Do Right by Your Drapes
Make Them Last Longer and Look Better
Want to get an early start on your spring cleaning? Your curtains and drapes might be a good first step. They can help your home look cleaner and brighter, and save you work when the weather turns nice.
But there are some things you should know about your curtains and drapes before having them cleaned.
The Life of Your Drapes
Curtains and drapes are made of a variety of cloths, from heavy durable fabrics, to light, transparent materials. But no matter what they are made of, a number of environmental factors will affect their condition and lifespan. These include:
- Sunlight
Sun damage and fading strike unlined drapes the hardest. Sunlight will not only fade colors but also wear on the threads of the fabric itself. While man-made fibers such as polyester are more resistant to such damage, no material is immune. - Oxidation
Fumes from smoking, pollution, cooking, etc., contain chemicals which will cling to curtains and drapes. When combined with humidity and oxygen, these chemicals can create a mild acid which hastens deterioration. - Shrinkage
Humidity and air quality can cause drapes to shrink up to 2%. Over time, this shrinkage can be progressive. - Dyes and Pigments
Drapery dyes, like all other dyes, are subject to changes over time. These can include bleeding, cracking and running. Pigments held on fabric with a binding agent can also crack, stiffen and fade over time. - Humidity and Moisture
Oftentimes, condensation on windows comes into contact with drapes leaving permanent water marks.
Cleaning: Choose Experience
Cleaning drapery is as much art as science. An expert in this area will have experience dealing with a wide variety of materials and the equipment necessary to press and reform draperies of all sizes.
Max I. Walker’s skilled experts have decades of experience allowing us to give you:
- No shrinkage guarantee
- Soft decorator fold and “like new appearance”
- Straight and even hemlines
- Absolutely no sagging due to the cleaning process
- Square corners
- Expert inspection of every piece of your drapery
Max I. Walker even offers “Take Down And Rehang Service” to make the process as easy as possible.
What You Can Do To Help
Many of the factors above are unpredictable and can, over the life of your drapes, affect their appearance. So, when it comes to drapes, it pays to remember the following:
- Know the fiber, weave and finish of your drape or curtain
- Examine the quality of construction when purchasing your drapes
- If possible, rotate curtains or drapes from sunny windows to an unexposed side of the house
- Inform your cleaner of the fiber content in your draperies or curtains
- Remember, the life expectancy of draperies is between three to five years;
however, conditions in your home may shorten that substantially - Send your draperies or curtains to a reliable, experienced cleaner like Max I. Walker, with the right equipment to clean and press drapery