would you wash curtain/ blind fabric before getting it made up?

[Cappuccino]

you know, for shrinkage

tbh I have never had proper fabric curtains/ blinds so I don't know if you wash them after you have had them put up

there is a nice lady down the road who makes them so I am going to take her this big bag of fabric in the New Year

I am getting roman blinds and then a long curtain for the big opening into open-plan kitchen (for winter evenings) but the fabric is quite light-coloured so I worry it will get grubby at the bottom

please advise me, oh curtained ones

I've never washed fabric beforehand. Perhaps you could spray it with some kind of stain repellent (if such a thing exists) if you are worried about them getting grubby. Why would it get grubby anyway?

it will be touching the floor

I would ask your curtain lady. It would be awful if you washed the curtain once it got grubby only to leave it swinging 4 inches from the floor.

that's what I'm thinking I'm thinking I should wash at least the curtain fabric if not the blinds

the curtain lady said she didn't know about washing the blinds because of shrinkage but I don't think the blinds would need it anyway

what do you do with them? do you vac them? is that what those odd little brush nozzles are for that come with the hoover?

Yes I have never taken down roman blinds and washed them. And being a complete slattern, have never vacuumed them either! But your way sounds good

I guess if you just bashed them now and again the dust would fall off anyway

It is horrific when you do eventually take them down and see the years of accumulated cobwebs, skin cells and god -only -knows- what -else that floats around!

DO NOT WASH the curtains after they are made up, they will probably shrink..are they going to be lined? quite often the curtain fabric and lining shrink at different rates. After curtains are made up, treat as follows:

Now and then, give your curtains a gentle shaking when you close them each night, to prevent dust lodging in the fabric fibres.
Every month or so, vacuum with a handheld vacuum and soft brush attachment, using the lowest setting on the vacuum.
If you are not using a pulley system and are pulling your curtains by hand, be careful not to yank them from a certain point. In general, avoid handling and touching the fabric unnecessarily.
Looked after properly, well made curtains should last many years!

or are you talking about washing the fabric BEFORE the curtains are made up? in that case, What sort of fabric is it?

yes thinking of washing before

it is kind of thick cotton

Nah, I think you should just get a big old broom and get bashing.

why are you thinking of washing before, though? (when the fabric is clean)

do you want to shrink it?

yes polly

was thinking if I washed it first, if I need to wash it later it wouldn't ruin it

well, i think you should pre-shrink the lining too, just in case? (unless they aren't going to be lined, obviously)! i wouldn't go much hotter than 30 degrees..

oh yes yes lining too

i would definitley wash it 1st especially as you have the chance to.

My old boss had some gorgosue dark denim that she used to cover to chairs...

she washed it at 60 three times before the covers were made for her.... and will only actually wash the covers at 30... but they do still fit perfectly after a few washes