When you invest money in your curtains, you certainly want to maintain their quality for as long as possible. Whether you just purchased a divider curtain for your home, warehouse, office or business or are looking for ways to keep your stage curtains in pristine condition, use this curtain care guide to find out how to make them last.

Professional Grade Curtains

Dry Cleaning Curtains

Dry cleaning is the best option for professional non-synthetic stage curtains or any other treated curtains. Let your dry cleaner know if your fabric is flame retardant and ensure they’re using a solution that won’t affect it, as this could pose a future fire hazard.

Common flame retardant fabric used in theatre are: muslin, commando cloth, chroma key, marvel velour, sound absorbing fabric, and shark tooth scrim.

A Note on Flame Resistance

Flame retardant curtains are necessary for public spaces. A lot of factors, including curtain care, venue humidity and more, could affect flame resistance over time. To ensure your curtain maintains its flame retardancy over time, always make sure to:

Test the fabric before and after dry cleaning. Retreat with flame retardant sealant solution as needed.

Dusting Curtains

Napped velour curtains will gather dust in the nap; you can lightly vacuum or beat like a rug before dry cleaning. Smooth fabric curtains will have dust on the surface, so you can brush and shake the dust/dirt off.

How to Hand Wash Curtains

If you are using synthetic fabrics (like encore velour), you can hand wash your curtains in a tub using mild detergent only (no fabric softener). Tumble dry on low, then hang immediately; never hang while wet. If you find that your fabric is simply too big to wash on your own, you may just want to opt for professional cleaning for convenience.

A Note on Synthetic Fabrics

The great news about synthetic fabrics is that, although they can get dirty, they’re easy to clean! Here’s what to do in case you encounter a common care issue with your synthetic fabric curtain:

Paint marks and other stains can be spot cleaned with warm water (no bleach or harsh cleaners or detergents). Be sure to always use a soft bristled brush and test a small area with your cleaning solution first. Synthetic fabric curtains are known to attract dust. A lot of theaters choose to sweep or vacuum to get the dust off, or use a compressor hose to blow the dust and other debris off.

How to Fold Curtains for Storage

Curtains should always be stored in a cool, dry place both before and after using. You want to avoid moisture and dust to maintain the quality and life of your curtains.

Before taking theater curtains down, sweep the stage to ensure you won’t get any unwanted debris on the fabric. Use the whole stage to straighten out the curtain and fold it neatly, face to face. Store in a canvas bag (never plastic) so the fabric can breathe and prevent mildew.