The Quest for Sparkling Tiles

Although heavy velvet curtains look very stylish and can add a real touch of opulence to a home décor scheme, they can be expensive to have professionally cleaned. However, you can do the job yourself with a small steam cleaning machine and a little know how. Here's how to do it.

What you will need

• vacuum cleaner and soft brush hose attachment
• mild washing-up liquid
• warm water
• steam cleaning machine
• sponges
• soft cloths

If you don't have your own steam cleaning machine, you can hire one inexpensively from a local tool hire shop.

How to do it

Before you start, note that it is very important that you don't get the velvet too wet. Soaking the velvet can cause puckering when the fabric dries and can also cause the pile to become flattened, ruining the look of your curtains when they dry.

1. Begin by taking down the curtains and laying them out flat on the floor.  
2. Now vacuum the curtains to get rid of as much dust and accumulated dirt as possible. Use the soft brush or upholstery attachment on the vacuum cleaner hose for this job.  
3. When all the surface dust is gone, make up a solution of warm water and mild washing-up liquid and stir well so that a 'head' of soapy foam is created.  
4. Using a soft cloth or sponge, apply the foam only to the surface of the curtains.  
5. Use a clean cloth to remove the foam. Blot carefully and don't rub at the fabric or you could damage the pile.  
6. Now prepare the steam cleaning machine by filling the reservoir with clean water and turning the machine on so that it heats up. When the machine is ready to use, gently go over the surface of the curtains, applying a small amount of steam as you do so.  
7. Next, turn the curtains over and repeat the process on the lined side of the fabric.  
8. When you've finished, hang the curtains outside in the fresh air to air-dry, taking care to place them somewhere out of direct sunlight to avoid the danger of the fabric fading.

You can freshen-up the look of your heavy velvet curtains by cleaning them using the method outlined above. If you are not confident in tackling this job yourself, you may be best advised to take the curtains to a professional cleaning company and ask them to do the job for you.