£55 to dry clean curtains possibly more!! How else can I clean them??

[2023bebetter]

I think they are regular cotton but they are large?

I just put them on a 30 wash and dry them.

**Hang dry them

How much would it cost you to replace them if not following the cleaning instructions ruined them?

I've had dry clean only curtains and decided to stick them in the washing machine on a cold wash delicate cycle. It'll be fine I thought. They'll be ok.

I now have new curtains and a good supply of misshapen fabric with colour bleed to cut into cleaning cloths as required.

Bung them in the washing machine!

Steam clean them? My steamer does a good job on curtains. The ones l put in washing machine now shrunk. However maybe cotton curtains be ok in machine

They are nice quality from JL ,lined but no colour to run no fancy pattern and they wer on sale years ago

I think I will take my chances and put them in the machine! I don't think they cost more than 55 !!it's more the size they are long and thick

Most fabrics are pre shrunk. I’m not sure curtains fall into this.

I have some heavy cotton JL curtains. I washed gentle in cokd and they shrank by about 2 inches.

I put mine on a gentle wash, then hang them back up and put the dehumidifier on for them to dry. Can steam them whilst up if they need doing

I washed mine once. The lining didn't shrink. The curtains did...

We have very expensive MTM drapes, the ones in the garden room cost an arm, a leg and a side order of a spare kidney. 😄Anyway the chap who supplied them said that unless they are marked, most drapes just need to be hoovered gently once a year.

HTH

I tried washing them once and they shrunk. I stopped washing them.

As @DoorstoManual said, I now vaccum it. If it's really bad, I replace them. I buy ready made curtains from the likes of JL and next. They aren't worth dry cleaning.

My JL curtains cost £95 to dry clean (for 2 pairs) last year. Both pairs came back clean, but had shrunk, significantly so. Steam cleaner if you can.

I put some curtains I'd made in the washing machine. They shrunk, but the lining shrunk more so, so I've now got to take them apart and they don't hand straight, sew them back together and let the generous hem down.

I have JL ones That I washed because then toddler ds2 had got chocolate all over them and I wasn't willing to pay to get them dry cleaned when it was likely to happen again.

They did shrink a bit but the lining also did at a more or less similar rate, and they were too long anyway so it was ok. I washed at 30 degrees and ironed when still quite damp. I've done it again since and the shrinkage was a one time deal.

I guess the longer they are then the more noticeable shrinkage might be, but if you can live with it then it's worth trying a cool wash.

I have 11ft drop curtains so dry cleaning would be exorbitant. I wash them individually in the washing machine on a cold wash, but I don't spin them as they're too heavy when wet (tried once and had to stop the cycle). I heave them out and drip dry the worst off, then hang back up and dehumidfy. They have shrunk a tiny bit but I just moved the hooks higher up on the header tape.

Washed mine in the machine. Hang to dry.... then ironed. Look wonderful!

@IncompleteSenten

Spray them with frebreeze now and then and spot scrub any marks.

@2023bebetter it's not what they cost, it's how much they'd cost to replace now that's the issue. (Don't forget any hemming charges)

shop around, you might find a better price?

id only risk the machine if I could find some if equal quality that I liked & would fit without hemming etc.

I washed my heavy, lined M&S ones on 30c and the came out fine! I line dried them outside.

@2023bebetter Also, just being nosy really, but why are you doing it now, surely spring/summer would be better??

I would do what beachesdiary said, but wait for a nice day in the summer so they can drip outside.

If they aren't simple cotton ones, I'd do what PP said and just hoover them with occasional outdoor vodka spritzing* on a windy dry day.

As mentioned, they may not have cost you a lot/you've had plenty of use out of them, but how much would it cost you to get new ones made?

*Both curtains and my self

It's a risk but try them in the washing machine. Some of mine wash well, a pair of Next ones the curtain shrank and the linings were too long, I just sewed them up but won't wash them again.