How to clean blockout curtains at home

The short answer on how to clean blockout curtains is to vacuum them regularly, spot clean marks gently, and leave a full wash to a professional wet cleaner or a careful hand wash at 40°C at most. Blockout fabric is coated, and the coating is what stops light passing through the cloth. Every rule below is about protecting it: no washing machine, no tumble dryer, no bleach, and no rubbing or wringing.

Our care instructions for blockout curtains

These are the same care instructions shown in the fabric details for Galaxy and Epic on our product pages. The steps below build on them.

• Spot clean with care, and test it on a hidden part first.
• Do not use a washing machine. Professional wet cleaning with a mild detergent, such as a wool wash, is recommended.
• If you hand wash, use cool to warm water (40°C at most). Curtains are heavy when wet.
• Do not bleach, soak, rub or wring, and do not tumble dry.
• Hang the curtains by their hooks to drip dry in the shade, so the coated sides do not touch. Do not use pegs or fold them over a clothes line.
• Iron the fabric side only, never the coated side.
• Fabrics can shrink by up to 3 per cent after cleaning.

A lined curtain is cleaned as one piece, so follow the same list for its coated lining. You cannot wash the sheer front separately from the lining.

Many people search for "blackout curtains". It is the same product as blockout, and the advice here covers either name.

Why the coating needs gentle care

Galaxy is polyester with an acrylic coating, and Epic is polyester with an acrylic backing, coated in three layers. That layer is opaque, which is why light does not come through the cloth, and it shows as a white backing at the edges and hems. It is also why these curtains are more sensitive than a sheer:

• Heat and tumbling can harm it.
• Rubbing and wringing can crack or lift it.
• Wet coated surfaces pressed together can stick, so folding a wet curtain over a line is a risk.
• The curtains are heavy when wet, which strains seams and hooks.

How to clean blockout curtains every month: vacuum and air

Dust is the main enemy, and it is easy to control.

1. Fit the soft brush attachment and use low suction.
2. Start at the top, around the hooks and heading, and work down along the folds.
3. Steady the curtain with your other hand so it does not get sucked towards the nozzle.
4. Vacuum the room side first. Then do the back lightly, working along the fabric rather than pressing down.
5. Wipe the track and sill with a dry cloth so dust does not fall back onto the hem.

Open the window on a dry, breezy day now and then and let the curtains air in the room. It helps with smells from cooking, pets or a closed-up bedroom.

How to spot clean blockout curtains

Fresh marks lift more easily than old ones. Because you should avoid rubbing the coating, a blot is always better than a scrub.

1. Test a hidden area first, such as the back of a hem, with a drop of mild detergent in a little water.
2. Mix a few drops of mild detergent into a cup of cool water.
3. Dip a clean cloth in the mixture and wring it almost dry.
4. Blot the mark on the fabric side, working from the outer edge towards the middle.
5. Blot again with a cloth dampened in plain water to lift the soap.
6. Press with a dry towel and leave the curtain open to air dry.

Keep the coated back as dry as you can. If a mark has gone through to the white backing, stop and consider a professional, because more water and rubbing usually make it worse.

Can you wash blockout curtains?

Yes, but not in the way you wash clothes. A domestic washing machine and a tumble dryer are both out. Professional wet cleaning is recommended, and a careful hand wash at 40°C at most is the alternative. Ask a cleaner for wet cleaning rather than solvent dry cleaning.

Whichever name you search under, the answer is the same: do not use a machine, and keep your hand wash quick and gentle. If the curtains are large, long or lined, the wet clean is often the safer choice because a cleaner has the space and the equipment to support the weight while they dry.

How to wash blockout curtains by hand

Set aside a morning or afternoon on a mild, dry day, and ask someone to help with lifting.

1. Take the curtains down. Remove hooks, rings and trims and keep them in a labelled bag.
2. Vacuum both sides to remove loose dust before any water touches the fabric.
3. Spread a clean cotton sheet on a flat, shaded surface such as a clean patio or floor. Lay the curtain on it with the fabric side up.
4. Mix a mild detergent, ideally a wool wash, into a bucket of cool to warm water. It should be no hotter than 40°C.
5. Wash one section at a time by pressing a soft sponge onto the fabric. Do not rub, scrub or soak.
6. Rinse each section by sponging with clean water until the suds are gone. Change the rinse water as it clouds.
7. Press out water with a dry towel. Do not twist or wring.
8. Lift the curtain with two people, supporting its full width, and hang it by its hooks in the shade.

Drying blockout curtains

• Hang by the hooks on a rail or line so the curtain hangs open. Never fold it over the line.
• Do not use pegs. They can mark the coating and concentrate the weight.
• Keep coated sides apart. Check that no part of the curtain rests against another part.
• Choose shade and airflow. A verandah or a shaded side of the house is ideal.
• Wait until it is completely dry before you rehang or store it. A damp coating is more likely to stick, and a damp curtain on a shut window is where musty smells begin.

Can you iron blackout curtains?

Yes, carefully. The care instructions say to use a warm iron on the fabric side only, and never on the coated side.

1. Make sure the curtain is completely dry.
2. Set the iron to warm, not hot.
3. Iron the fabric side, keeping the iron moving and using a thin cotton cloth between the iron and the fabric if it helps.
4. Work in sections and let the finished part hang off the board rather than drag on the floor.

Most creases relax on their own. If they are from folding, rehang the curtain, draw it open and leave it for a few days. If you use a steamer, test a hidden area first and keep the steam off the coated side.

Freshening blockout curtains

Stale smells build up in bedrooms that are shut most of the day. Try these steps in order:

1. Air the curtains in the shade on a dry, breezy day.
2. Vacuum both sides.
3. For a stubborn smell, lay the curtain flat on a clean sheet, sprinkle a thin layer of bicarbonate of soda on the fabric side after testing a hidden area, leave it for a few hours, then vacuum it off thoroughly.
4. If that fails, arrange a wet clean.

If the smell is musty and you can see dark speckles, it may be mould. Read how to remove mould from blinds and curtains before you brush anything.

Looking after the light-blocking

Cleaning gently does not change how a coated fabric blocks light. Damage does, when heat, rubbing or harsh chemicals wear the coating thin or lift it. If you notice the coating flaking, tacky or peeling, stop washing and read how to clean rubber-backed curtains without peeling.

Blockout stops light passing through the cloth, and a little still shows around the edges, top and bottom. Our blockout curtains work best on a track that extends beyond the window on each side, which helps at the edges, or with double curtains, which pair a blockout with a sheer on a second track. The sheer layer has its own hand wash instructions in how to wash sheer curtains.

For the wider routine, including sheers, see how to clean curtains the right way and how to wash curtains without damaging them.

Questions

Can you wash blockout curtains in the washing machine?

No. Our care instructions say not to use a domestic washing machine on coated blockout curtains. Choose professional wet cleaning, or hand wash in cool to warm water at 40°C at most.

Can you iron blackout curtains?

Yes, on the fabric side only, with a warm iron. Never iron the coated side. Creases often relax on their own if you rehang the curtain and leave it for a few days.

How do I get a smell out of blockout curtains?

Air them in the shade on a dry, breezy day and vacuum both sides. If a smell remains, a wet clean by a professional or a careful hand wash is the next step.

How often should I clean blockout curtains?

Vacuum them roughly once a month, spot clean marks as they appear, and give them a full clean only when they look grubby or smell stale.

Does washing blockout curtains stop them blocking light?

Not if you follow the care instructions. Heat, rubbing and harsh chemicals are what damage a coating.