Cleaning Hints

CURTAINS

1. Vacuum drapes annually with soft brush attachment, including the top of the curtain at the front and the back.

2. Check care labels usually on back/top corner of curtain for washing suitability.

CAUTION: shrinkage, colour change, cotton unraveling, ripping, excessive costs, and incorrect re-hanging of old curtains, are all possible results when using a professional dry-cleaner.

3. For fading edges, if possible swap curtains to opposite side of track NOTE: care must be taken to re-hang curtains  correctly.

 

TRACKS

1. Quickly wipe the back of your track (where runners are) with dry and /or damp cloth.  Spray with silicon spray (supplied by your curtain retailer) DO NOT use oil, or WD40 type sprays as they may clog your track and/or stain your curtains.

2. To clean curtain track cord, soak over night in a nappy cleaning solution, leave to dry prior to operating track.

 

ROLLER BLINDS

In general a duster may suffice.

1. Try a damp cloth for more serious dust.

2. For marks that won’t budge use a normal white rubber, or sometimes a better result is with a Chux Magic Eraser.

3. For a blind covered in grease try warm soapy water. If you are going to replace blind anyway try Jif or Nifty etc.

CAUTION: some cleaning chemicals can melt the p.v.c. exterior of the blind cloth.

 

ROMAN BLINDS

1. Vacuum Romans annually with a soft brush attachment, include top.

2. For marks that won’t budge use a normal white rubber.

 

ALUMINIUM/WOODEN LOOK-A-LIKE/LACQUERED CEDAR VENETIANS

1. In general dust regularly with a anti-static duster, rotate slats to clean both sides.

Other alternatives are:
2. Vacuum with a soft brush attachment, clean with damp cloth, or clean with your hand inside a sock.

CAUTION: wooden slats may swell if soaked in water.

If dust won’t budge, (for Aluminum blinds only)  remove lay on concrete, or hang on cloths line, hose gently, using a soft brush clean with warm soapy water, fully tilt, turn over, and repeat. When nearly dry, wipe with soft cloth to prevent bead marks. Re install Venetian, make sure slats are not stuck together and wipe any remaining water.

CAUTION: slats can bend easily.

Curtain City thanks Warwick Fabrics for the below cleaning hints.

Fabric Care and Cleaning – Warwick Fabrics

Our advice is given in good faith and should not be considered a guarantee. If in any doubt always
consult a professional upholstery cleaning company.

Alcoholic Beverages

After the moisture has been blotted up, dab at the stain with a clean cloth dampened in rubbing
alcohol. Then blot repeatedly with liquid detergent mixed with cool water. Blot dry with a towel.
Dab again with clear cool water and blot dry.

Blood

Mix one teaspoon of ammonia in a cup of cold water and apply it sparingly to the spot. Blot with a
clean towel. Repeat the procedure until the spot is gone.
Then dab the area with cool water and blot. Wait 15 minutes and moisten the area again with
white distilled vinegar. Blot thoroughly with a dry towel.

Chenille Yarn Fabrics

Shampoo cleaning or hot-water extraction, taking care to restore the pile orientation in finishing will
produce a satisfactory result. Care must be taken not to
undertake concentrated rubbing on a small area, which may produce irreversible disruption of the
chenille fibre. It should be noted that even the simple act of wetting the fabric is likely to produce
an appearance change even if the chenille fibre is not disrupted. This is largely due to flattening of
the chenille fibre while it is wet and may result in a ‘dappled’ or ‘mottled’ surface. Warning: Some
high pile viscose rayon chenilles, velvets and pocket weave jacquards may change in surface
character if stain repellent treatments are applied. Extra care should be taken to pre-test for these
fabrics.

Chewing Gum

Rub an ice cube over the gum to harden it, then scrape off the excess with a dull knife. To remove
what’s left, use dry cleaning fluid.

Chocolate (and other soft candy)

This is a combination greasy/non-greasy stain. Scrape excess away, then go over the spot with
cool water mixed with a liquid detergent. Blot thoroughly and then clean with dry cleaning fluid.

Coffee and Tea

Sponge with warm water. Apply warm glycerine. Leave for 30 minutes. Flush out with water and
dry quickly.

Cosmetics

Sponge with warm water. Apply warm glycerine. Leave for 30 minutes. Flush out with water and
dry quickly.

Fruit and Fruit Juices

After excess is blotted up or scraped away, blot the spot with cool water. If a stain remains, add
liquid detergent and a drop of vinegar to the water. Dab the
spot with this mixture and blot until there’s no trace of a stain. Then go over the area lightly with
clear water to remove traces of vinegar.

Grease (including hair grease and oil)

Scrape away excess if necessary and then dab repeatedly at the stain with dry cleaning fluid. If
any stain remains, go over the area with a lukewarm mixture of liquid detergent and water. Always
make sure you use a clean portion so you don’t put the stain back in the fabric. Last, go over the
area with a clean cloth moistened with cool clear water.

Ice Cream

Scrape away excess and apply cool water mixed with liquid detergent, blotting frequently with a
dry cloth so as not to saturate the fabric. Let dry and then go over any remaining stain with dry
cleaning fluid. Blot dry.

Ink

Moisten with warm glycerine. Leave for 10 minutes. Apply liquid detergent and brush lightly. Flush
out with water and dry quickly.

Iodine

Rub with cut lemon before sponging with warm water. Apply small quantity of detergent with clean
cloth. Blot stain then remove soapy residue with cloth wrung out in warm water and white vinegar
solution (1/3 vinegar to 2/3 water).

Milk and Vomit

Blot or scrape away the excess, then take a clean soft cloth and blot. Apply clear cool water to the
area, blotting frequently. Then blot with a detergent solution
to which you’ve added a small amount of ammonia. Blot dry and wait a few minutes. Go over the
area with dry cleaning fluid, blot dry. Finally, blot the area lightly with a cloth moistened with
rubbing alcohol.
Professional Cleaning Frequency Is determined by the furniture use, your own
maintenance, upkeep and environmental conditions.
As a good ‘rule of thumb’ overall cleaning is recommended every 12 months for most family room
lounges.
Professional Fabric Servicing
Warwick Fabrics recommend that water-based Fluro chemical’ type fabric protectors (such as
DuPont Teflon® and 3M Scotchgard®) be applied by licensed
applicators only. Check your care label first to see if a mill-applied protection was incorporated
during fabric manufacture. Fabric protectors do not eliminate the need for vacuuming, routine
cleaning or proper care. They will, however, make spot cleaning and vacuuming quicker, easier
and more efficient between professional cleans and keep your fabric looking cleaner longer, as
well as extending its life. Professionals applying fabric protectors must always pre test to qualify
fabric suitability.

Shoe Polish

Apply liquid paraffin to loosen the stain, then sponge with dry cleaning fluid.

Soft Drinks, Sweets and Syrups

Sponge with water, add warm glycerine and work into stain. Flush out with water and dry.

Spot Cleaning

Treat spills and stains as soon as possible. Test on hidden area to ensure fabric and colour are
not removed. Gently scrape any soil or mop any liquid from the surface of the fabric.
Use of soap or detergent with water should be approached with caution since overzealous rinsing
to remove soap residue may result in over-wetting, water marking and possible wetting of
substructure (this
may create other stains or damage products).

1 For Non Oil-Based Stains

Use warm water and non toilet soaps which do not contain optical brighteners (consider Velvet
soap, Lux Flakes, Softly). Mix a small amount of soap and warm water solution and apply to the
stain, rubbing gently. Blot dry with a clean towel.

Apply cool water (preferably filtered or distilled water) and blot dry again. Then with a hair dryer,
working out from the centre of the stain, dry quickly to prevent rings forming. It is generally
preferable to clean whole panels of fabric in this way rather than trying to spot clean specific
areas.

2 For Oil-Based Stains

Following the same basic guidelines as above, apply a proprietary brand solvent based cleaner
and try to clean generally in panels rather than spot cleaning
specific areas. A helpful industry ‘secret’ for spot removal of oil based biro marks is by the
application of a conventional hair spray or Glen 20.
A First Aid Kit for Fabrics
To further enhance spot cleaning results, Warwick have introduced the Halo Fabric Care Kit which
includes Halo spot cleaner for most household stains, Halo fabric deodoriser to help neutralise pet
and general odours and Halo fabric protector to restore liquid repellency on fabric sections that
have been spot cleaned.

Urine

It is especially important to treat this stain right away, before the urine dries. Otherwise, the urine
may react with the fabric dyes and cause permanent
discolouration. First, dab at the stain with a solution of white vinegar and water and blot dry. Then
apply a mixture of liquid detergent and cool water, blotting
frequently and with a dry cloth to avoid saturating the fabric. Finally, dab the spot with clear cool
water and blot thoroughly.

Velvet Curtain Care

Curtaining velvet needs care in handling and use. Window fittings coming in contact with the
curtain should be avoided. Stiff brushing or strong vacuum
cleaning on the reverse side of velvet can also pull at the pile. Draw cords or other methods of
drawing without handling the curtain itself are recommended, as grasping, particularly with
fingernails, can cause crushing and other damage. Velvet curtains should be dry cleaned.

Water Spots

Blot thoroughly and then dampen the entire spot with clear white vinegar. Wait a few
minutes. When the area is dry, moisten it again with clear water, blotting with a dry cloth
after every application of the damp cloth. If the fabric has a pile, brush in the direction of
the pile when it is dry.