Giant curtains need a clean. How?

[RedwallMattimeo]

Think French door sized curtains & pretty mucky as, in the decade or so they’ve been in position, the children (originally newborn & toddler) & their friends have been past them every time they’ve come in or out of the house and so I’ve realised they’ve got all sorts of marks on them including mud & chocolate brownie I suspect.
They’re lined and eyelet so I can’t put them in the machine. Taking them to the dry cleaner would probably cost a fortune. So it’s me. But how? I have a steam cleaner and a Vax spot cleaner thing.
I was thinking of taking them down, covering the dining table with towels and then using the spot cleaner. I think some of the marks are going to need a bit of a scrub. It’s going to be a blooming time consuming process and I doubt anyone else in the house will ever notice it’s been done but I think I’ll feel better and I can get through a lot of podcasts doing it.
Will this work? Any other - ideally less laborious - suggestions?
Thanks

I've washed curtains in the bath before. I think maybe I'd spot clean then put in the bath with a bit of detergent (one at a time), soak and swish then rinse a few times. Or maybe do that first and spot cleaning might not be necessary depends on what is actually on there... Do you have a set up where you can get an airer in the bath or shower to allow them to drain a bit so you don't drip through the house? Then get them over the line if you have a washing line outside? Rehanging them very slightly damp will be fine and help with creases. Good luck!

I have done mine in the bath, too. I hang them outside until they stop dripping then hang back in place to dry properly.

I paid £90 recently for full height curtains 2m wide opening to be dry cleaned. Yes, it’s expensive but given they’d been up 15 years without being washed it was a necessary spend. They would have been far too heavy to wash in the bath but I’ve done that too with others before.

Why can’t they go in the washing machine, what is the fabric content?

There’s very little I don’t stick in the washing machine on delicates and drip dry outside. If it’s too big for my machine it goes in the one at the launderette.

I took my equally dirty, not been cleaned in 15 years, very large curtains, to the dry cleaners. It cost £90 each curtain and they couldn’t get all the marks out anyway!!
Try the bath - you have nothing to loose.

I came on to say what @AnOldCynic has said. If all you have to spend in 10 years is the cleaning bill they have been a great investment. A professional clean will will be worth every penny and others will notice they have been done, not just you.

I have 3 lots of huge curtains and would never get any of them properly cleaned and pressed doing them by hand, in the bath or on the table.

Thanks for the thoughts. These are full height curtains and it’s a 3m wide opening. They’re also lined. I’m not sure I’d get them in the washing machine and think they might be too heavy for the bath/washing line solution. Perhaps I do just need to suck up the cost. After all, it will be cheaper than replacing them

I have French door sized lined eyelet made to measure curtains. I throw them in the washing machine and a delicates cycle (one curtain at a time) then hang them in the washing line. Make sure it’s a nice day so they dry quickly! They do say dry clean only, but sod that!

@RedwallMattimeo is it the metal eyelets that are unsuitable for the washing machine ? If so then put the curtain inside a duvet cover in the washing machine. One curtain per cycle.

@Soontobe60 agreed ! I do also but use an old duvet cover to stop the clanking noises !

Mine are full length 3 meter wide too and I can't imagine trying to do them by hand. I have put eyelet curtains this size in the washing machine before, one at a time though they were a light weight material and not too expensive to ruin. Ironing them was a pain though.

I have full length, eyelet, lined curtains which I put on coldest heat wash in washing machine one curtain at a time but I do have an 11kg drum machine, so very able to do this. Some stains remain, but they are certainly cleaner and smell so much better.

There are companies that do a steam clean while the curtains are still hanging. I have 14 ft length curtains and it worked well.

Have a look at Next or John Lewis I bet you can get replacements in their sale sections for less than £90.

Otherwise, look for a location near you with those really big washers, we have some at a petrol station a few miles away.

Laundrettes have large washing machines. Put in that perhaps one at a time on a cool wash. You take your own powder softener etc with you and wait. They should have a tumble dryer that can fit them but check first as if they don’t you need a plan.

Or get the laundrette to do it all for you. Im guessing about £20. Mine used to hang up the just washed stuff on great racks to dry if they couldn’t fit them into a dryer. You got them back in a few days. It worked out the sane price as me doing it myself and a tumble dry for them to do and air dry.

Be aware that they may shrink slightly though if they are dry clean only. Cool water should minimise it though.

@RedwallMattimeo I used to wash mine individually (each curtain was 6 feet wide and full drop to floor) put them right back up on the curtain rail then close them! by the next day they were dry and no creases. I even did this with lined velvet curtains with absolutely no bother!

Taking them down is the right first step. Lay them flat and start with a vacuum using the upholstery attachment to lift dust before wet cleaning. Your Vax spot cleaner should handle mud and food stains if you work gently and avoid soaking the lining. A steam cleaner can help refresh and sanitize, but keep it light so seams don’t distort. For stubborn patches, use a mild fabric cleaner on a sponge and blot rather than scrub. It will be slow going, but your plan will work without needing pricey dry cleaning.

Are they dry clean only or can they be washed? If they can be washed you could take them to a Revolution laundry, they do 20kg machines.

https://www.thelaundryrevolution.co.uk/how-it-works