Safe And Natural Solutions To Clean And Care For Your Dupioni Silk Curtains

From the initial purchase to furnishing and adding personality with décor and accessories, owning a home can be both stressful and exciting. Painting walls and shampooing your carpet are common tasks necessary to uphold your home's appeal and cleanliness, but you may be forgetting simple cleaning and maintenance on your window treatments. Dupioni silk drapery is not only beautiful, but also incredibly durable. To protect the appeal, function, and value of this investment, proper care is imperative. Using these natural solutions, you can clean and maintain your Dupioni silk curtains in a natural, non-toxic manner.

Vacuum

While silk is naturally durable and strong, dirt, dust, and other debris can still build up on your drapes. This buildup can stain the silk and also increase your family's allergy symptoms if not cleaned.

To remove dirt, dust, pet hair, and other debris, consider vacuuming your curtains every few weeks. Be sure to use the handheld, soft-bristled brush attachment on your vacuum to remove debris without damaging the silk material. Run the brush attachment from the top to the bottom of each silk curtain panel.

If possible, ensure your vacuum uses a HEPA filter to remove 99.7 percent of particles 0.3 microns or larger in diameter. This reduces debris on your silk draperies, but also decreases allergens in the air.

Wash

Even with periodic vacuuming, you may develop a thick residue of dirt and dust on your silk curtains. Unfortunately, removing this stubborn buildup will require washing each panel by hand, since a traditional washing machine cycle will be too rough for your silk. To avoid damage to your silk draperies, wash each panel by hand using the following steps:

  1. Wipe down the inside of your bathtub and rinse before filling with warm water.
  2. Pour 1/3 cup of gentle laundry detergent into the tub. Be sure the detergent is safe to use on silk.
  3. Vacuum each of your silk curtain panels, removing dirt, dust, and debris.
  4. Place one curtain panel into the tub to soak for 15 minutes. Do not add all of your curtain panels at one time.
  5. Use your hands to gently scrub each curtain panel in the tub.
  6. Rinse the sink panel under the tub faucet with warm water. Be sure to drain the tub.
  7. Remove your curtain panel from the tub and roll into a ball. Once it is in a ball, squeeze the silk fabric to draw out water. Do not twist or wring the fabric, as this may damage the sink. However, continue squeezing the ball of silk to remove excess water.
  8. Lay out clean towels on a flat surface. After squeezing water out of the silk, lay flat on the towels to dry. Allow to dry for a few minutes. Then, roll the silk and towels up together to soak up any leftover moisture.
  9. Unroll the towels and silk out and lay the curtain panels across a rack to continue drying.
  10. Since your sink panels may be slightly wrinkled after washing by hand, iron them while still damp.

Stain Removal

Your silk panels may also discolor or stain without washing them periodically. Fortunately, you can remove light stains using a simple vinegar solution.

Combine 1 gallon of warm water with 1 gallon of white vinegar in a large bowl. Soak a microfiber cloth in the solution and wring out excess liquid. Blot the soaked cloth on a small, hidden corner of your silk curtain to test the solution on your fabric. If you notice discoloration, do not continue using on your curtains. If there is no discoloration on the silk after a few minutes, it is safe to use as a stain remover.

Soak the cloth in the vinegar solution after testing and wring out the excess. Lightly scrub the stained areas of your silk panels before rinsing under your faucet. Repeat if necessary.

Dupioni silk is a durable, attractive material for your window treatments that will stand the test of time. However, proper cleaning and care is essential to protecting the beauty and durability of your sink. Using these simple tips, you can clean and maintain your silk curtain panels in a natural, safe manner. For more information, contact a professional business that offers drapery treatments, such as those at http://www.sylvansdrapesandblinds.com.


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