A whole range of fabrics can be given a new lease of life with a little careful cleaning. So before you even consider new curtains and carpets (or simply fret about your existing ones) try and little love and care. And this is definitely in DIY territory. If you’re worried about the impact you may have, test on an out of sight area.
Dry cleaning can be expensive, often uses chemicals you may want to avoid for environmental reasons and can be too harsh for older fabrics – see our warning below. But many fabrics can be freshened up by gentle and careful use of a steam cleaner – you should be able to hire one locally.
Beware of immersing curtains and lose covers in water unless the cleaning instructions specifically state they can be washed.
An alternative to hiring a steam cleaner is to put your iron on steam and direct the jets at the fabric – without touching. Warning! If your curtains are old you need a very gentle touch as the fabric may disintegrate and tear. And some fabrics may shrink, so it’s worth running a test on a small area before applying moisture or heat.
Alternatively, give the curtains a good vacuum but adjust your cleaner’s power to avoid any tearing, or swathes of curtain being sucked up into the nozzle.
Stains and whiffs
Stains can be tackled with a tiny amount of cold water applied with a clean cloth, or a mild bicarb solution (again, test first).
Spring cleaning is also about that wonderful fresh smell you get after give your home a good clean.. Curtains pick up a lot of odours over time, so after vacuuming and tackling fading or stains, try lightly spritzing them with dilute lavender or rose water solution.
Faded edges
One reason why curtains can look tired is because they’ve faded along the edges nearest to the daylight. One solution is to take the curtains down and swap them over so that the edges that were nearest the light are now furthest away. The curtains can be draped so the faded edges are less obvious.
Trendy solution to faded edges
Alternatively a very “on trend” solution is to steal an idea from the designers and give your curtains a “leading edge”. All this involves is sewing a strip of contrasting fabric along the inner “leading” edge where the light damage has occurred.
In the picture on the left you can see an example of leading edges on a new made to measure curtain in the Malabar showroom. You may well find you can get end of roll offcuts of fabulous new materials at discount prices because there’s not enough to make a whole curtain.
Rugs and loose (not fitted) carpets
Rugs can be taken outside, draped over the washing line and given a gentle beating to get the dust out. In the “old days” you could get your hands on a rug beater but an old badminton racket makes a good substitute. (Tennis and squash rackets are a bit too rigid.)
Tackle stains with cold water or a mild sodium bicarbonate solution (test on a discrete area first). Carpet cleaners can be hired very cheaply but older floor coverings may not stand up to too rigorous cleaning.
Another alternative is to rotate rugs or move furniture around on fitted carpets, exposing lest worn sections and covering up areas that have seen better days. Again, spritzing with a mild lavender or rose water solution can give a lovely fresh smell to old fabrics.
If a carpet or rug smells (pets and children are often the culprits) try scattering dry bicarb, leaving for overnight and vacuuming.In other words – Do the shake ‘n vac! – natural style
