Laundry and dry clean
Laundry and dry clean
Blockout curtain cleaning in Sydney (the same curtains are sold as blackout curtains overseas) is a specialist job for one simple reason: the rubberised backing that blocks the light will crack, peel or stick to itself in a hot wash or dryer. The face fabric and the lining also shrink at different rates, which puckers every seam. That is why most blockout curtains that go through a domestic machine come out shorter, wavy and worse than they went in. For a quote, email info@washmate.com.au.
Blockouts are the most common curtain in Sydney apartments and bedrooms, and the most overlooked. By the end of a damp winter, with windows shut and condensation collecting on the glass, they have quietly become one of the dustiest things in the home. This guide explains how we clean them, what we can and cannot fix, and how to get them done without a ladder or a laundromat trip.
Three reasons. First, the acrylic or foam backing is heat-sensitive and will delaminate above the temperatures a home machine uses. Second, the backing and the face fabric are different materials that shrink differently, so any uncontrolled wetting puckers the seams. Third, the weight. A wet set of lined curtains can weigh several kilos, which stretches the header tape and pulls the pleats out of shape as it dries.
Professional cleaning controls all three: the temperature, the moisture, and the way we support the curtain while it dries.
Every 12 to 24 months for most homes, and more often in a kitchen, a home with pets or smokers, or the bedroom of anyone with allergies. Between cleans, a light vacuum with the upholstery attachment every few weeks keeps surface dust from settling into the weave. If you can see a grey line where the curtain touches the sill, or smell mustiness near the window, it is overdue.
A curtain sits in the path of everything that moves through a window: dust, pollen, cooking residue, traffic soot and moisture. Because the fabric is vertical and rarely disturbed, it accumulates layer on layer. Every time you draw the curtains, they release a fine cloud back into the room at head height. As hay fever season arrives, that matters. Our hay fever guide covers the allergy side in more detail.
Sydney’s humid winters add mould. Condensation keeps the bottom of curtains damp, and dark speckling on the lining or a musty smell means it has already started. We will tell you before we start if mould has weakened the fibres, because nobody can reverse some damage.
The method depends on the fabric. We clean most blockouts with a low-moisture process that lifts soiling from the face fabric without soaking the backing. Heavier lined drapes in velvet or chenille are dry cleaned to protect the pile. We then dry every set under support so the pleats hang straight, and press it so it falls correctly from day one. Curtain cleaning starts from $39 per metre. We confirm the final price after inspection, because it depends on the fabric, the lining and any staining or mould.
We see all five regularly. The first is the one we usually cannot fix.
Yes. Take the curtains down, fold them loosely into a bag, and book a pickup. We collect across Sydney metro seven days, from $15 per order, clean each set by the correct method for its fabric, and deliver it back pressed and ready to hang. You can also drop them at our Surry Hills or Leichhardt stores. Standard turnaround is 3 to 5 business days.
If you are refreshing curtains, it is efficient to do rugs, cushions and bedding in the same collection. Our general curtain cleaning guide covers sheers, romans and blinds if you have a mix.
Hold the curtain up to a window in daylight. A true blockout lets almost no light through and has a rubbery, foam-like or slightly shiny coating on the back. A lined curtain has a separate fabric panel stitched behind the face fabric, usually cream or white, and lets some light through. A thermal curtain often has a fleece-like backing. All three need different handling, and the coated blockouts are the ones that fail in a home wash. If you are not sure, send us a photo of the back of the curtain and we will tell you.
Curtain cleaning at WashMate starts from $39 per metre, measured across the width of the curtain. The final price depends on:
We inspect every set before work starts and confirm the price then. Send a photo and the approximate width to info@washmate.com.au for an approximate quote. If it is fabric, ask.
Apartments near main roads in Surry Hills, Darlinghurst, Redfern and the CBD collect traffic soot faster than anywhere else in the city, and blockouts are the standard curtain in those buildings. Inner West terraces with gas cooking see grease film on kitchen and dining curtains. Families with young children get handprints and food at the bottom metre of every curtain in the house. Homes near the coast see salt residue that dulls colour. If any of that sounds like your place, once a year is not too often.
The good news is that you can avoid all five, and once a set has had one correct clean, most people treat it with more respect afterwards.
Not safely. The coated backing is heat-sensitive and cracks or peels in a hot wash or dryer, and the face fabric and lining shrink at different rates. Professional low-moisture cleaning avoids both problems.
WashMate curtain cleaning starts from $39 per metre. We confirm the final price after inspection, because it depends on the fabric, the lining and any mould or staining. Email a photo for an approximate quote.
Yes. Take them down, fold them loosely into a bag, and we collect from your door across Sydney metro, seven days. We return them pressed and ready to hang.
Often, if it is caught early. Once mould has weakened the fibres or stained the backing, it may not fully lift. We inspect every set and tell you before we start.
Standard turnaround is 3 to 5 business days. If you need them sooner, book online, email or call and we will confirm what we can do, subject to availability.
Clean blockouts change how a whole room feels, and spring is the moment to do it. Curtain cleaning starts from $39 per metre, pickup and delivery runs across Sydney metro from $15, and we confirm the final price after inspection. Book online, email info@washmate.com.au or call 0403 861 744.
Follow @washmate.sydney on Instagram for before-and-after garment transformations, care tips and a look behind the scenes at how our Sydney team works.
