Curtains often serve as your window highlight and complement your living space generally. Many people can agree that getting a perfect match curtain with the exact theme and quality for your home is often hard and expensive. So when they become tired and tatty with little stains we need to know how to whiten our net curtains and bring them back to life!
They serve an important role such as ensuring your privacy and regulating the amount of light coming to your house, we do need them.
However, stains and dirt are the major cause of their dullness and loss of vibrancy. At times smoke, dust, mould and body oil among other stains often turn them undesirable and too good to be disposed of.
But if you consider their worth and the cost of restoring their vibrancy, it’s very economical to keep them instead.
All you need is a great whitening technique (similar to how to remove stains from a white shirt guide) and effective ingredients or stain removers that maintain the quality of your fabric. What’s more, some of the cleaning techniques rely on ingredients that are at your disposal in your household. Take your time and let’s find out the easy step to restore your curtains’ original glare instantly.
Table of Contents
Can I Use Bleach on Net Curtains?
Do you need to bleach your curtains? Yes, of course, over time curtains becomes dull whether they are white or any other colour. This happens whether you handle them directly with your hands or when they are left without interference.
The major cause of dirt is often dust from air, body oil when you touch the curtain or smoking a cigarette in the house. Thus, if your curtains lose their original colour and appear good to be a rag, then it’s about time you bleach them.
There are various techniques of brightening your curtains and among them is the use of bleaching agents, product whiteners or homemade remedies. In this case, we will be looking at bleaching techniques to restore your curtains back to their original colour and answering the “how to whiten net curtains” conundrum once and for all!
How to Bleach Net Curtains
Using a Washing Machine – With this bleaching technique, all the load is done by the machine. Furthermore, the process is simple and something you are used to as long as you always do laundry by yourself. Irrespective of that, it’s still a simple technique you can grasp within a short while.
1st step – Begin by setting the low temperature on your washing machine and ensure it’s on a delicate washing cycle.
2nd step – Put the curtains into the washer and then leave them to soak for about 20 minutes. In case your machine lacks the soaking cycle feature, you can switch it off as an alternative means for 20 minutes.
3rd step – Take one cup of bleaching agent and gentle soap then add to the machine and turn on the cycle.
4th step – When the washing cycle is done, withdraw the curtains from the machine and hand them on the line to air dry.
Alternatively – You can use laundry detergent, baking soda and bleach to whiten your curtains. All you have to do is take the proper amount of your favourite bleaching agent and add it to the washer.
For baking soda and laundry detergent, take a quarter cup of each and add it into the washer. Then, switch on the machine.
When agitation begins, turn it off and let the curtain soak for an hour. After an hour, turn it on and set it on a complete washing cycle. Once washing is complete, hang them on the line to dry or use a dryer instead.
Using a Homemade Recipe
If you don’t fancy the use of chemical bleaching agents in order to whiten a net curtain, then trying a homemade bleaching solution is a great idea. In this case, you will need a cup of ordinary vinegar as well as laundry soap.
Apart from serving as the bleaching solution, vinegar is very effective in eliminating any build-up of soap on your fabric. When you are done, hang the curtains to dry or use a dryer.
Alternative method: Use lemon and hot water to soak your curtains. This is a very DIY since its just two things that you will need.
To begin with, choose the biggest pot in the house and fill it with clean water. Slice the lemons and then put them in. Afterwards, withdraw the pot from the heating source and place it aside.
Using a wooden spoon, deep stir your curtains and soak them for about an hour.
Thereafter, you can wash the curtains using your ordinary technique, whether it’s machine wash or simply hand wash. Once you are through, hang them to dry on the sun or use a dryer.
How to Get Rid of Mould
Apart from ruining your curtains’ aesthetic value, health-wise moulds are very harmful. Preventive measures can be handy in reducing their occurrence but cannot eliminate 100%. However, it’s very important to eliminate them once you notice it growing on your curtains.
How Does it Form?
In most cases, our house windows are often facing the sun. This means they come in contact with direct heat at one given moment of the day. When this happens, the curtains are often in a cool and somehow moist state.
Thus, this creates a perfect breeding ground. And it’s for this reason that moulds are often found on curtains even when they are absent on other sections of the house. Furthermore, when cold glass windows get heat up with direct heat from the sun, condensation is bound to happen.
In this case, your curtains or even blinds covering the window will soak up the moisture formed as well as the warmth. But lo, the end result of this is an ugly patch of mould.
Moulds can be really persistent and revolting once they cling on your curtains or any other moist surface on your household. Thus, when you notice it, elimination is a must by all means possible.
How do you get rid of moulds?
The following are effective removal tips for moulds on your curtains…
Vacuum Cleaning
Once you notice molds growing on your curtains, it’s certain they have spores. Set your curtain well on a flat surface and vacuum clean it. This will pull out loose pores on the curtain surface. When you are done, ensure you chuck/empty the vacuum bag to dispose of the spores.
Alternatively, you can use a brush to dislodge some of the loose spores on your curtain surface. Ensure you do it outside to avoid spreading the mould spores in your living space.
Using a Washing Machine
1st step – Before putting your curtains into the washing machine, start by getting a recommended stain pre-treatment remedy on the areas affected.
An alternative solution is mixing a bleaching agent in the ratio of 1:4 with water in a spray bottle. On a 15 to 20 cm distance, spray the affected area to avoid fabric whitening.
2nd step – Put the curtains in your washing machine and then add a half cup of baking soda to prevent shrinkage and remove unpleasant smell. Lastly, add a fabric conditioner and set the machine on less than forty degrees temperature before switching it on the washing cycle.
3rd step – When it’s done, air dry or line-dry your curtains. However, it’s good to avoid dryer since it may cause shrinkage of your curtains.
How Do You Prevent Mould Formations?
When you are successful with eliminating the mold from your curtains, it’s proper to take preventive measures. The following are effective measures you can implement to protect your curtains in the future.
Ventilation – Ensure there is proper ventilation in your living space. Also, you can open the windows during the day to allow the circulation of fresh air. This practice will curb moisture build up in your home and the possibility of mould growth.
Dryness – Keeping your curtains dry all the time will certainly keep the moulds away. A humidifier is a great solution in this case. Alternatively, you can opt for a more economical and less time-consuming solution. Take silica gel or any other effective drying agent and hang it close to your curtains.
How Do You Get Nicotine Stains Out of Curtains
Smoking is quite destructive not only to the second-hand smoke but also to your household items. The main item that often takes a hard hit is your curtains and your white ceiling. Thus the habit of smoking in the house should be avoided.
How Will you Know Your Curtains Have Nicotine Stains?
When your curtains get hit by smoke from your cigarette, they often get a yellow stain. These stains often become pronounced over time and unsightly.
Apart from that, it also leaves a stale stench. Even worse, it’s not easy to remove the nicotine by using the ordinary standard detergent. But don’t worry; there are effective ways and remedies to get the job done easily.
How Do you Remove Nicotine Stains from Your Curtains?
The following are effective steps you can follow to get rid of the last spot of nicotine stain on your curtains…
1st step – Start by preparing the proper cleaning solution for your curtains. In this process, you will need a quart of warm water on a vessel. Then add laundry detergent which should be half a tablespoon. What’s more, add a spoonful of white vinegar and mix the solution thoroughly.
2nd step – Soak your curtains in this solution for approximately an hour. Also, ensure you stir the water occasionally for the best result. When the half an hour is over, remove your curtains and rinse them with warm water.
3rd step – If the stain persists, take a cloth and dip it in alcohol then rub gently against the stained section of the curtain.
4th step – Use a washing machine to complete cleaning your clothing. In this case, set it on a delicate cycle after which you should rinse them thoroughly and then hang on the lines to dry.
NOTE: the above solution is effective on curtains made from nylon polyester, rayon, and acrylic. However, there are also, ingredients for other types of curtain materials and they include the following:
Vinyl curtains including blinds: using the ratio of 1:8, mix dishwashing detergent with warm water. And then deep your curtains into this solution and soak them for a whole night.
Afterwards, you can use a washing brush with a soft bristle to scrub the stain. Then follow the above 3rd and 4th step.
Cotton and Linen: for these materials, you will need two quarts of warm water on a vessel. And then add a table spoon-full of laundry detergent and the same amount of rubbing alcohol. Thereafter mix thoroughly and soak your curtains in this solution for about 15-20 minutes. From this point follow the above 3rd and 4th step.
Wool and satin: take a clean bowl and add in it dishwashing detergent and glycerin in the ratio 1:1. Afterwards, add a similar amount of white vinegar to the mixture and mix them evenly.
Once you are through, add this mixture to 8 parts of warm water and mix them thoroughly. Take your stained curtains and then soak them in this solution. Thereafter follow the above 3rd and 4th step.
Preventive Measures to keep your Net Curtains White
At times preventive measures are better than the cure. With this regard, avoid smoking in your house to keep your curtains safe. You can always do it on your balcony or in the back yard of your house.
This will not only protect your curtain from stains and bad stench but also your fellow mates who are non-smokers.
Final Remarks
Dust, stains, molds and body oil are unavoidable in our living space. For this reason, it’s inevitable for your curtains to get stained. For this reason, you need to give them a special treat from time to time, in order to restore their original state.
With the above simple cleaning techniques, you can clean your curtains and eliminates the stain within a short instance. Thus, rather than spending your hard-earned cash on getting new curtains and disposed of the stained ones which also cost you a great amount of budget, save your cash with the above inexpensive and DIY cleaning methods.
Back to you – How is the above information, has it been helpful to your search? If so, which technique have you chosen to apply to your curtain stains?