How often should I have window treatments or upholstery cleaned?

You clean your home regularly - what about the upholstery and fabrics in your home?

First, the simple answer: the recommended cleaning interval for upholstery and fabric in a home is 12-24 months.  There is a difference, however, between the upholstery on your sofa and your window treatments.

All upholstery is affected by the home environment.  Furniture accumulates soil differently than window treatments:  it is subjected to human contact, skin oils, and ground-in soils.  Furniture upholstery, like carpet, is subject to the abrasive action of human contact, while window treatments are more affected things as sun bleaching and convection.

All upholstery in the home is affected by "fume fading" - a shade change in fabric caused by a chemical reaction between dyes and acid gases in the home. Probably the most important factor in answering the question of how often to clean is:  the home environment.

For example, do you cook a lot? Do you smoke in your home?  Do you have windows that leak air, or do you open them, and leave them open often?  Do you use a fireplace, or burn candles (the candle-burning issue is the subject of another article - there is much to be said about that!). How often do you clean or replace the filter on your heating/air conditioning unit?  Do you have pets, and what species?

The fact is, routine maintenance and regular cleaning will reduce the damage and work required to keep your upholstery and fabric looking better, longer!

There are things you can do to maintain your upholstery and fabric, the simplest of which is routine vacuuming.

Nearly 80% of soils on fabric is insoluble, which means that it does not dissolve in water or other cleaning solutions.  The best and most thorough way to remove insoluble soil is through vacuuming.  This will do much to preserve your investment.

Fabrics such as carpet, upholstered furniture and draperies act as filters, trapping soils, pollutants, gases and animal dander. Like any filter, they need to be cleaned.  It is important to have fabrics cleaned before the damage is permanent.

Mildew feeds on soil, and bacteria from the decomposition of body oils, perspiration and foods, airborne particulates, as well as fume fading, can permanently damage or discolor fabrics. This cannot be fixed by cleaning.

Lets look at your window treatments a little more closely.....

The word is "convection". It refers to the movement of air because of differences in air density due to temperature. The graphic shows how convection works:

Warm air is lighter than cold air. When the sun heats the space between your windows and blinds or draperies, the warm air in the space rises. As it does, cooler air is drawn in at the bottom.  When the air space cools, the process is reversed.

There is actually quite a bit of air flowing across your blinds, draperies and window glass even though the windows are closed!

Dirt, dust, lint, pollen, bacteria, grease, allergens - all of these stick to your window treatments, and leave a residue on them, then bake on in the heat of the day.

Many irritants are hanging around your windows: allergens, lint, dust, pet hair and dander, pollen, cooking vapor residue... these are some of the substances that stick to your window treatments. They can cause pitting, corrosion, oxidation, and eventually ruin them.

Regular cleaning will help protect your window treatments from damage and reduce the "goodies" that live on them. But, how "regular" should that be? You have to decide.

I usually recommend cleaning at least every two years, but your lifestyle and home environment will help you decide how often to clean them.

Try this: go to your windows while the sun is shining in and raise the blinds, or shake the draperies. You will see if it’s time for cleaning!