Curtains are the largest piece of fabric most people own, and the one they think about least. They are also priced, measured and cleaned differently from everything else in the house — by the square metre, measured flat on the floor rather than at the window, and almost never in a domestic washing machine. This guide covers the four things people actually ask us: what it costs, how to measure, what your curtains are made of, and how they should be cleaned.
Curtain cleaning is priced by the square metre, not per pair — £7.00 per m² unlined and £8.00 per m² lined at our Altrincham shop, with pelmets at £8.00. Measure the curtain, not the window: hooks out, laid flat and open, width across the bottom × height from tape to hem, each curtain of a pair on its own. Lined, interlined, blackout, velvet, silk and wool curtains should be professionally cleaned rather than washed, because the face fabric and the lining shrink at different rates.
What curtain cleaning costs, and why it is per square metre
A pair of short kitchen curtains and a pair of full-length interlined ones are the same item on paper and completely different amounts of work in practice. Pricing by area is simply the honest way to reflect that — you pay for the fabric you actually have.
| Item | Price | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Unlined curtains | £7.00 per m² | Single-layer cottons, polyesters, voiles and sheers |
| Lined curtains | £8.00 per m² | Any curtain with a separate lining sewn in, including blackout |
| Curtain pelmet | £8.00 | The board or fabric valance above the curtains |
| Length adjustment — flat curtains | £12.65 per m² | Shortening or lengthening an unshaped curtain |
| Length adjustment — curved or lined | £17.25 per m² | Where the lining and shaping have to be reworked too |
A worked example. A pair of lined curtains, each measuring 1.4 m across the bottom and 2.3 m from tape to hem, is 1.4 × 2.3 = 3.22 m² each — so 6.44 m² for the pair, a little over £50 at £8.00 per m². That is an estimate to plan with; we measure them with you at the counter and confirm before anything is cleaned.
See our curtain cleaning service → · Full household price list →
How to measure curtains
Because cleaning is priced by area, the only measurements that matter are the curtain’s own. Not the window, and not the pole — those belong to buying curtains, and a curtain is always far wider than the pole it hangs on. What we need is the fabric in front of us, laid out flat.
The method, step by step
- Take the hooks out. All of them. They snag the fabric and each other, and they have to come out before cleaning anyway.
- Lay the curtain flat and open on the floor or a large table — not gathered, not hanging. A gathered curtain measures a fraction of its real width.
- Measure the width (W) across the bottom. The bottom hem is the honest edge; the top is gathered onto tape and will read short.
- Measure the height (H) from the top of the heading tape to the bottom hem.
- Multiply, in metres. W × H is the area of that curtain. Measure each curtain of a pair separately and add them together — they are not always identical.
A few things worth knowing before you come in. Very large or heavy curtains may be priced by weight rather than by measurement — agreed with you on the spot, whichever is fairer. Blackout-lined curtains take much longer to dry and are cleaned at your risk, because blackout coatings can peel. And you do not have to get any of this exactly right: we measure with you at the counter and confirm the price before anything is cleaned. The numbers above are so you can estimate before you set off.
Types of curtain, by heading
What people call the “type” of curtain is nearly always the heading — how the top is gathered and how it attaches to the pole or track. It determines how the curtain hangs, how much fabric it needs, and how it should be handled when cleaned.
| Heading | How it looks | Cleaning note |
|---|---|---|
| Pencil pleat | Tightly gathered upright folds; the most common British heading | Loosen the draw cords first so the tape can relax and be re-gathered evenly |
| Pinch pleat (double, triple) | Hand-formed groups of pleats, stitched at the base | Pleats are pressed back in by hand at finishing; take the hooks out |
| Goblet pleat | Rounded, cup-shaped pleats — formal, usually interlined | Dry clean only, and the cups are re-shaped by hand afterwards |
| Eyelet (grommet) | Metal rings punched through the fabric, threaded onto the pole | Tell us if the rings are painted or plated rather than solid — some finishes mark |
| Tab top | Fabric loops over the pole; casual, usually unlined | Often the most washable style, but check for a lining first |
| Wave | Continuous even S-curve on a dedicated track; modern and minimal | The tape is engineered — keep the glider cord and return the curtain to the same track |
| Rod pocket (slot top) | A sewn channel the pole passes through | Simple and usually unlined; gathers permanently, so the pressing matters |
| Café curtain | Half-height, on a rod across the middle of the window | Small area and usually unlined — the cheapest thing on this page to clean |
| Voile / sheer panel | Translucent, hung alone or behind heavier curtains | Priced as unlined; discolours slowly and evenly, so the change only shows once they are clean |
Curtain fabrics, and what each one needs
The face fabric decides the cleaning method — but on a lined curtain, so does the lining, and the two are not always compatible. That mismatch is the single most common reason a home wash ruins a curtain that was otherwise perfectly fine.
| Fabric | Character | How it should be cleaned |
|---|---|---|
| Cotton | Breathable, takes colour well, creases readily | Unlined can sometimes be washed cool; lined should be dry cleaned — cotton shrinks and the lining may not |
| Linen | Beautiful drape, relaxed texture, shrinks readily | Dry clean. Linen curtains that are washed rarely hang at the same length again |
| Polyester & blends | Stable, fade-resistant, inexpensive | The most forgiving. Unlined polyester often washes well; lined is still safest dry cleaned |
| Velvet (cotton, viscose or polyester pile) | Heavy, light-absorbing, luxurious | Dry clean only. Water flattens and marks the pile, and it cannot be brushed back |
| Silk | Fine, lustrous, sun-sensitive | Dry clean only. Silk weakens in sunlight over years, so it is assessed before cleaning |
| Wool & wool blends | Warm, dense, excellent sound absorption | Dry clean only — wool felts and shrinks in water |
| Jacquard & damask | Woven pattern, often several fibres in one cloth | Dry clean. Different fibres in one weave react differently to water |
| Blackout-lined | Acrylic or foam coating bonded to a backing | Dry clean, and tell us it is blackout — the coating can crack if handled as ordinary lining |
| Interlined | A soft bump layer sandwiched between face and lining | Dry clean only. Three layers, three shrink rates — the classic home-wash disaster |
| Voile, muslin, lace | Sheer, light, discolours slowly | Gentle professional cleaning; delicate and easily snagged |
How curtains are actually cleaned
Dry cleaning
The default for anything lined, interlined, or made from velvet, silk, wool or a mixed weave. Cleaning in solvent rather than water means the fibres are never swollen and then contracted, which is what causes shrinkage and puckering. Curtains are cleaned, then pressed and hung so they arrive ready to go straight back up.
Professional wet cleaning
Water-based, but in computer-controlled machines with specialist detergents and controlled drying — not a domestic wash. It suits some unlined cottons and polyesters, and beats solvent on water-soluble soiling. We choose between the two after looking at the fabric, the lining and how the curtains have been living. More on how we choose →
What we would gently steer you away from
- Washing lined curtains at home. Face fabric and lining shrink at different rates and the curtain puckers permanently. Nothing tears; it simply never hangs right again.
- Tumble drying. Heat is what sets shrinkage. Curtains that survive a wash are frequently finished off in the dryer.
- Steaming heavy curtains in place to freshen them. It drives surface dust deeper into the weave and can water-mark silk and velvet.
- Leaving the hooks in. They snag the fabric and each other. Take them out — and photograph how the curtains hang before you unhook them.
How often? Every two to three years suits most rooms. Sooner for kitchens, smoking households, or rooms facing a busy road — curtains quietly filter airborne grease and dust, which is exactly why they look unchanged until the day they come back clean. A gentle vacuum with an upholstery head every few months in between genuinely helps.
Questions we get asked
How much does it cost to dry clean curtains?
By the square metre: £7.00 per m² unlined, £8.00 per m² lined, pelmets £8.00. Multiply width by drop in metres for each curtain and add the pair together.
Can I wash curtains at home instead?
Unlined cotton or polyester sometimes survives a cool wash. Lined, interlined, blackout, velvet, silk and wool should not be washed at home — the layers shrink at different rates and the curtain puckers.
Will cleaning make my curtains shrink?
Dry cleaning is far gentler on dimensions than washing, because there is no water to swell the fibres. Some movement is possible on older, sun-worn curtains, and we will tell you if we have concerns before we start.
How do I measure my curtains?
Hooks out, curtain flat and open. Width across the bottom, height from the top of the heading tape to the hem, multiplied in metres — each curtain of a pair on its own. Not the window and not the pole; those are for buying curtains. We measure with you at the counter anyway.
Do you take curtains down and rehang them?
No — curtain cleaning is a drop-in service. Please bring them to the shop on Shaw’s Road with the hooks removed.
Curtains looking tired?
Bring them in and we will measure them with you, tell you what they are made of, and quote before anything is cleaned.
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