How To Eliminate Odors From Curtains

Basic day-to-day household chores collect odors in the home. Eventually, these odors accumulate in curtains, making the whole environment smell dirty. Believe it or not, at the time of cleaning the house, curtains top the chart when it comes to the unattended objects. All that people indulge in when it comes to curtains is that remove the old one from the rods and get a new curtain on a yearly basis. Little do people care about the dirt and dust in the curtain, leave alone the odor. However, did you know that just by indulging in a few care tips, you can not only eliminate that smelly odor from your curtains, but also save yourself a lot of money on buying new curtains all over again. Given here are some guidelines that will assist you in getting rid of curtain odor and keeping your curtains clean and fresh, throughout the year.

 

 

Wash your curtains every six months to prevent the odor from building up again. You can wash your curtains either at home or send them to a dry cleaner for professional cleaning. While cleaning curtains at home, make sure to follow the cleaning instructions to avoid ruining the curtains. In case of cotton curtains, take special care since they tend to shrink, leaving you with curtain that will not fit your windows. In case your curtains are placed near a fireplace or smoker in home, it is best to send them for dry cleaning, as the entire smell cannot be easily eliminated by home cleaning, since ash and soot can easily penetrate through almost any textile at home.

 

Curtains that are used only during a particular season are likely to develop a mothball scent, making it difficult for you to hang them up in your home. Wash these curtains with vinegar. While packing away such curtains, place a sachet bag containing herbs, such as mint, thyme, rosemary and whole cloves, along with mothballs, to prevent the smell from developing again. Curtains hung in the bathroom, kitchen or laundry room tend to develop a mildew scent. Wash these curtains in vinegar and keep the floors and walls of these rooms clean and dry to prevent the growth of mold and mildew.

 

It is not possible is wash curtains on a weekly or monthly basis, since frequent washing would ruin the curtains. Moreover, the energy spent in washing them is not worth using it. Hence, the best would be to run a vacuum over the curtains on a weekly or bi-weekly basis to reduce the odor building up on them. Vacuuming is highly effective if you have a smoky smell in your home, as it helps in deodorizing the smell. Also, it will decrease the building up of soot-particles in the curtains.

 

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) states that more pollution is found inside the home, rather than outside. Since there is no regular ventilation inside a home, it results in indoor pollutants, such as dust and other smells, getting accumulated on various products and items in the home. Opening the windows is the best way to get rid of the odors from home and curtains. You can also air your curtains outside, without using any spray fresheners or special chemicals.

 

Several products are available in the markets that help in keeping fabrics, such as curtains or drapery, clean and fresh-smelling on a regular basis. Since they offer only a short-term solution, the curtains should be cleaned, washed and aired-out to keep away dirt from accumulating on them.