How To Wash Linen Curtains?

Sheer linen curtain panels are becoming a main staple for homes thanks to the coziness that they provide. The linen sheer curtain is able to make a wonderful addition to any home or any style from contemporary to the modern country aesthetic. With that said, the linen curtain panels can be a bit fickle, as they wrinkle easily, plus they’ll need to be washed more often. So, how exactly can you wash the linen curtain panels? This guide is going to help you out on how to wash linen curtains for your home!

How To Wash Linen Curtains With A Washing Machine?

Not all curtains are created equal. Some curtains will need to be dry cleaned while others can be easily tossed into a washer machine. Other curtains will need to be hand washed, while some will just need a damp cloth. Needless to say, curtains are not created equal, and each material within the fabric is going to have a special way for it to be cleaned. That even includes linen cotton curtains. You’re going to want to read instruction tags that are provided on your curtains, as they’re going to be the best indicator on how you’ll need to clean them. Clean curtains can seriously make a major difference to the space!

Can I Wash Linen Curtains?

A regular question that comes up is “Can I wash linen curtains?”. Linen curtains can add a subtle luxury touch in any space, but it’s true that cleaning them can be a bit tricky. While in general, yes you can wash linen fabrics, curtains included, there is a special way that this needs to be done. Linen and cotton are not necessary the same. Linen is exclusively made out of flax thread. Half linen would consist of cotton yarn and flax thread.  But what about sheer curtains? Can you was sheer curtains? Of course! However, it’s important to note that sheer curtains will need to be gently hand washed rather than thrown into a washer machine.

Machine-wash Thicker And Durable Linen Curtains

When it comes to linen curtains, they can come in a variety of forms. There are some linen curtains available that are thinner, while there are others like the blackout linen curtain, which is more thick. The linen blackout curtain can usually be machine washable, and more durable too. Plus the linen curtain blackout variety, such as the ones from TheHues are far more easier to care for and clean compared to traditional linen curtains. Plus, the TheHues linen curtains are much more durable as well. So you can wash your linen curtains in peace knowing that they’re not going to get destroyed.

Prepare Linen Curtains For Machine Wash

Right when you’re wanting to prepare for your linen curtains to get machine washed, you’ll first need to take them down. Ideally, you’re going to first want to test a small sport on the curtains. Why does this need to be done? Well, it’s to help test the color-fastness within the linen and to check whether the water and detergent itself will damage the curtain. After the test, and the curtain seems to be fine, you can then work towards setting up your washer machine.

Set The Washing Machine To “Delicate” When Washing Linen Curtains

Place your curtains into the washer machine and have the setting on “delicate”. On some washer machines is may be labeled as “Hand-Wash” or “Gentle”. It’s going to vary based on the model and type of washer. Hot water should not be used for linen material, even for half-linen material. This is due to hot water causing damage overtime. Ideally, you’re going to want to use either cold water or warm water when washing linen fabrics.

Add A Proper Amount Of Detergent

You’ll need to select the detergent carefully for your curtains. White and beige curtains may benefit form white detergent, while other detergents may be better suited for darker shades. Also, you’re going to want to avoid mixing colored panels together such as white curtains or other colors. This is due to the possibility of color bleeding. Since curtains are not as durable as clothes, it is highly recommended that you use detergent that is colorless and not heavily scented. Since linen is a delicate material detergents that are biodegradable or natural would be better suited.

Dry Out The Linen Curtains

It’s best to skip out on throwing the linen curtains into a dryer. Instead, look into hanging them up to dry until they’re no longer wet. Linen tends to wrinkle fairly quickly so there is going to be a chance that it may be to iron. It’s best to iron linen curtains when damp rather than completely dry. If you do choose to de-wrinkle your curtains in the dryer, than make sure that the tumble is on a low setting, this includes the heat. The length of the curtain and the thickness of the fabric can make the time for drying vary.

How To Clean Linen Curtains At Home By Hand?

For the more delicate linens such as sheer linens or white linen curtain panels, it will be better suited to have these handwashed. The delicate materials could get destroyed in a washer machine. Plus, linen curtain white could get damaged in the washer, depending on the detergent that was used. In general, the white linen curtain is tricky to clean, but handwashing is the best way to go.

Wash Delicate Fabric Linen Curtains By Hand

Delicate fabrics such as sheer linen or linen lace can easily be destroyed in a washer machine. Even if the machine is set to delicate, it can still happen. The best way to combat this would be to have these wash in the sink.

Use A Mild Detergent And Use Cild Or Warm Water

It’s best to either use cold or warm water for delicate materials. Plus, you’ll need to watch out for the detergent that you’re opting for. It’s best to select something mild, so the chemicals will not affect the fabric of the curtains. Have these soak in a vessel such as a sink or bathtub. Soaking them with the detergent will allow the stains and dust to be released. Don’t forget that some minor scrubbing may be required for the more difficult stains.

Hang The Damp Linen Curtains On A Rod To Dry

Delicate linen curtains will need to air dry in a well ventilated area. This can include over a shower rod or a laundry hanger. It’s not recommended to throw these into a dryer.

How To Wash Linen Curtains By Shaking Out And Scenting Them?

If your curtains lack any stains but have some dust or a scent to them, then you could opt into having your linen curtain sheers be shaken out. This is an old fashion way of cleaning curtains, but it’s still very effective, even to this day. Here’s how to do it!

Shake Out Linen Curtains To Get Rid Of Dust

You’ll first want to take your linen curtains off the curtain rod. This is going to give you more room for cleaning them. Once you take them off, you can bringing them outside to shake them off. You’ll want to vigorously shake them until there isn’t anymore dust coming off of them. Alternatively, you have spray some fabric spray on them or steam them. This method of cleaning can be safely done every three months for linen curtains.

Vacuum The Linen Curtains

Another method for removing dust and dander from your linen curtains would be to use a small hand vacuum and clean up your curtains that way. You can leave them hanging on the rod as you gently due this. Just be careful and make sure that your vacuum isn’t that powerful, or else you risk getting your curtains destroyed.

Air-fluff Linen Curtains In The Dryer

If you’re wanting to bring some new life into linen curtains then you can fluff some air into them by placing them into a dryer. Make sure that the heat is on low, and they’re being fluffed on the “Fluff Air” setting for no longer than 15 minutes. Afterwards, immediately take them out and hang them.

Use A Lint-roller Or Dryer Sheet

This is fairly simple and can still be done while they’re hanging up. Both products will remove the dust laying on the linen curtains and will leave a lovely scent. Just make sure to have a vacuum close by incase dirt falls to the floor.

For Washed Linen Curtain: How To Stretch Them Back To Their Original Size?

Given the material of linen curtains, you’ll need to stretch them after the washed linen curtain is out of the machine. So, the art of how to stretch linen drapes can be fairly simple. All you need to do is place the damp drape on an iron board. Next, you’ll need to heat the iron, and just slowly press out the linen fabric outwards. It may take some time for the linen curtain to be back to it’s original size but stretching them out can help greatly!

In addition, to keep linen curtains clean and tidy, how to hang curtain rods is also very important because only the correct way of hanging can prevent the curtain from being soiled or damaged due to wrong installation.