!

I am too afraid to wash my 12-year-old curtains as they are made from striped fabric from IKEA which shrinks. I didn’t pre- shrink the fabric before making them because this would have distorted the weave and they would probably have been difficult to cut out. I drew the curtains some time ago and left a splotch of tomato sauce from the dinner I was cooking which has been reproaching me ( the stain) for several years. Am I a shameful housewife? I sniffed them & they are odourless...

Nets twice a year and curtains (cotton mix) every two years. However the labels do state don’t wash dry clean only. There has been a little shrinkage, less so for the lining and so for two pairs of full length ones I’ve adjusted the lining lengths using the sewing machine.

We have light curtains which I wash in the summer usually, in the bedrooms, along with blackout blinds, but the living room ones are heavy. They were made for our last house, but fitted these windows. I had them dry cleaned when we moved, and have done the same once since we moved. Each time it has cost an arm and a leg. We put the Dyson over them once a month. I have washed two pairs of curtains that were dry clean only on a cool short wash and they’ve been perfectly okay and I’m tempted to do it with these.

I consider myself s clean person, but I never wash them and they all look fine. I would wash them if they looked dirty though.

Summer and Winter curtains here in this house too, so they are cleaned when taken down. I have a net curtain on the small window by the front door, it is washed once a month as it has to be bright white.

When I washed the small net curtains from the bathroom I was amazed at the black dirt. We lived near the carriageway then.

Oopsadaisy a woman after my own heart

We only have curtains up in the main room. Long floor length silk and lined. The local independent fabric shop measured up and made them when we moved in 10 years ago. I’ve rung them twice to come and take them down, fold them and off they go to be dry cleaned, brought back a week later and the lady rehangs them for me. Curtains make me nervous I’m no good around them!

We don’t smoke, have no pets and I’ve done this twice since we’ve been here - so every 4 years I’d say, whether they need it or not ....
??

This reminds me of Shirley Conrad who said life is too short to stuff a mushroom ?

Only if I think they look dirty.So osmetime between 1 and 5 years. We live in a rural area, although we do have a wood burning stove, but that is only used Sunday afternoons and in exceptional cold snaps.

I make all my own curtains so make sure the fabric is washable. When the only fabric I like is dryclean only, I cut the lengths with plenty of spare and wash them before I make the curtains so that they are pre=shrunk.

Back in the day when I used to make my own (washable fabric) curtains and we didn’t have central heating, I too had Summer and Winter curtains and they used to be washed each time I took them down, just like my Mum did.
All our curtains are now floor to ceiling and Dry Clean only , where they charge by the metre, as we bought all of the curtains in the sales, it would cost more to dry clean them than buy new.
My new approach is to open the and close them and not look at them between times, maybe they need cleaning? Who knows.
When they become full of holes and drop off the curtain pole I might be inclined to sort them out , until then..........anyway until we sort it, the carpet is so awful it will take everyone’s mind off of the curtains and don’t get me started on the sofa!