Can I machine curtains?

[commutering1]

Sorry if this sounds dumb but I've always lived in houses with blinds. Now we've just moved to a house with curtains but they're a bit grubby.

I'm sorry I have no idea what they're made from curtain material

Can I shove them in the machine on a cool wash? Will they be ok or will they shrink and look ridiculous? Do I need to remove all of the hooks from them before I machine wash them?

I thought this lovely sunny weather would be a good opportunity to get them washed.

Any thoughts please

Realise that the title of my thread should be 'machine wash' not just 'machine'. Idiot

At the risk of stating the obvious it depends what they are made of. Some are dry clean only. No one can say it'll definitely be fine if you don't know what they are made of.

I have washed a lot of (cheap) curtains and they do tend to shrink a bit, but if they are grim now I would risk it. The worst I've had is having to hem the lining because it shrank less and stuck out the bottom. I've never had any shrink so much they ended up shorter than the window.

If you go for it, yes remove the curtain hooks, and if pencil pleat you should also ungather them.

I agree that it depends what they are made of. I washed some of mine from the living room and they shrank. They were made of thickish canvas type material and originally reached the floor. After washing they were about 2 inches shorter.

The thinner, more 'satiny' ones in the bedroom washed just fine, no shrinkage at all.

Like the others say it does depend on what they are made of. Also if they have been at the window for some time the sunlight may have damaged the fabric so be prepared for some areas being "bleached" and even for the fabric to disintegrate.

I usually take the plastic hooks off (just because my mum always did) and loosen the cords on the tape to release the pleats

Look for the labels to find out what they are made of (if they are not homemade). They are usually at the top of the curtain somewhere so you may have to take them down to find it.

The curtains in our house were filthy when we moved in. I just washed them all, they were all poly cotton - two pairs shrank. On one pair the curtain was pure cotton and the lining polycotton. The curtain shrank, the lining didn't. I just cut the lining off at the bottom so it didn't show until we sorted out new curtains. It wasn't as if it was in the living room!

If they are machine washable, makes sure you pre-wash them before the main wash cycle. This will remove any dust before the main wash