Professional Drapery
& Blind Cleaners, Inc.
7421 Menaul Blvd. NE
Albuquerque, NM 87110
(505)884-4411
GKDavis123@aol.com

ABOUT YOUR DRAPERIES

Your home's draperies and windows coverings make a distinctive statement about who you are. Draperies are an integral part of your home's decor, but they also act as a part of your home's natural filtration system. Every time you move your drapes side to side or up and down you create static electricity. As air circulates through your home the static electricity attracts contaminants such as dust, dirt, and residue from cooking, heating, smoking, and other sources. These contaminants contain sulfur oxides which gradually turn to sulfuric acid. Combine these factors with intense heat from direct sun light and deterioration of your drapery fibers and color fading may rapidly occur. Periodic cleaning removes the acid and residues from your draperies and window coverings and extends their life. We recommend you clean your drapes every 2-3 years. If there are many containinants present in the home, such as tobacco or fireplace smoke, a yearly drapery cleaning is recommended. A good rule of thumb " If you can see dirt and dust on them clean them, if not wait awhile."

Will my drapes shrink? This is an often asked question without a good answer. Drapery shrinkage has decreased do to improved manufacturing and cleaning technology. Excessive shrinkage should not be a problem except for some specialty fabrics such as moire, rayon, and open weave drapery materials. Draperies containing synthetic fibers such as polyester or acrylic shrink very little. Most shrinkage occurs after the first cleaning (1% to 3%). In many cases a majority of the shrinkage can be recovered by blocking and stretching.

Protect your investment. Here are a few suggestions to protect your investment and extend the life of your draperies:

Maintenance program. Vacuum your draperies every 1-2 months (reduce suction on vacuum if possible). Start with the heading, then each pleat, and finally the back lining.

If the end flaps of your draperies are the same width on each end, reverse the right and left panels every 6 months.

This will help reduce fading and deterioration.

Remove your draperies from the direct sunlight by placing sheers, shades, or blinds behind them.

There is no way to prevent sun and contaminate deterioration. The best you can do is to slow it down by following the above recommendations. Eventually, normal mechanical action of cleaning may result in linings and drapery fabrics spliting, tearing or yellowing. Thermal, blackout, or foam back draperies require special care. These kind of liners may crack, peal, strip, or develop pin holes at any time.