Maintenance for Window Furnishings

Congratulations on your new window furnishings!
Don’t they look fabulous? I bet they totally transform the room, and add personality to your decor. Not to mention the insulation and acoustic qualities.
With care, and regular maintenance you should get many years of good service from your curtains and blinds.
Here are our tips for maintaining your window furnishings in top condition.

Manually operated curtains
Always use the flick sticks provided to manually open and close your curtains. This will prevent the leading edges of your curtains from being handled. Even clean hands can leave sweat marks on curtains over time. When pulling the flick stick do not bend it but rather pull in a straight line and walk the curtain along its path. Bending the flick stick may over time cause it to break.

Motorized curtains and blinds
If the remotes stop working, this could be due to various reasons.
The first thing to try is to change the battery in the remote or recharge it where this feature is available.
For battery operated remotes – do you recharge the motor batteries regularly? We always supply a charging unit with remotes. Charging every six months is recommended. If lithium ion batteries are left to dissipate too low they may fail. This type of issue is not covered under the warranty.
For hard wired remotes – have you had a power failure? This could cause the remote to reset, and erase pre programmed limit settings. 

Roller blinds and Roman blinds
Always operate with the remote, or control chains if manual. Never pull the blind down by the base bar or fabric. This could cause the fabric to come off the tube.

Curtains – lined and / or blockout curtains
These should never be dry cleaned. The curtains will lose their “feel”, and possibly shrink.
Instead, vacuum them regularly, with the upholstery tool, like you would your fabric sofa.
Any marks can be carefully spot cleaned, but do test the hem at the back of the curtain first, to see how the fabric “behaves”.

Sheer curtains
100% polyester curtains can be washed, carefully. Hand wash only (the bath is good) and then drip dry on the washing line. If you are rehanging them whilst still damp, put towels on the floor under the curtains to mop up water drips.
Sheer curtain fabrics containing any natural fibres like cotton or linen will shrink. So, only vacuum them as described above.

Sewn Roman blinds (fabric)
Should never be dry cleaned. They will lose their “feel”, and possibly shrink.
Vacuum them regularly, with the upholstery tool. Vacuum like you would your sofa.
Any marks can be carefully spot cleaned, but do test the face fabric first.

Shutters
Wipe with a damp cloth; or vacuum.

Aluminum venetian blinds
Wash outside using a soft bristle brush and soapy water, rinse using the hose and let dry (fold them over a pool fence, or put them on a trampoline).

Roller blinds
Wipe fabric with a damp cloth. Use “Magic Block” for removing marks.

Timber venetians
Cedar venetians should never be “wet” as the timber will absorb water and swell the timber. Vacuum the slats carefully with the round tool brush.
Faux timber venetians can be wiped over with a damp cloth.

Mould and mildew
Can be removed easily from faux timber venetians with a damp cloth.
On fabric products (roller blinds, curtains and sewn Roman blinds) the mould is virtually impossible to remove, without damaging the fabric and causing bleaching.
The best way to prevent the mould growing on your window furnishings is to keep the window glass well ventilated, and to wipe the glass interior regularly with a weak bleach solution. Sliding doors should have the tracks wiped too.
During winter, check that condensation doesn’t form on the window interior – this will encourage mould growth just as much as the humid months of summer.
Louver windows tend to be left open, this can let in moisture and encourage mould growth on the glass, and then the window coverings. Check the back of your curtains and blinds every week during the humid weather, and wipe the glass louvers with a weak bleach solution.
Roman blinds should be regularly lowered to their full travel – don’t keep them folded up for weeks on end. The folds need to be let down to ensure adequate ventilation on both sides of the blind.

Curtain tracks
These should be sprayed with a food grade silicone spray, to ensure smooth traverse of the curtain hooks. Remove the curtains first though!
Our tracks come with them sprayed, but if after time the curtain hooks seem to “stick” and not move freely, try spraying with the food grade silicone spray. Do not use WD40, as this is not food grade and will damage your tracks.  We recommend using “Helmar” silicone spray – available for purchase from us.

Contact us to discuss your requirements – just fill out our briefing form