Everyone knows how to iron curtains, but not everyone knows how to do it correctly with different fabrics. How to iron curtains in the air with a steamer or with an iron? Correct, competent use of useful knowledge will help not to spoil the curtain with a burn mark from the iron, which is then very difficult to remove from the surface of any fabric.

Beautiful curtains with grabs on the door in the living room
Beautiful folds, smooth and even fabric please the eye and lift the mood
Light curtains made of transparent tulle on the windows of the kitchen-living room
Hanging wrinkled curtains is unthinkable - it's like putting on an un-ironed dress

Briefly about ironing curtains

When ironing, it is enough to follow a few simple conditions for the procedure to be completed successfully.

Light curtains in the bedroom interior
Some fabrics do not wrinkle at all, while others require careful handling both when ironing and when washing.

First of all, it is worth noting that only clean curtains are subject to ironing. Otherwise, there may be unironed areas, and stains (if there are any on the curtain fabric) will become difficult to wash out. This rule applies not only to the classic version of ironing curtains, drapes. Owners of special vertical steamers should also take care of pre-washing textiles.

Inserting curtains into the washing machine drum
Proper washing is the key to success

The second rule to follow (unless otherwise recommended) is to quickly iron damp fabric. This is especially true for thick natural fabrics such as linen or heavy cotton. Curtains with folds and creases that may remain after washing need to be slightly dampened. To avoid this, remove them from the drying line shortly before they are completely dry. As for the ironing process itself, you need to find the back side of the curtain and place the fabric on the ironing board with this side facing up.

Soaking a chintz curtain in a basin of warm water
If the fabric has already dried and there are folds and creases left on it, it is better to re-wet the curtain in warm water.

Important! Be sure to evaluate the weight and size of your curtain, since if there are too many folds, the curtain will not be able to be straightened, it may be wrinkled again before the end of the ironing process.

Some fabrics (especially thin, transparent tulle) require a special, delicate ironing mode. In this case, you should make sure that the iron is set to the type of material from which the product is made. Delicate modes should definitely be followed if you need to iron velvet, viscose curtains or polyester drapes. The last two of the listed types of curtains cannot be ironed with the steam function turned on.

Setting the iron mode before ironing the curtain
It is important to select the correct ironing temperature on the iron regulator.
Selecting the ironing mode for curtains made of fabrics of different compositions
To help – ironing temperature for different fabrics

As for horizontal ironing of long curtains, the process will have to be divided into several stages. First of all, it is necessary to pay attention to the upper part of the fabric. After ironing it, you should move the curtain on the ironing board forward, align the resulting folds manually. Another way to iron a large curtain is to wind the already ironed part of it on a stick, the size of which corresponds to the width of the curtain.

Ironing a long curtain on a curtain rod
After ironing the top of the long curtain, attach it to the curtain rod. Place the ironing board as close to the window as possible and iron the bottom of the curtain.

How to Iron Curtains on the Hanging Wall Without an Iron: Description of Methods, Equipment

How to iron curtains hanging without an iron? If you don't have special equipment for vertical ironing, you need to arm yourself with a regular iron, an ironing board attachment, which is designed for ironing sleeves and other small parts. Attach it to one side of the vertically positioned curtain, and gently iron the other. Moving in this way, smooth out the entire surface.

Ironing curtains in the air
This method is not easy, but it allows you to iron curtains even of rather complex sewing.

If you do not have the opportunity to use a steamer, there is a method that allows you to properly iron the curtain vertically, without using special equipment. The essence of the budget method is that after washing the curtain, you need to immediately straighten it out, carefully hang it on a clothesline in the bathroom, on the balcony or in the kitchen. A special system that includes round metal-plastic sticks that will not allow the dried curtain to get a crease, which can form from a thin clothesline, is best suited for this purpose.

Special curtain dryer for bathroom
A dryer made of large diameter tubes will not leave creases on delicate fabrics

The method described is suitable for thin, easy-to-iron fabrics. If this is not enough to remove creases and folds from your curtain after washing, you need to hang it in the bathroom. After that, quickly fill the bathroom container with hot water and close the door to the room tightly.

Filling the bathtub with hot water to smooth out the curtain with steam
Steam will rise above the hot water bath.

Thanks to the water vapor rising from the surface of the water, the curtain material will smooth out smoothly until the water in the font cools down. In principle, twenty minutes of such "steam action" will be enough. The main thing is to make sure that all the folds are straightened when hanging the curtain. After the procedure is complete, the curtain must be removed and hung in its place.

Light curtains on a metal curtain rod
After such steaming, the curtains look impeccable

How to Iron with a Steamer: Ironing Technology at Home

How to iron curtains without taking them down? In order not to lower part of a large curtain to the floor when ironing on a classic ironing board, not to take down already hung curtains, you can refuse this method in favor of vertical ironing. This method has many advantages, the most obvious of which is high-quality ironing of curtains, allowing you not to miss a single section, not to wrinkle the curtain again.

Ironing curtains in the air with a household steamer
Vertical steaming is suitable for curtains made of velvet, linen, cotton, organza, natural or artificial silk.

How to iron curtains with a steamer? To align the fabric of the curtains vertically, you will need special equipment: a floor or hand steamer (steam generator). With this type of ironing, you need to carry out the device from top to bottom, gradually processing the surface of the hanging curtain.

Orange body of the MIE Piccolo handheld steamer
A compact handheld steamer does a good job, as long as you don't expect miracles from it.
Steamer UNIT UGS-126 for curtains and clothes
A floor steamer will smooth out curtains much faster and better

How to Iron Polyester Curtains: Briefly About Fabric Qualities, Is It Worth Ironing?

Ironing polyester curtains, which perfectly complement the interior of the material, should be done according to a certain algorithm. If you do not adhere to the described plan of action, you can ruin the curtain fabric.

Semi-transparent polyester curtain on a forged cornice
Polyester curtains are practical and look attractive
Bathroom curtain with synthetic fabric pattern
Polyester curtains are quite easy to care for, but there are two things that this artificial material does not like - a hot iron and hot water.

To steam polyester curtains at home, follow these steps:

  • prepare the ironing board;
  • plug the iron into the socket;
  • select the most delicate ironing mode (for a fabric such as polyester, you need to set the temperature to 140 degrees, no more), wait until it heats up sufficiently;

    Silk mode on the household iron regulator for ironing polyester
    Set your iron to the “Silk” setting.
  • Place the fabric on the board so that the top left corner of the material is in front of you;
  • Iron the fabric carefully, without applying pressure;
  • move the curtain away from you;
  • continue following the previous two steps of this algorithm until you reach the bottom edge of the curtain;
  • If the curtain is wide, iron it in the same way, moving the fabric to the left.
Housewife ironing a polyester curtain with a pattern
Iron curtains with a pattern on the reverse side

Additional information! Polyester curtains should be hung on a curtain rod immediately after washing, if there are no folds on their surface: this material can dry quickly, without ironing.

drying polyester curtains on a round rod
Polyester dries quickly on its own, just hang the curtain on the curtain rod immediately after washing.

How to steam curtains at home: tips, recommendations for housewives

How to iron curtains at home without ruining them? If you have not encountered ironing a certain type of curtains, just look at the label: there you will find minimal instructions on washing and ironing these curtains. In case of individual ordering of curtains in a special studio, check with the seller in advance what kind of fabric the curtains are made of. Based on the information received, you should choose the desired ironing/steaming mode on your iron.

Symbol tag on a curtain made of combined material
The ironing temperature and other care recommendations for the curtain can be found on the label.
Symbols on labels for textile products and their interpretation
To help you out – decoding the main symbols found on fabric labels

If you doubt the composition of the fabric from which the curtains are made, and there is no way to find out, check what temperature is needed experimentally. To do this, find an inconspicuous piece of the curtain (for example, at the bottom of the fold) and, setting the iron to the minimum temperature, try to iron it carefully. If the folds are smoothed out, then the selected mode is suitable, if they are not smoothed out, continue the experiment with the next temperature mode.

Ironing the back of the curtain
If the composition of the fabric is unknown, you should first try ironing a small section of the curtain from the inside, having previously set the iron to the minimum setting.

The technology of ironing curtains is unique for each individual type of fabric. The process can be complicated not only by the difficulty of ironing folds, the need to accurately select the desired temperature mode: it is also difficult to deal with large curtains. In this case, it is recommended to use the vertical steaming technology.

Steam ironing curtains with folds
Ironing folds requires precision and patience.
Two housewives straightening out a long curtain
Large curtains are easier to iron with an assistant

In the absence of special steam equipment, it is worth using a simple method of "ironing" using steam in the bathroom. The last method, which can be used without any special devices at all, is hanging a well-straightened, washed curtain on the curtain rod immediately after washing, delicate spinning.

Video on how to quickly iron a thin curtain