How often do you guys do it? and what is the best way to handle the wash? in a machine, handwash?
If its handwash , how do you do it? dip it in soapy water? really soapy water or just about enough soapy that doesnt do too much jaak ?
Sorry i know i have loads of questions .. last year i did the curtains in the machine and they shrunk 
Re: Washing curtains and blinds ..
I usually wash my white ones with every season change and other ones once i year. What i do is i soak them in luke warm water in the tub (i can soak all of them together this way) and then take them out in my back yard in a plastic bucket one by one, spread them on the clothing line and wash with the water hose to take out the laundary detergent (my husband thinks that is lethal for his grass but well i have no choice).
I dont have blinds but pleated shades at my house...so i usually vaccum them or clean them with a damp sponge.
Re: Washing curtains and blinds ..
hmmm thanks so much for sharing that Reidi , most certainly for me water hose wont work 
I am thinking of dipping them in the soapy water overnight and then next day dip them in clean water for a bit and dry them
Re: Washing curtains and blinds ..
dipping them in clean water wont take out all the detergent, as the water will just sit there and not flow out of it and i am a freak and it bother me alot . If you have a hand held shower or what ever it called u can use that as a hose but trust me thats very hard ....i ended up with a wet floor and splashes of water through out my washroom.
Re: Washing curtains and blinds ..
yup thats a good idea , I can use a hand shower to get the soapy stuff out …
I am thinking if there are any special detergents in the market like carpet cleaners , they dont create too much froth and are easy to wash out too
Dont soak overnight, as curtains will only have dust. Soak for a hour, rinse and hang out to dry. I ususlly do machine wash at hand wash setting.
Re: Washing curtains and blinds ..
agar achchay walay blind laga-o toh dhonay key zaroorat nahi partee , just wipe the dust off and they stay new for ages. 
Re: Washing curtains and blinds ..
Mirch , really? 
like just wipe off with plain water or with a cleaner?
I can try that with the blinds in the living room and bedrooms .. but the one in the kitchen will need some proper washing due to fumes …
Roshni, whats machine setting at hand wash? I didnt even realize that exists 
I am wondering now if my machine has that setting at all ..
Re: Washing curtains and blinds ..
**my bhabhi takes all the curtains to the cleaners every 6 months.
i think i once saw an infomercial where by they showed a heavy-duty steam cleaner which cleans heavy curtains while they are still hanging…you don’t have to take them down to wash’em. it’s a great machine if i can find it. :)i’ll buy it for myself…i’ll give myself a ‘cool steam’ bath to myself 
it would be graet if it performs a dry massage. 
**
Re: Washing curtains and blinds ..
For Kitchen Spray some grease cleaner on a towel and wipe them clean too. You do not have to take them down and wash them.
Use swiffer duster for cleaning other blinds.
Re: Washing curtains and blinds ..
Curtains : 2-3 times a year in Machine. Our Machine has hand-wash setting - thats insane eh? 
Shutter Cleaning : pretty much every month…
Re: Washing curtains and blinds ..
I only have blinds, and they get wiped down once a month or so. Every season change they are cleaned with a steam cleaner. Especially the kitchen blinds.
However, before when we had nets we'd wash them on a cool/delicate setting in the washing machine.
Re: Washing curtains and blinds ..
The only curtains I wash at home are the voiles/nets. The main curtains get dry cleaned one a year, assuming I haven't redecorated before then and changed my curtains in the meantime. I think I could wash curtains at home on a delicate cycle, but would never be able go get them crease free like the dry cleaners do.
Re: Washing curtains and blinds ..
Getting curtains cleaned is not the big deal since I throw them in the washer on ‘Hand wash’ setting. It’s taking em off and putting them back up that requires a whole lot of energy. 
Re: Washing curtains and blinds ..
Hire a High School kid to do that at a nominal charge 