Curtains are cleaned where they hang, from £35 a pair for short curtains and £42 a pair for long ones. The fabric is checked before cleaning, because some curtain fabrics can shrink.
Taking curtains down, unhooking them, getting them to a dry cleaner and rehanging them means a lot of ladder work and a week or so of bare windows. Here the hooks, gliders and pole rings stay where they are. The cleaner works on the curtains on the track or pole, so mention very tall windows when you book.
Curtain prices by length
| Short curtains, about sill length, a pair | £35 |
| Long curtains, to the floor or near it, a pair | £42 |
| Pelmets, swags and tails | Priced on the call |
A pair is the two curtains that close across one window. A bay window often has three or four pairs, or one very wide curtain on each side, so count what is there and mention any curtain that is unusually wide or heavy. Curtains that stop somewhere between the sill and the floor are settled on the call. Bookings for one-off work start at £67, and curtains often go with the sofa or the carpet in the same room; the price list has both.
Cleaning curtains on the track
Before the visit, clear the window sill and move furniture back from the window so a stepladder fits. Draw the curtains closed, which shows the whole face of the fabric.
Vacuum both sides of the curtains from the top down before the visit, since much of what makes curtains look grey is dust that has settled in the folds. Then the face fabric is cleaned in sections, again from the top, with extra care along the leading edges where hands pull the curtains open and shut. The curtains are left closed and hanging straight while they dry, which takes a few hours. A window open a crack helps if the weather allows.
Checking curtain fabric for shrinkage
Cotton, linen and some velvets can shrink when they take on water, and a curtain that loses even a couple of centimetres shows it at the hem. The cleaner reads the care label, usually sewn into a side hem or behind the heading tape, tests a hidden corner and keeps moisture low on any fabric that is prone to shrinking. That lowers the risk without removing it, and you will hear about it before work starts.
Silk, viscose and some velvets are a different matter: they might need another method, or cleaning them where they hang might not be possible. The call is where that comes up. Sun damage is the other limit. The edge that faces the window often fades and can go brittle, and cleaning will not bring the colour back; a brittle edge can tear when it is handled, so point it out.
Curtains with linings or pelmets
Lined curtains are two fabrics sewn together, and the lining can shrink at a different rate from the face, so the cleaner looks at both. Blackout linings have a coated back. Older coatings can crack or flake with age, and a lining that is already flaking is left alone.
Interlined curtains have a soft layer between face and lining that makes them heavy and warm. They hold more water and take longer to dry, so they get the least moisture of all.
Pelmets, swags and tails are priced on the call because they vary so much. Some are fabric over a board fixed to the wall, others hang loose from the pole; describe them or say how many windows have them.
Questions about curtain cleaning
Do the curtains need to come down?
No. Curtains stay on the track or pole for the whole clean and are never taken away, so there is nothing to rehang afterwards.
Will cleaning bring back faded colour?
No. Fading from sunlight is colour that has gone from the fibre, and cleaning cannot put it back. Dust and dirt can make a curtain look duller than it is, and those usually lift.
Can the sofa and curtains be cleaned on one visit?
Yes. They share a room, so both dry together. Seat prices are on the sofa cleaning page; other fabric furniture is covered under upholstery cleaning.
What about the carpet under the window?
Add it to the booking. The cleaner usually does the curtains first and the carpet last, since the stepladder stands on the carpet while the curtains are cleaned.