The month of June, is the perfect month to conclude your spring cleaning with the last of the finishing touches, such as washing the curtains in your home.
In this simple guide, we’ll show you how to breathe new life into the curtaining in your home with our handy tips to help you wash your curtains in the washing machine without ruining them.
Washing curtains in the washing machine: tips and tricks
Before putting your curtains in the washing machine, you’ll need to establish what material they are made from. Not all fabrics are in fact suitable for this type of washing.
In the majority of cases, the curtains present in our homes are made from linen, silk, cotton or other synthetic fabrics.
Establishing what material the curtains are made from not only tells us if they can indeed be washed in the washing machine, but also determines the temperature of the cycle to be set.
Before starting the cycle, there’s one last thing to consider: be sure to remove any eventual curtain hooks to prevent these from coming off in the washing machine and getting ruined.
Washing curtains in the washing machine: temperature and spin-drying
Once the preliminary operations are over and done with, you’ll be ready to load the drum, taking care not to overload the machine to prevent excessively creasing the curtains. If the curtains to be washed are coloured, be sure to insert a colour catcher.
Should the washing machine have a specific programme for the washing of curtains, use this feature following the directions on the label and any additional instructions; if your washing machine does not have this feature, we recommend washing cotton curtains on a delicate cycle at 30° with the spin-dryer set to 600. Once the cycle is complete, hang your curtains out to dry, avoiding excessive creases and taking care to iron them as soon as possible, ideally when they are still slightly damp.
White curtains can be washed at 40°, while sheer synthetic drapes should be washed at 30°; linen and silk curtains however are the exception to this rule, being more delicate fabrics, they need to be treated as such.
How to wash linen curtains in the washing machine: complete guide
There are numerous different varieties of linen: gauze, wrinkled, linen-wool and canvas linen. Let’s take a look at these varieties one-by-one to learn how to select the correct washing machine programme:
Gauze linen curtains: a how-to washing guide
These are lightweight linen curtains with a more open weave. To wash these curtains, we recommend rinsing them twice, without spin-drying, before washing thoroughly.
Select a delicate cycle at 30° and spin-dry at 400. Once the washing cycle is complete, hang your curtains out to dry, vertically from a height if possible. Iron whilst still damp, taking care to always iron horizontally at a medium temperature.
Wrinkled linen curtains: a how-to washing guide
For curtains made from this type of linen, follow the same procedure as that recommended for gauze linen, spin-drying however at 800. They can be re-hung whilst still damp, as they do not require ironing.
Linen-wool curtains: a how-to washing guide
Considering the extremely delicate nature of this type of linen, linen-wool blend curtains require a delicate washing cycle at a maximum temperature of 30°and a spin-drying cycle of no more than 400 rotations.
Canvas linen curtains: a how-to washing guide
This is the most robust variety of linen, meaning that these curtains can even be washed at 40°, on a delicate cycle nonetheless. To prevent them creasing, skip the spin-drying cycle and add a little starch to facilitate ironing, which should be done horizontally when the curtains are still damp and with the iron set to a medium-high temperature.
How to wash silk curtains in the washing machine: useful tips
Silk is one of the most delicate fabrics on the market today. Before putting curtains made from this material in the washing machine, check that they can indeed be washed in water as dry-cleaning is usually recommended.
Select a designated delicates programme with a maximum temperature of 30°, taking care to wash each curtain panel properly by inserting a maximum of two drapes at a time, skipping the spin-drying cycle.
Once the washing programme is complete, hang your curtains out to dry, vertically from a height if possible, making sure that they are fully laid out. If you were to want to iron them, be sure to do so at a low temperature and without using the steam feature.
Smart and innovative washing machines designed to facilitate the washing process are currently available to purchase.
Notably, Candy washing machines are fully connected, and via the Candy simply-Fi app, you can use the Memo Smart Wash function, which enables you to set a reminder for your preferred washing cycles. Once you have identified the correct programme for the washing of your curtains, all you’ll have to do is add it to your favourites. The Candy simply-Fi app will send you a notification when the time is right, reminding you that your curtains are due a wash!
