Cleaning drapes correctly will add life. Neglecting them will only cost you more money in the end. Here are a few tips we would recommend. Inspect the back fabric; you are looking at the back of your drapes for sun rot. This deterioration of the fabric is caused by intense and frequent sun exposure and extreme heat. Natural fibers, like silk, tend to fade and sun rot quicker than manmade fabrics. Dust your drapery frequently with a vacuum attachment on the lowest setting to remove topical dirt and bacteria. Here are the different fabric contents and their processes for cleaning.

Cotton/Rayon combination fabrics should always be dry-cleaned and never washed. The primary drawback of cotton is that it has a tendency to shrink when cleaned.

Cotton/Polyester draperies tend to be the most durable of all of the blends. This fabric cleans very well and resists shrinking. Dry cleaning is recommended when cleaning cotton/polyester blend fabrics.

Self-lined draperies provide excellent insulation, privacy, and durability at a relatively modest price. Be sure to start by only purchasing self-lined draperies with cotton or suede backings because of their superior durability. These draperies do require some special attention when dry cleaned. However, they certainly have been cleaned successfully by dry cleaners for many years. Talk to your cleaner to find out what care they take in cleaning draperies with self-lined backing.

Inherently Fire Proof/Flame Retardant draperies are made so that the fiber itself will not sustain or continue to flame. These fabrics are be constructed with a mod-acrylic material built into the fibers. The fire retardant feature will not change, stop working or wash out because of dry cleaning.