Domakihub How to Clean Curtains and Keep Them Fresh All Year
A room-by-room guide for homes, rentals, and hotels in Greece.
Reviewed by Domakihub cleaning pros · 2026-06-23 · 4 min read
Curtains collect dust, cooking smells, sea-salt air, and pollen faster than any other soft furnishing in a home — a particular challenge in Greece's warm, open-window climate. The video above walks through the essentials; this article breaks it into five concrete steps you can follow whether you are refreshing a city apartment, preparing a holiday rental for the next guests, or maintaining the rooms of a boutique hotel. Tackling curtains twice a year, plus quick spot-cleans in between, is enough to keep fabrics looking and smelling clean without shortening their lifespan.
Why Curtains Need More Attention Than You Think
Fabric drapes act as passive air filters. Every time a window is opened — and in Greece that means most of the day for eight months of the year — airborne particles settle into the weave. Over time this dulls the colour, creates a musty smell, and can trigger allergies in guests or family members. A quick visual check every few weeks will tell you when a fabric is holding more dust than it should: running a clean hand down the curtain and seeing a visible puff is the clearest sign.
Holiday rental owners face an added pressure: incoming guests notice stale or grimy curtains immediately, even if they cannot name exactly what bothers them. A quarterly clean cycle, timed around changeover seasons (Easter, summer, autumn), keeps the property review score intact.
Know Your Fabric Before You Begin
The single most common curtain-cleaning mistake is treating all fabrics the same. Cotton and linen blends can usually go in the washing machine on a gentle cool cycle. Velvet, silk, blackout liners, and heavily interlined drapes almost always require dry cleaning or spot treatment only — machine washing will crush the pile or cause irreversible shrinkage. Always check the care label sewn into the lining or header tape before you start. If the label is missing, test a hidden corner with a damp cloth and mild soap and let it dry completely before proceeding.
How to Clean Curtains: 5 Steps
- 1
Vacuum first, always
Before anything else, run an upholstery attachment along the full length of each curtain on both sides. Work top to bottom so dislodged dust falls rather than resettling on areas you have already cleaned. This step alone removes the bulk of what makes curtains look dull and reduces the load on any wet-cleaning stage that follows.
- 2
Check the care label and sort by method
Group your curtains into three piles: machine-washable, hand-wash or spot-clean only, and dry-clean only. Blackout curtains, velvet drapes, and anything with a heading tape stiffener nearly always fall into the hand-wash or dry-clean category. When in doubt, default to the gentler method — shrinkage and crushed pile cannot be reversed.
- 3
Machine-wash or hand-wash washable fabrics
For machine-washable curtains, use a cool or lukewarm cycle (30–40 °C maximum), a gentle detergent, and the delicate setting. Wash one panel at a time so the drum is not overloaded; this prevents uneven cleaning and reduces creasing. For hand-washable pieces, fill a bathtub with cool water and a small amount of mild liquid soap, submerge the curtain, and agitate gently by hand — never wring or twist the fabric.
- 4
Hang while still slightly damp
Tumble-drying curtains is the fastest route to shrinkage and permanent wrinkles. Instead, rehang them on the rod while still faintly damp and pull the pleats or grommets into shape. The fabric's own weight will smooth out most creases as it dries. In the Greek summer, open windows and a light breeze will finish the job in under two hours; in cooler months, a fan heater pointed at the curtain (not too close) works well.
- 5
Spot-treat stains and deodorise between washes
For marks that appear between full washes — a splash of coffee near the window sill, dust from a particularly sandy Attica day — blot (never rub) with a clean cloth dampened with cool water and a drop of dish soap. Rinse by blotting with plain water and allow to air dry. For odours, a light mist of diluted white vinegar (1 part vinegar, 4 parts water) followed by airing in a breeze neutralises smells without chemicals that might irritate guests.
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FAQ
- How often should curtains be cleaned in a holiday rental in Greece?
- A full wash or professional clean once per quarter is a practical target: before Easter, before the summer season, after the summer season, and before Christmas. In between, a monthly vacuum and spot-check is sufficient for most properties.
- Can I wash blackout curtains in the washing machine?
- Most blackout curtains have a rubberised or foam coating on the back that will crack or peel in a washing machine. Stick to vacuuming, gentle spot-cleaning with a damp cloth and mild soap, and airing them outside on a dry day. If they are heavily soiled, a specialist dry cleaner is the safest option.
- My curtains are creased after washing. Do I need to iron them?
- Ironing is rarely necessary if you rehang curtains while they are still slightly damp. For stubborn creases, use a handheld garment steamer — it is faster, gentler, and safe on most fabrics. Always check the care label first; silk and delicate sheers should be steamed from the reverse side with a pressing cloth in between.