Useful tips on how to wash cotton curtains by hand and in an automatic machine

Filament curtains are a fairly common option for decorating windows in apartments. Their other name is muslin. The product is not very dirty, but indoor dust often accumulates on it.

You can wash muslin either by hand or in a washing machine. You can also clean the curtains without removing them from the windows.

It is important to pre-prepare them for washing and dry them properly. How to properly wash cotton curtains (muslin) manually and in an automatic washing machine, we will tell you in the article.

Preparing threads for washing

Threads tangle during any wash... The resulting lump is quite difficult to unravel in the future. Often, after washing, the curtains-threads lose their appearance, and they have to be thrown away.

It is recommended to collect muslin into a braid or plait while it is still hanging on the cornice. If there are any decorative elements on the product, then they should also be carefully tied with braid.

Manual processing

After the muslin is woven into a braid, tied with braid and removed from the cornice, you can proceed to washing curtains.

If it is done manually, then the following actions should be performed in order:

1. Divide the product still on the cornice into two or three equal parts. Assemble a separate part into a vertical bundle.

   Tie it with ribbons in several places. It is recommended to maintain a distance of 15 cm between the straps.

2. Take a basin and pour warm water into it. Its temperature should not be high. Maximum 400 C.
3. Add liquid soap to the water, then stir the solution.
4. Immerse the rope curtain in the soapy water. Soak it for half an hour.
5. After soaking, add water at a temperature of 400 ° C to the basin. Start washing the product. It is necessary to gently and gently knead the muslin with your hands.
6. Pour dirty water out of the basin. Rinse the curtain gently by placing it under the shower.
7. Slightly squeeze the washed muslin. Wait until water drains from it.
8. Hang the product while still wet on the curtain rod, and then undo it.

How to wash muslin by hand, the video will tell you:

In the washing machine

The rope curtain is not recommended to be machine washed. Its threads are tangled in the drum. As a result, the product loses its appearance.

To save time, muslin can be machine washed, but it is necessary to perform the following actions before and during the process:

1. Divide the curtain into two or three parts. Divide the separate part into three bundles, from which weave a loose pigtail. Tie each braid with a braid from below. If the curtain is not wide, then you can weave one braid from it.
2. Remove the knitted gauze from the cornice.
3. Place the woven curtain in a specially designed mesh bag for washing.
4. Fix the "Gentle wash" or "Hand wash" mode on the washing machine. The temperature should not exceed 400 C. The duration of the wash should not exceed 40 minutes. The optimal time is half an hour. Do not turn on the "Spin" mode.
5. Pour into the compartment only a special liquid detergent used for washing delicate items. Pour conditioner containing antistatic agent into the rinse compartment.
6. Take the washed product out of the bag, hang it in the bathroom. Wait for water to drain from it.
7. Hang the thing on the cornice, then dissolve it.

Drying

It is recommended to hang the muslin on the cornice immediately after washing... First, you need to hang the braided rope curtain on the cornice. After that, it can be unraveled.

The wet threads will stretch on their own under their own weight. After drying, they will become straight again.

No need to leave the product tied to dry... In this form, the thing will not only quickly lose its appearance, but also will not stretch correctly. If a similar situation has arisen, it is recommended to moisten the threads of the product with a spray gun and wait until they dry.

How to clean muslin without removing it from the cornice?

In such a situation, you can use two methods of cleaning things: dry and wet. In the first case, a vacuum cleaner with a nozzle is used. The latter should be designed specifically for cleaning furniture. The brush attachment should not be coarse.

To protect the curtain threads from damage, it is recommended to tightly wrap the brush attachment with a thin cloth. When dry cleaning, the vacuum cleaner should work at low power... During cleaning, you need to walk on both sides of the product from top to bottom.

When wet cleaning things, a steam generator can sometimes be used. But it is not suitable for all types of curtains. If rope curtains are made of delicate materials, then it is better to refuse to clean them with a steam generator. Hot steam quickly loses its appearance and can be damaged.

An alternative to cleaning rope curtains is to use a soapy solution. This method requires:

• add three tablespoons of liquid soap to 2 liters of warm 30-degree water, foam the solution;
• moisten a soft sponge in it;
• smoothly from top to bottom, walk a sponge dipped in soapy water along the threads of the thing;
• leave the muslin to dry.

Features of removing difficult stains

More often, greasy marks remain on the muslin, as well as stains from food. It is recommended to remove old dirt with home remedies. Among them:

1. Dish detergent... Recommended for removing traces of fat. It is necessary to braid a cotton curtain in a braid, place it in a basin with a solution based on warm water and dishwashing liquid. Kisei needs to be soaked for half an hour.
2. Alcohol. Effective in removing greasy stains. They are also encouraged to remove traces of food and dirty hands.

   It is necessary to soak the muslin threads well with an alcohol solution and wipe them slightly. Do not pull on the threads while cleaning. So they will quickly lose their shape.

3. A mixture of ammonia and hydrogen peroxide... Suitable for removing not very deep stains. It is necessary to mix two large spoons of ammonia and peroxide, pour them into two liters of warm water. Soak the resulting solution and gently wipe the muslin.
4. Brine... Add three large tablespoons of salt to two liters of warm water. A rope curtain woven into a bundle should be placed in the solution and soaked in it for a couple of hours. Saline solution is used to remove old grease stains from muslin.

A rope curtain consisting of colored threads is recommended to be soaked in cold water with the addition of vinegar. For 5 liters of water, there is half a glass of acid. It is necessary to soak the muslin in the solution for 15 minutes.

Recommendations and prohibitions

If there is a need to clean the muslin from stubborn stains with a home remedy, then it is recommended to first check it on a small area of ​​the product.

If the product does not impair the quality of the thing, then you can apply it to its entire surface.

It is forbidden to machine wash curtains bordered by decorative elements... Do not choose dry powders as a detergent. It is forbidden to use powders containing colored grains. They leave stains on the product.

Do not wash colored rope curtains with bleach. For such products, only special gels are suitable for washing colored items. It is recommended to wash synthetic kisei with an anti-static liquid conditioner.

You should take into account the following nuances:

• cotton and linen curtains can only be washed in 30-degree water;
• you can not wash either in a typewriter, or rope curtains not assembled into a bundle or bundle by hand;
• it is forbidden to wash with other things;
• cannot be wrung out;
• it is forbidden to dry on the battery.

After the washed and bundled item is placed on the cornice, you should not immediately begin to unravel it. It is necessary to alternately and step by step align each of its threads. This should be done from top to bottom.

Complex contamination on muslin should be removed with special means that are used in dry cleaners... It is recommended to immediately take such a curtain to a specialized dry cleaner.

Conclusion

Rope curtains can be washed both by hand and in the washing machine. Moreover, the second option is contraindicated when the product consists of glass beads or some kind of decor.

When washing muslin, it is important to observe the temperature regime. Only warm water is suitable for the product, the temperature of which does not exceed 40 degrees... Also, it is better to wash cotton curtains with special gels rather than powders.

Products can be cleaned without removing from the eaves. In this case, the best option is to process the threads of the thing with a sponge dipped in soapy water. Cleaning the product with a steam generator is not recommended due to the aggressive effects of hot steam.