How Often Should You Clean Your Curtains? Here's What Experts Say
Hint: It’s more often than you might think! Curtains and drapes can be major dust traps; here's how to clean them.
Nicholas Johnson
It's easy to hang up curtains and never give them a second thought, but unless you're routinely cleaning them, they could actually be harming the air quality of your home. Curtains need to be cleaned just like every other surface in your space. Otherwise, they just collect dust, stains, pet hair, pollen, dirt, and other airborne grime, making your home dusty, and smelly, and in some cases, lowering the indoor air quality.
But how often do you actually need to wash them? The experts at the American Cleaning Institute share their top tips.
Related: The 12 Best Curtains Our Editors Recommend
Do You Actually Need to Wash Curtains?
Curtains are not just for aesthetics and privacy—they also filter dust particles and smells out of the air. That means if you don’t clean them, your home can quickly become a den of dust. Dust mites—which are microscopic, wingless bugs that can live in carpets, mattresses, and curtains—are the most common triggers of allergies and asthma. Even though you cannot see these tiny creatures, there’s a fair chance they’re on your curtains—which definitely warrants a thorough cleaning every few months.
Related: Why Is My House So Dusty? 4 Common Causes of Dust
How Often to Wash Curtains
Cleaning curtains can be a hassle, because taking down all that fabric and hardware is a pain—and it turns out most people share this sentiment. In fact, the American Cleaning Institute found that 72% of Americans clean their curtains just once a year, usually in the spring as part of the annual cleaning routine. The ACI actually advises you to clean your curtains more often than that—four times as often, to be precise. They recommend a quick vacuum and spot cleaning on a weekly and monthly basis, with a full cleaning every three months—or more often if needed.
Smokers or vape users who light up indoors should wash their curtains monthly, too. Chemicals in cigarettes, cigars and vapes will cling to curtains and in some cases, turn the fabric yellow and make them smell like smoke. If you live by an ocean where the air is salty, you will need to wash curtains more often to get the salt out of them, which can damage the fabric over time.
The ACI recommends following this general cleaning schedule to keep your curtains free of dust and other allergens.
Related: A Whole-House Cleaning Schedule You’ll Actually Stick To
Every Week
Vacuum your curtains using an upholstery attachment. This removes dust particles that collect on the surface of the fabric.
Related: 10 Dirty Spots You Probably Aren’t Vacuuming—But Should Be
Every Month
Spot clean curtains as needed. If your kids draw on the curtains with marker or your dog drools on them, clean the mess as soon as you see it. Saturate the stain with upholstery or fabric cleaner and lightly rub the soiled area until it’s clean.
Spritz the curtains with an enzymatic odor remover or fabric freshener to keep them smelling fresh.
Tip: If your curtains or drapes are made of velvet, tapestry, wool, or silk, you may not be able to spot-clean them. You may need to take them down and dry clean them to remove spots.
Every 3 Months
Take down your curtains and run them through the washing machine. If you have curtains that cannot be washed, dry clean them. Curtains made of tapestry, velvet, or silk should be dry-cleaned. Be sure to read the fabric care label on your curtains before you clean them so you what temperature water to use and what type of detergent. In some cases, you may need to handwash curtains.
Take down the bar and hooks and dust them thoroughly, then wipe them with a damp cloth.
Tip: Always read the fabric care tag on your curtains before doing any cleaning (even spot cleaning).
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