Spruce up your drapes for the holidays

Need to spruce up your drapes for the holidays? Remove dust and particles from your drapes using a brush attachment on your vacuum. Simply place the brush attachment on the end of the accessory hose and run it “lightly” up and down the folds of the drape. You can also “spot clean” most drapes with a damp soft cloth that has been wrung out using distilled water. Do not use soap or detergent as is may leave staining around the spot. Dab away moisture with a clean cloth, air-dry. If the fabric has water spots, fade them with the steam from the garment steamer or iron. Use Febreeze to make it smell fresh.

Most drapes should only be cleaned professionally. NEVER wash your draperies if they labeled “dry-clean only” or they are pleated. If your draperies are labeled “dry clean only,” you should take them to a dry cleaner that has some specialization and experience in cleaning drapes. You can also have an on-site drape cleaning specialist come in to your house to clean and freshen your drapes. These professionals inject a specially formulated solvent into your drapery under pressure and extract the chemical, leaving your drapes clean. This special process results in no damage or shrinkage to the fabric.

Finally, gather the drapes at the top, form the pleats and smooth your hands down the fabric, keeping the pleats extending from the top to bottom. Continue until you have straighten each pleat in the drapes.

Your drapes should now be ready to impress your family and friends for the holidays.

(photo courtesy of bhg.com)