Can heavy infestations of mould be removed from heavy drapes and curtains? Can they be cleaned?

Heavy drapes are the insulation kind known as Interlined curtains or drapes. These curtains usually have three layers, the curtain material, the outer lining and an interlining of bumph. They are huge and would not fit it any washing machine.

Even normal curtains can be badly moulded.

Curtain Clean is set up to clean these types of curtains. The curtains are de-tagged and each layer is carefully cleaned and mildew and stains removed. When dry the curtains are reconstructed so they return to you clean and fresh, ready to hang again.

Before a clean at Curtain Clean.

After a clean at Curtain Clean.

What is mould?
Mould is a type of fungus that grows in damp areas inside and outside the home. It usually appears as orange, brownish or black, growth or stains on walls, ceilings and other items such as curtains.
Another name for mould is mildew.

What causes mould to develop?
Mould spores need moisture and warmth to live – They grow when there is dampness or high humidity in the air or on a surface (such as walls, ceilings, floors, curtains or furniture) for a prolonged period of time.
It happens when wet, warm air such as from cooking or bathroom steam, moist air from gas heaters (or even the warm air from your breathing),raises the moisture in the air and acts with the warm to create the conditions that the mould spores grow in. In other words in room conditions with a raised humidity level.

What causes curtains to go mouldy?
The warmth of the sun or the warm temperature of a house causes curtains to warm up and to act like a glass house or incubator, with the result that any bacteria on the material will thrive in the warmth and humidity around the curtain. Material is a great place for mould to collect and grow. Moisture on the window does not cause the mould, although it will contribute to the humidity around the curtain when the sun heats it up. See here.

Why does mould need to be cleaned away when it starts to grow?

Small amounts of mould are common in most houses in New Zealand and usually don’t cause any health concerns. However, when mould is left to grow in large quantities it can cause serious health problems. This is because mould releases thousands of very tiny or invisible spores (like tiny seeds) into the air. These spores can cause serious health issues when breathed in, especially for elderly people and infants, people with weak immune systems or people suffering from asthma or other respiratory problems.
Some mould produces highly poisonous spores which can be life threatening when breathed in, even in small amounts.

Can you get all the mould stain out?
On most fabrics we can, but occasionally on thermal backed curtains, some polyester silks Naturals and Roman Blinds, because of the dyes used in the fabrics, we will only be able to fade the mould stain, although the curtains will be clean and sanitised. On normal lined curtains the lining will always be ok. Until we test a piece of the material in the curtain we don’t know if a curtain is made of a non colour fast material. All curtains are tested before cleaning.

Can I use a household/ curtain cleaner product on the mould on my curtains?
There are two major problems with doing that. Many of these sprays contain chemicals that will remove the colour from the material. Many times its not visible until someone washes the curtains. Long term damage can result from the spray being left to dry and not being washed out of the fabric with the result the fabric can rot. An example of colour loss is here.

Beware of the claims of companies selling Chemical Curtain Cleaners.

All of them contain a bleach type product.

At Curtain Clean we use a gentle hand washing process and natural drying. No solvents are used in the process either.

All curtains are sanitized in the cleaning process.

Remember as well that curtains not only have mould but dust, dirt, critters, dog/cat hair and general use stains.
When Curtain Clean clean your curtains we clean all this off them as well.

For more information please go here.