Works for me... Washing curtains!

 Usually, I would have posted a Works for Me post on a Wednesday, but this week has been a little unusual. I washed most of my curtains on Tuesday. The curtains are all room-darkening shades, and it has taken me a while to figure out how to wash them. I used to just put them in the washer, but they would get stuck together, and look like this on the inside...

And they are not so room-darkening with spots that the sun shines through...

So I had to figure out a different way to clean them. One year I vacuumed them, but they still seemed dirty to me. My hubby suggested this method the following year and I have done it several years since.  Normally I would wash all of the curtains in the house with my Spring Cleaning, but this method needs warm temperatures and lots of sunshine.

We have room-darkening shades in ALL of our bedrooms upstairs, so it can be a bit of a job. I began with two sets from my older kids' rooms first. After they were dry, I did two sets from my bedroom. I still need to do two sets from my younger daughter's bedroom, but like I said, it's been an unusual week.

Anyway... here is what I do.

I put the curtains on my clothesline, and make sure that the inside layers do not touch each other.

Then I wet them down with the hose and the sprayer. I have a nice area that can get wet and soapy under my clothesline and still be okay. This also works well because it is not humid in my area of the country, so they will dry pretty quickly outdoors.

Then I take a scrub brush and a bucket with soapy water in it. I used one or two drops of Dawn dishwashing liquid. I use the scrub brush and brush the soap onto the curtains. I scrub any spots and make sure to clean the top of the curtains where they are usually dusty.

Lastly, I rinse them off with my hose, and let them dry for an hour or two on the clothesline. When they are dry, I just take them inside and rehang them. It is pretty quick and easy. They always look so much nicer to mean when they're not dusty anymore!

All clean, dry, and hung up again! 

Do you have another method to clean your curtains? I don't want to dry clean them ($$) and I think it is important to clean them since we have lots of seasonal allergies in our house.

Let me know if you use my method and how it works for you!

Psalm 18:24
The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

Psalm 51:2
Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.

John 15:3
You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.