Although curtains may not get the same wear and tear as a carpet, they still get dirty due to air circulation. Obviously the easiest way to clean your curtains would be to hire a professional service to do it for you; however, if you don't have the money to hire a professional, you can always do it yourself.

Perhaps the best way to go about doing so is by constantly dusting the curtains. Do so will allow you to keep them clean without having to take them down. However, if one does not have the time to constantly keep up with dusting their curtains and must take them down periodically in order to clean them, then there are specific ways to go about doing so. When self-cleaning your curtains, you should always adhere to and employ some rudimentary guidelines and methodology to ensure your cleaning them in the most efficiently manner.

The first thing one should do when cleaning the curtains is determine what type of fabric the curtains are made of as doing will ensure one does not ruin them. Also, one should determine whether or not the curtains are lined or unlined. If one has lined curtains, then the best way to clean them is to have a professionally dry cleaned because attempting to clean them by hand may destroy them. Once the type of curtain is determined one should check the instructions found on the tag. This tag will inform you of how to best go about cleaning them.

There are four ways to go about cleaning curtains: hand washing, spray-on upholstery cleaner, wet-dry, and using a dryer. When hand washing your curtains you should always use a light solution, such as dish soap. Using a light solution will ensure you do not damage the curtains. Another thing to keep in mind is that when mixing the solution with water, you should use a small ratio of solution to water in order to minimalize de-coloration.

When using a spray-on upholstery cleaner, one should always check the label of the cleaner as some cleaners are more potent than others. After determining the best type to use, one should always test the cleaner on a small spot of the curtain before applying it everywhere. Doing so will ensure that the cleaner will not damage the color and minimalize potential damage to the curtain. Once a cleaner has been approved, one should apply the cleaner as directed and vacuum it off as instructed.

The final method one may employ is to merely inset the curtains along with scented fabric sheets into a household drying machine. This method works best if one wants to go about cleaning their curtains in a most timely manner. One thing to keep in mind when cleaning curtains by such a method is to dry the curtains for a minimal amount of time as drying them for to long may result in de-coloration and/or alteration of the curtain material.