Most drapes never need to come down to get clean. We clean them right where they hang, in your home. Most jobs take under an hour. Here's how it works, what can and can't be done in place, and what to avoid if you try it yourself.
Can my drapes be cleaned without taking them down?
Almost always, yes. Nearly any drape can be cleaned while it hangs: lined drapes, pleated panels, valances, swags, heavy formal drapery and most sheers. Once in a while a sheer has to come down, usually when it has heavy browning or yellow discoloration. That fabric is more sensitive, so it needs a full dry clean. We send those to a local dry cleaning company we work with, which has the equipment for it.
What happens during an on-site drape cleaning visit?
- Walk-through. We put on shoe covers, walk the room with you and look at each drape. We check the fabric type and decide which cleaning process fits it.
- Protect the room. Drop cloths go down to protect your floors, and we move any furniture that's in the way.
- Vacuum first. Every drape gets a thorough vacuum to pull out the dry dust before anything wet touches it.
- Clean. We apply a cleaning solution chosen for that fabric, then extract it back out with a portable machine.
- Finish. We straighten the pleats so they hang the way they should, and steam them if needed so they sit well.
- Clean up and walk-through. Furniture goes back where it was, anything that fell gets vacuumed up, and we walk through the finished work with you and explain what we did.
Why not use a truck-mounted carpet machine on drapes?
A truck-mounted machine is great for carpet, but its suction is too strong for drapery and can damage the fabric. For drapes we use a portable extractor, which gives us the control delicate fabric needs.
How long do drapes take to dry?
Usually about 30 minutes. Drapes should get as little moisture as possible, so we use very little water and, most of the time, a cleaning solvent that evaporates quickly. Heavier fabrics can take 1 to 3 hours.
What do people get wrong cleaning drapes themselves?
The most common mistake is using carpet cleaning chemicals on drapes. Carpet products are made for carpet fiber, not drapery fabric. Drapes also don't want much water. Soaking them can shrink, stain or warp them.
What about tall, heavy or motorized drapes?
A lot of our drapery work is in larger homes, with drapes 12, 14, even 16 feet up. That means ladders, very heavy panels and, often, motorized tracks. We work carefully around the motors so they aren't damaged, and we keep track of which hooks go where so the pleats sit right when we're done.
Can moldy drapes be saved?
Often, yes. One of our favorite jobs was a set of drapes covered in mold that had blown out of a home's HVAC system. The homeowner had called 17 other companies in Knoxville, and none of them would touch those drapes, even taken down. We worked alongside the remediation company handling the house, cleaned the drapes, and got the mold off. The homeowner was amazed, and she has since called us back for her upholstery and her hardwood floors.
How often should drapes be cleaned?
We recommend every 6 to 12 months, the same schedule as your carpets. Besides your central air system, your drapes and rugs are the biggest dust filters in the house. A lot of larger homes don't have much carpet at all; they have a wool rug and drapes, and all the dust in the air settles into them.
Keeping them clean, and vacuuming them between cleanings, keeps that dust and the allergens in it out of the air you breathe, and helps keep mold levels down. It's healthier for the house and everyone in it.
Book on-site drape cleaning in Knoxville
Call or text (865) 255-9692, or see our drapery cleaning service. Drapery is quoted on site after we see the fabric and the size of the job.