The bay windows in Ealing’s Edwardian front rooms tend to carry long, heavy curtains, and nobody enjoys taking those down, driving them to a dry cleaner and hanging them again a week later. We clean them where they hang. The upholstery head on the extraction machine is drawn down the fabric from the top in overlapping strips, with very little water, while the curtain stays on its hooks.
Prices
A short curtain drop is £35 and a long one £42. As a rough guide, floor-length curtains are long drops and sill-length ones short. On their own, curtains often fall under the £67 minimum for one-off work (two long drops come to £84 and clear it), so they are usually booked with the carpets or a sofa.
| Service | Price |
|---|---|
| Two-seater sofa | £57 |
| Armchair | £33 |
| Mattress | £35 |
| Dining chair | £13 |
| Curtains, short drop | £35 |
| Curtains, long drop | £42 |
Checks before we start
We look at the fabric and the lining first. Cotton and polyester clean well on the rail. Lined curtains are fine provided the lining is sewn in and does not already carry water marks. Silk, interlined curtains and anything with a tight pleated header get tested on the back of the hem, and some of those are better off at a dry cleaner. Nets and voiles wash well at home on a cool cycle, which is cheaper than booking us for them.
We also look at the hooks and the track. Old plastic gliders snap easily when a heavy curtain is tugged, so we work without pulling on the fabric, and a hook that is already broken gets pointed out to you before we begin. Curtains that pool on the floor pick up most of their dirt along the bottom few inches, and that band gets extra attention.
Results
Dust and cooking film come out, and colours usually look brighter once they dry. Where the sun has bleached the edge nearest the glass, the colour will not return, as that dye is gone for good. Cigarette and wood smoke lift well, although a heavy nicotine yellow can need a second pass. Small mould spots near the hem from window condensation fade but rarely vanish, and you will hear that from us beforehand.
Curtains around W5
Flats above and around the Broadway, and the houses facing the Uxbridge Road, pick up a fine grey film on their curtains from the buses and traffic outside, and that lifts well. In the bigger houses up towards Castlebar and Haven Green, the job is more about height. A tall bay means working from a stepladder in sections, with sheets down on the floor. If you are having the carpets cleaned on the same visit, we start at the windows and work down to the floor, so anything shaken loose from the curtains lands on carpet we have yet to clean.
Upholstered chairs in the same room can go on the same visit (see sofa and chair cleaning). Rates for everything sit on one page, and a quick call is the easiest way to price the lot.
Questions we get asked
Our curtains hang from a pole high up in a bay. Can you reach them?
Usually, from a stepladder. Tell us roughly how high the top of the pole is when you ring, so we know what to bring.
Can you clean blackout curtains?
Blackout linings are coated, and the coating can crack if it is soaked or scrubbed. We clean the face fabric gently and keep water off the back. If the lining is already cracking, we leave it alone.
How soon can I close them again?
In an hour or two for most fabrics. Leave them open and hanging straight, with a window ajar if the weather allows, and do not bunch them into tight folds until the hem feels dry.