Even tulle made of high-quality material loses its attractive appearance during use under the influence of external factors. And timely and proper washing will help return it to its original condition.
Is it possible and how to properly wash tulle (nylon and other materials) in an automatic washing machine (in what mode, at what temperature), as well as manually.
What to soak a very dirty curtain in, how to get rid of grease stains and mold at home? You will find answers to questions in the article.
Do I need to soak before washing and in what?
Before washing, tulle must be properly prepared. Remove the curtain from the window and thoroughly shake it out on the street or balcony . This will help get rid of excess dust accumulated on it.
If this step is ignored, then after washing the tulle curtains will become gray and no bleaching methods will help restore them to their original snow-white appearance.
Then the curtain needs to be soaked so that the dirt embedded in the fibers is soaked . Take a large container, pour in warm water and add salt to it at the rate of 120 g per 1 liter. Stir until the grains are completely dissolved.
Tulle is immersed in the resulting solution and left for 2-3 hours. Then the product is thoroughly rinsed and washed.
Manually at home
For tulle made from delicate and light fabrics, hand washing is optimal. The procedure algorithm is as follows:
First of all, shake off the dust from the tulle and soak it in warm water for several hours to remove heavy dirt and make it easier to subsequently remove yellowness and other stains. You can add regular powder or table salt to the water.- After the allotted time has passed, the curtain is rinsed under running cool water. It is unacceptable to use hot water, which makes the fabric coarser and subsequently quickly acquires a yellowish tint.
- Water at a temperature of about 40 ᵒC is poured into a bathtub or large vat. You can add apple cider vinegar (1 tablespoon per 1 liter), and then the selected detergent (washing powder for automatic machines, gel).
- Start washing the curtains. As soon as the water becomes dirty, replace it with fresh water and add 2-3 drops of blue to create a slightly blue solution. The tulle is washed in it one more time.
- The final step will be rinsing in running water. They try to do this as thoroughly as possible so that not a trace of detergent remains in the fabric.
- Hang the tulle over the bathtub so that most of the water drains away, then attach it while still wet to the cornice.
When washing tulle, it is not advisable to use conventional powders, since they produce abundant foam. It is then difficult to rinse it out of the fabric.
Using a washing machine
Until recently, machines were not designed to work with easily deformed curtains. Our grandmothers and great-grandmothers believed that nothing could be better than hand washing for tulle. To make it clean and not spoil, you need to correctly select and adjust the mode and temperature.
Optimal mode selection
Housewives whose washing equipment is equipped with a “delicate” or “silk” program can easily cope with the transformation of airy fabrics. They offer the correct operating temperature and conditions, taking into account the characteristics of thin tulle. What to do if your equipment is not equipped with such programs? In this case, it is recommended to choose “hand wash” at a temperature of thirty degrees.
Some manufacturers of household appliances offer housewives an alternative option - “wool”. This mode is characterized by the most gentle cleaning, during which the air tulle does not deform.
Basic recommendations for machine washing
Despite a careful approach to thin materials, you must adhere to several rules:
- fold the tulle curtains carefully. This will protect them from creases during the drum spin;
- veil, organza and silk, as well as other delicate variations, additionally place in a special mesh bag;
- give preference to gel and shampoo. It is very important to comply with the required quantity parameters. Thin tulles foam well, so half the standard dose will be enough;
- It is possible to completely remove particles of the detergent by additional rinsing;
- It is prohibited to use automatic spin. The curtains should dry on their own and remove excess moisture. If absolutely necessary, it is permissible to use minimum speed.
Special preparations are more expensive, especially for products for delicate curtains. Using a budget, inappropriate product will lead to the opposite result.
Additional components for flawless white tulle
During the machine washing process, you can use available ingredients that are intended for the manual method. For example, salt is not capable of harming the power unit and parts of the device. If a housewife wants to refresh old and dirty fabric, powder and salt alone will not be enough. It is necessary to pay attention to the gentle preparations presented on the market of household chemicals. Eg:
- optical brightener. Such products consist of special particles that settle on textile fibers. It is made specifically for snow-white materials. Their intended purpose is to visually lighten the tulle, rid it of yellow and gray tints;
- oxygen agents. They are not capable of destroying the structure of thin curtains and can be used for products with bright patterns. Designed to work with low water temperatures. As a result, they demonstrate an impeccable snow-white effect.
The easiest method is machine wash with the addition of one of the above bleach and powder. For old, dirty and discolored items, you will need to use another mode, for example, “extra wash”, “soak”.
We hope that the above tips and recipes will be valuable to you in the fight against deep stains, yellow and gray shades of curtains. By listening to them, every housewife is able to turn her own tulle curtain into a snow-white and luxurious decoration of the window opening and the apartment as a whole. Let the white color of tulle accompany you throughout your life!
What means do you use to bleach very dirty and yellowed hair?
Tulle tends to turn yellow and become covered with soot over time (if it is hung in the kitchen). In this regard, curtains made of organza and nylon are especially capricious.
If regular washing fails to solve this problem, then you have to use all kinds of stain removers and bleaches . The main thing is to use them according to the instructions so as not to spoil the delicate product.
Chemical bleaches are best used when absolutely necessary. Especially those that contain chlorine. Preference is given to oxygen. First, it is recommended to use more gentle folk remedies.
Here are some productive recipes:
100-120 g of table salt are diluted in warm water (5 liters). Immerse the tulle in the solution and leave to soak overnight. The next day, wash in any way.- Add 10 drops of brilliant green to 200 ml of cold water and mix.
Wait 5 minutes and when sediment appears, stir the liquid again. The resulting composition is added to a container of water to rinse the tulle after the main wash. Rinse in this water, and then in running water. - Make a saturated solution of potassium permanganate in the amount of one glass. Pour it into a tank of water. Then the tulle is moistened in clean water, rubbed with laundry soap and dipped into the previously prepared solution. After half an hour, the product is washed under the tap and washed by hand or in a machine.
- Pour 3% hydrogen peroxide (2 tablespoons) and ammonia (1 tablespoon) into hot water. This amount is enough for a five-liter bucket. Tulle curtains are soaked in the resulting liquid for 25-30 minutes. After which they are rinsed, lightly wrung out and dried.
This article will tell you how to wash tulle so that it is snow-white. Read about methods for bleaching tulle with salt, vinegar, soda and brilliant green here.
Stain removers
Oxygen agents are the most popular, as they have proven to be effective and harmless to tissue. They are added to the washing machine alone or together with powder.
Chemical bleaches are also in demand, since their price is much lower than that of oxygen stain removers. Belizna, which contains chlorine, helps to cope with heavy stains, but it is not recommended to use it frequently. The fact is that with regular washing, chlorine damages the structure of delicate fabrics. Stain removers and bleaches do not contain aggressive compounds, but their price is slightly higher.
Features depending on fabric type
Depending on the type of material from which the tulle is made, certain washing rules are followed:
- Nylon and polyester . They can be washed even at 60 ᵒC in normal mode, but without the use of bleaches. Iron at medium temperature, after covering with a thin cotton cloth.
- Voile tulle, muslin and organza are washed on a delicate cycle at 30°C, having previously been placed in a protective bag. It is unacceptable to squeeze such products with your hands; they are hung out and waited for the excess water to drain. You can’t iron organza and muslin, but you can iron a veil, but with a little heat from the iron.
- Combined materials (cotton and polyester) can be washed at 60°C. Then the product is easier to remove from yellowness and stubborn stains, even without pre-soaking. Iron the product at a temperature of 130 to 150 ᵒC.
How to wash tulle in an automatic machine so it doesn’t wrinkle
There are special laundry bags for this: you just need to fold your tulle and place it in this bag. You can also try putting it on a delicate wash cycle without spinning.
All washing machines have a gentle washing mode, but it can be called differently: manual, delicate, silk or just icon
At the end of the procedure, you will need to remove the curtains and hang them carefully.
A light curtain can be dried directly on the curtain rod
How to remove stains?
Stains of various origins that appear on tulle should be removed before the main wash. Kitchen curtains often contain traces of grease, soot and various food products. If tulle is not washed for a long time, it absorbs fat from the air.
The stain remover is applied to the fabric locally only in those places where contamination is present. Then rub and rinse effortlessly.
Fat
The following tools will help:
Dishwashing gel . Apply it to the stain and after 1-2 hours wash the product in warm water, adding the same gel.- Standard washing powder in combination with dish gel .
Mix these two components in equal quantities and dilute with warm water. The tulle is soaked in this solution for a couple of hours and washed. - Salt. Cover greasy stains with salt and wash them off after 1-1.5 hours.
- Laundry soap . Half a bar of soap is grated and dissolved in 10 liters of slightly heated water. Immerse the tulle in the resulting liquid and leave for about an hour. After which they are washed in a machine or by hand.
- Baking soda . The stain is first moistened with freshly squeezed lemon juice, then sprinkled with a layer of baking soda. A violent reaction will immediately begin in the form of hissing and the appearance of foam, and the stain will soon disappear.
These methods are suitable for removing any food stains, both fresh and long-established.
Mold
Mold from tulle curtains can be easily removed with chalk powder. Sprinkle it on problem areas, cover with paper and iron with a warm iron.
Zelenka
Zelenka is effectively removed from tulle curtains with ordinary laundry soap. The main thing is to start cleaning immediately, without delaying until later. You can also use the following tools:
concentrated hydrogen peroxide – the stain is treated and it comes off within a few minutes;- table vinegar - applied in its pure form to the stain and waiting for it to disappear, after which the fabric is washed under running water;
- starch - moisten the damaged area, rub with starch and rinse with clean water, repeat this several more times, then wash in an automatic machine with any bleaching powder.
Dye
Only a stain of oil paint can be removed without problems using turpentine, acetone or kerosene. To do this, dip a cotton pad in any of the compositions and blot the stain. Then treat the area with ammonia.
For old stains, turpentine is more suitable, and subsequent treatment is carried out with a saline solution (2 tablespoons per 1 glass of water). After which the tulle is thoroughly rinsed.
Starching
Immediately after washing, curtains made from natural fibers are starched. After this procedure, the fabric holds its shape better and becomes less dirty. Housewives use 2 methods.
Prepare a strong salt solution - 2 tbsp. l/l. Wet, washed tulle is rinsed in it. Dry without squeezing, in a straightened form.
Dilute 2 tbsp in a glass of cold water. l. potato starch. The mixture is brewed with boiling water (0.5 l). The paste is poured into a bath filled with water. The tulle is soaked for 15 minutes. Wring out and iron until the fabric is dry.
How to dry?
To avoid ironing the tulle later, you should dry it properly.
After washing and rinsing is completed, the product is carefully folded in several layers and hung over the bathtub to drain off any remaining water. And only then they attach it to the curtain, where it dries completely and straightens out under its own weight.
You should not immediately hang damp curtains in the open air or balcony , since dust will instantly settle on them and you can start washing again.
If the tulle is very wrinkled during the washing process, you can iron it with a slightly heated iron that has a steam function. Do not use a spray bottle, as water droplets leave marks.
This article will tell you how to smooth tulle using an iron.
Is it possible to wash tulle with hooks?
This is usually the first question that arises after deciding to wash both curtains and curtains. Because in the memory of every housewife there are vivid memories of how much effort is required to secure curtains and curtains to the curtain.
You will be surprised by the answer, but practice has confirmed that you can wash it this way. Hooks usually have latches that make them relatively safe to have in the wash.
Of course, you can simply load everything you need into the car, select the desired mode, and go! However, it is better, especially in the case of washing with hooks, to use laundry bags or a regular pillowcase. This way you will further protect both the machine and the product.
Useful tips
General washing tips that will help maintain the original whiteness of tulle for a long time:
- before soaking, shake the tulle to remove dust;
- do not use chlorine-containing bleaches, which leads to rapid wear of the material;
- after washing, do not twist the product, but allow the water to drain naturally;
- The optimal temperature limit when washing light tulle is 35-40 ᵒC, otherwise it will shrink.
You will find maximum useful information about washing clothes and various fabric products here.
General care rules
To make window drapery pleasing to the eye for as long as possible, at least until you get tired of it, you should follow simple rules for caring for curtains:
- Regular ventilation, with the windows wide open for 1-2 hours, will clean the fabric from a significant amount of dust and refresh not only the curtains, but also the room.
- Vacuum cleaner. Using nozzles for textile products, clean the surface of the curtains from dust.
- Steam is an excellent solution to the problem of cleaning dirt and restoring the freshness of tulle.
- Regular wet cleaning of the premises. The less dust there is in the apartment, the less it accumulates on the curtains.
- Frequently clean the curtain rods and drapery fastenings from accumulated dust.
- Do not forget that thin and delicate tulle is extremely susceptible to intense mechanical stress during washing.
It is impossible to imagine a cozy home without light and airy tulle on the windows.
Tulle curtains, made from different materials, differ not only in their structure, but also in their care features, which, upon closer examination, are not so complicated. With the right approach to solving the problem, using available means, tulle can create comfort in your home for a long time.
