How to wash thread curtains (muslin) in a washing machine, how to wash thread curtains by hand and clean them without removing them from the curtain rod?

Thread curtains are a fairly common option for decorating windows in apartments. Another name for them is muslin. The product does not get very dirty, but room dust often accumulates on it.

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

It is important to pre-prepare them for washing and dry them properly. We will tell you in this article how to properly wash thread curtains (muslin) by hand and in an automatic washing machine.

Preparing threads for washing

Threads get tangled during any washing process . The resulting lump is quite difficult to untangle in the future. Often, after washing, thread curtains lose their appearance and have to be thrown away.

To prevent the product from getting tangled during washing, you need to collect all its threads and weave them into a braid. You can also collect thread curtains into one bundle and tie it with braid a couple of times.

It is recommended to gather the muslin into a braid or plait while it is still hanging on the eaves. If the product has any decorative elements, they should also be carefully tied with braid.

Is it possible to wash thread curtains?

Threads Several years ago, curtains made of threads came into fashion, as they help transform the interior and improve the design of the apartment.
They are used not only to decorate window openings, but also for the purpose of zoning space, that is, to divide a room into several fundamentally different areas that differ in their functionality. Is it possible to wash thread curtains:

Now there are a lot of similar products on sale, which are complemented by beads, lurex thread, and even fringed areas. Depending on the additional decor, the washing method is selected.
Many housewives have a question about how to wash a curtain, because some craftsmen simply removed the curtains from the curtain rod and placed them in a drum.
Naturally, after washing, even in delicate mode, a large number of tangles formed, and the curtains are hopelessly damaged and tangled. It is almost impossible to untangle such a product. So all that was left was to simply throw it away. Therefore, such products need to be washed taking into account all the features. Read on to learn how to do it right.

Manual processing

After the muslin is woven into a braid, tied with braid and removed from the curtain rod, you can start washing the curtains.

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

Divide the product still on the cornice into two or three equal parts.
Collect the separately taken part into a vertical bundle. Tie it with ribbons in several places. It is recommended to maintain a distance of 15 cm between the ribbons.
Take a basin and pour warm water into it. Her temperature should not be high. Maximum 400 C.
Add liquid soap to the water, then stir the solution.
Immerse the rope curtain in the soapy solution. Soak it for half an hour.
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.
Pour dirty water out of the basin. Gently rinse the curtain by placing it under the shower.
Lightly squeeze the washed muslin. Wait until the water drains from it.
Hang the still wet product on the curtain rod and then unravel it.

The video will show you how to wash muslin by hand:

Preparatory work

Curtains have a delicate structure, so they must be prepared before any type of washing. Care must be taken to ensure that the threads do not become deformed or tangled during cleaning.

How to remove rope curtains

For each type of wash, the preparation process may be slightly different.

Washing machine

Without removing the curtain threads, divide them directly on the cornice into 2-3 parts, taking into account the width of the curtain. Each resulting part, in turn, is divided into three identical bundles, which are braided into a braid. Not too tight, but not too weak, so that the threads do not fray during washing. Upon completion of the weaving, tie the ends with a ribbon or elastic band. Then the product is placed in a special bag for washing delicate fabrics.

Handwash

Thread curtains that hang on the eaves are divided into equal parts. Then each of them needs to be tied with ribbons or ribbons in several places. The dressings should be along the entire length of the curtain approximately every 15 cm. As a dressing material, it is best to take a light cotton ribbon - it will not leave marks on the surface of the threads.

Which detergent to choose

For cleaning by hand or in a washing machine, experts recommend using liquid detergent or gel. They dissolve easily in water, and there is no need to rinse the product additionally. If you don’t have such products on hand, you can take washing powder. It is pre-dissolved in warm water so that the sticky lumps do not get stuck in the fibers of the threads.

You should not use powder with colored grains - if they do not dissolve in the liquid, they can leave stains of the same color

In addition to the consistency of the detergent, it is recommended to pay attention to its purpose. Bleaching powder is for white curtains, and multi-colored curtains are best washed with detergent for colored items.

To rinse synthetic thread curtains, you can use a conditioner with antistatic properties.

Cotton, linen or knitted threads should not be washed at temperatures above 30°C, otherwise they may become deformed;
It is not recommended to skip the preliminary tying step, since it will be impossible to untangle the curtains afterwards;
curtains cannot be washed with clothes or bedding;
Do not use aggressive bleach - the threads will become thinner or even break;
It is not recommended to dry curtains on a radiator or in the open rays of the sun;
After washing, the curtain is not ironed, but hung in the bathroom, allowing the water to drain.

In the washing machine

Rope curtains are not recommended to be machine washed. Its threads become tangled in the drum. As a result, the product loses its appearance.

To save time, muslin can be washed in a machine, but you must do the following before and during the process:

Divide the curtain into two or three parts. Divide a separate part into three bundles, from which weave a loose braid. Tie the bottom of each braid with braid. If the curtain is not wide, then you can weave one braid out of it.
Remove the tied muslin from the cornice.
Place the woven curtain in a mesh bag specially designed for washing.
Set the washing machine to the “Gentle Wash” or “Hand Wash” mode. The temperature should not exceed 400 C. The washing duration should not exceed 40 minutes. The optimal time is half an hour. Do not turn on the “Spin” mode.
Pour into the compartment only a special liquid detergent used for washing delicate items. Pour conditioner containing an antistatic agent into the rinsing compartment.
Remove the washed item from the bag and hang it in the bathroom. Wait until the water drains from it.
Hang the item on the ledge, then unravel it.

Kisey made from glass beads is prohibited from being machine washed. Also, you should not wash items decorated with beads and other decor in it.

Preparatory work

Curtains have a delicate structure, so they must be prepared before any type of washing. Care must be taken to ensure that the threads do not become deformed or tangled during cleaning.

How to remove rope curtains

For each type of wash, the preparation process may be slightly different.

Washing machine

Handwash

Which detergent to choose

You should not use powder with colored grains - if they do not dissolve in the liquid, they can leave stains of the same color

To rinse synthetic thread curtains, you can use a conditioner with antistatic properties.

Cotton, linen or knitted threads should not be washed at temperatures above 30°C, otherwise they may become deformed;
It is not recommended to skip the preliminary tying step, since it will be impossible to untangle the curtains afterwards;
curtains cannot be washed with clothes or bedding;
Do not use aggressive bleach - the threads will become thinner or even break;
It is not recommended to dry curtains on a radiator or in the open rays of the sun;
After washing, the curtain is not ironed, but hung in the bathroom, allowing the water to drain.

Drying

It is recommended to hang muslin on the curtain rod immediately after washing . First you need to hang the rope curtain woven into a braid on the curtain rod. After this you can unravel it.

Wet threads will stretch on their own under their own weight.
After drying, they will become straight again. There is no need to leave the product in a bandaged state to dry . In this form, the thing will not only quickly lose its appearance, but will also stretch incorrectly. If such a situation arises, it is recommended to moisten the threads of the product with a spray bottle and wait until they dry.

How to clean muslin without removing it from the curtain rod?

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

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 operate at low power . During the cleaning process, you need to walk on both sides of the product from top to bottom.

When wet cleaning an item, 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 avoid cleaning them with a steam generator. From hot steam, the product quickly loses its appearance and can be damaged.

An alternative option for cleaning rope curtains is to use a soapy solution. With this method you need:

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

This method is recommended for cleaning curtain threads made from delicate materials that cannot be treated with hot steam.

Traditional cleaning method

Thread curtains with beads or other decor are prohibited from being placed in the machine. These curtains will have to be washed by hand. The algorithm of actions is as follows:

fill the basin with water at a temperature of 30-40°C;
pour the cleaning agent into the container, mix the soap solution well;
soak the prepared curtain (tied with ribbons) in water for 15-20 minutes;
add some hot water to the basin;
Wash the curtain using massaging movements.

Then you need to start rinsing. To do this, muslin is laid out in the bathtub and each rope is washed with a shower head. It is better to rinse the curtain last time in a basin by mixing a little antistatic conditioner into the water. Next, the curtain is attached above the bathtub. When excess water has drained, the canvas can be attached to the curtain.

Features of removing difficult stains

More often, greasy marks and food stains remain on the muslin. It is recommended to remove old stains using home remedies. Among them:

Dish detergent . Recommended for removing traces of fat. It is necessary to braid a thread curtain and place it in a basin with a solution based on warm water and dishwashing liquid. Kisei needs to be soaked for half an hour.
Alcohol. Effective in removing greasy stains.
They are also recommended to remove traces of food and dirty hands. It is necessary to soak the muslin threads well with an alcohol solution and lightly wipe them. When cleaning, do not strain the threads too much. This way they will quickly lose their shape.
A mixture of ammonia and hydrogen peroxide . Suitable for removing not very deep stains. You need to mix two large spoons of ammonia and peroxide and pour them into two liters of warm water. Soak the resulting solution and gently wipe the muslin.
Saline solution . You need to add three large spoons 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. A saline solution is used to remove old grease stains from muslin.

It is recommended to soak a rope curtain made of colored threads in cold water with vinegar added to it. 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.

Do not clean thread products with aggressive solvents. For such things, cleaning with acetone, turpentine, gasoline, or white spirit is contraindicated. It is not recommended to treat muslin with bleach. This may cause the product to lose its color.

Main causes of pollution

Cigarette smoke spoils the air in the apartment and affects the appearance of curtains.
Thread curtains get dirty for the same reasons as regular curtains made of thick fabric or tulle. The loss of freshness of curtains leads to:

bright light of the sun - under the influence of sunlight, colored threads and cords fade, and white ones turn yellow;
dust settling on the curtains - both street and indoor;
kitchen soot and aromas of cooking food - if a muslin curtain hangs in the kitchen, it quickly becomes saturated with both;
fumes from the operation of a heating gas boiler - such boilers are also usually installed in the kitchen;
cigarette smoke - curtains absorb not only nicotine yellowness, but also the specific smell of tobacco;
animal hair – cats and dogs, especially at the age of kittens/puppies, often enjoy tugging at curtains.

In addition, the reason for the loss of “sales appearance” for such curtains can be their improper washing. Threaded curtains can darken, fade, change color, or become deformed when exposed to too much hot water, improper bleaching, or too much wringing. Also, when washing a noodle curtain, there is a high risk of threads getting tangled, which cannot always be untangled and returned to its previous appearance.

It is not necessary to wash hard muslin: just wipe it thoroughly with a soft cloth moistened with water or dishwashing detergent. Curtains consisting of threads decorated with individual beads should be washed only by hand, otherwise not only the beads will be damaged, but also the mechanisms of the washing machine.

Machine washing muslin curtains does not present any difficulties, but it is only permissible for thread curtains without any solid decorative elements. Before washing thread curtains in the machine, you will have to do a number of manipulations with them.

Recommendations and prohibitions

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

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

It is forbidden to machine wash curtains bordered with decorative elements . You should not choose dry powders as a laundry detergent. It is prohibited 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 designed for washing colored items are suitable. It is recommended to wash synthetic muslins with a liquid conditioner that has an antistatic effect.

The following nuances should be taken into account:

thread curtains made of cotton and linen can only be washed in 30-degree water;
Rope curtains not assembled into a bundle or bundle cannot be washed either in a machine or by hand;
It is forbidden to wash together with other things;
cannot be pressed;
It is forbidden to dry on a radiator.

For hand washing, you should select a large basin. In it, the product will not be folded several times, which will reduce the likelihood of threads getting tangled.

After the washed and bundled item is placed on the curtain rod, you should not immediately begin to unravel it. It is necessary to align each thread one by one and step by step. This needs to be done from top to bottom.

Complex stains on muslin should be removed with special products that are used in dry cleaning . It is recommended to immediately take such curtains to a specialized dry cleaner.

Useful tips

Do not use chemicals unless absolutely necessary. And the use of chlorine is generally contraindicated. Give preference to oxygen gels. Always consider fabric composition when intending to manipulate tissue.

Rules for washing tulle made of delicate and light fabrics:

Mechanical cleaning. There can be no question of it if the composition of the tulle is delicate: no brushes, abrasives or powders. A cleaning method that involves rubbing fabric against fabric is also discarded - it is fraught with stretching and deformation of the delicate fabric.
Squeeze and tap. You only need to wash the tulle with light squeezes and pats of the dirty area. If the localized stain problem is not neutralized the first time, the solution used for soaking and washing is changed and the washing is repeated.

Regardless of the composition and method, before washing the tulle, it must be cleaned. It consists of getting rid of large accumulations of dust. It is convenient to carry out the procedure outdoors - just shake the curtain several times.

How to dry properly

To avoid fabric deformation, twisting and wringing are kept to a minimum. It is ideal to let the water drain on its own - to do this, the tulle should be hung on a rope.

Drying should be done away from heating devices. Avoid direct sunlight.

When water stops dripping from the curtains, they can be returned to their usual place - on the curtains. Thin tulle will not only dry, but also smooth out, without requiring ironing.

Ironing rules

Almost all tulle, except cotton, cannot be ironed. To avoid the need for an iron, dry properly.

If the process cannot be avoided, use low temperatures, use a cloth (for example, gauze) to iron on it, and not on the fabric of the curtain itself. Iron in “Silk” mode.

Despite the prejudice: the more you wash, the cleaner the tulle will be - frequent washing will inevitably lead to the loss of its attractive appearance. This is a sure way to damage the fabric, which is difficult or even impossible to neutralize. Therefore, wash your tulle no more than four times a year, but do it correctly.