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Curtain careThe short answer
Vacuum curtains monthly, have them professionally treated every six to twelve months, and sooner for a dusty aspect, a smoker, a pet or an allergy sufferer in the household.
Curtains are the largest piece of fabric in most rooms and the least often cleaned. They hang still for years while the air conditioning pushes the room's air past them several times an hour.
How it is done
- Monthly: vacuum top to bottom with an upholstery head, both faces
- Every six to twelve months: a professional treatment in place
- Sooner where a window faces a construction site or an arterial road
- Sooner again with pets, smokers or a diagnosed dust-mite allergy in the home
Why it matters
In a sealed, air-conditioned property very little air is exchanged with outside. What a curtain collects mostly stays in the room, and gets stirred back into it every time the system starts.
questions
Asked about this
They hold a meaningful share of a room's settled dust and, being vertical and static, release it slowly whenever air moves past. It is not the largest factor in indoor air quality, but it is one of the easiest to address.
More often, in practice. Light fabric shows soil sooner and sits closer to the window, which is where dust arrives.
references
Background reading
- Curtain — Wikipedia
- Indoor air quality — Wikipedia