Just going by principles I grew up with, it was always spring and fall cleaning when the curtains were thrown into the wash.

Didn't washing that frequently eat up the curtains?

Well, I just took a pair of panels out of the dryer and there's a giant rip in one of them. Sh*t!!

Washing curtains will depend on kind of fabric, how old, and whether the sun has been shinning on them. It is too late now for your panels, but usually a good spin in the dryer will remove dust from curtains and freshen them up.

If you never open your windows and have a house that doesn't get overly dusty, you can go for years without washing the curtains. If you see a layer of dust on the top of the curtains, then it's time.

mxk3 - Sorry about your panel. I guess when you said machine washable, everyone has a picture in their mind of what is machine washable. I have lace panels, that are not delicate and I throw them in the wash at least once a year and I try for twice. I was just looking at them the other day and noticing at the top they are looking pretty dingy and it's time to throw them in the wash. I've washed them before and they come out really well. I've had them for years. I've had cotton in the long distant past that also did the same. And I had a pair of heavy lined that washed up well too.

I hope the tear is something you can fix. If it is vertical and you have a machine, it might be a quick fix and you could always hide the seam in a fold when you hang them again.

If your curtains, and especially pleated drapes are not washable, take to professional cleaning service 2x year. Some services will even come to your home if you have heavy draperies. Why 2x a year? Even if you keep your house closed dust can settle along with allergens, which can discolor your fabric and create sneezes. The longer dust settles the harder it is to remove. If your house is open, pollen, dust, etc will find a place to rest on your drapes and curtains. You will love how fresh your home looks and smells with clean window treatment.

Thanks, all. The panels said machine washable on cold, tumble dry low -- so that's what I'm in the process of doing. I think the rip was from my POS washing machine -- that thing is hard on clothes. I have 7 windows in one room alone, dry cleaning would be cost prohibitive. I have one more set of panels to go in that room -- but yea wow what a difference in the freshness, I'm constantly complaining about how dusty my house is (live on a dirt road), maybe the curtains are adding to the problem. I'm embarrassed to admit I've never washed the curtains in this house...guess now it'll have to be on the chore list.

I don't know how to sew, but I think I can "hide" the rip on one of the windows that is out of my line of sight - plus, I keep the curtains open during the day most days so won't see it. But yea - it's a BIG rip.

Yes, I'm always so pleased when I can get around to washing the curtains. Especially after the windows have been washed and a little more cleaning than usual is done. It's a fresh start and gives me a lift.

Is there a chance you know someone who can sew a little, has a machine? I have a machine and a large rip for someone with a machine takes less than 15 minutes and basically no skill. :-)

Any curtains over ten years old can come apart in the washing machine. The older, the more likely they will disintegrate in the wash. Sunlight alone damages and weakens fibers. Our sheer curtains along the front of the house are so old (35 years) and I swear the dirt is holding them together. I washed them from one room ten years ago, and they came out of the washer a disintegrated mess of fibers. I was not surprised, basically anticipated that. I'm not up to making eight pairs of new ones, so we just talk very nicely to the rest of them. :-)

I had some lined draperies dry cleaned last summer. They were made 25 years ago, and only cleaned one other time, 12 years earlier.. Our regular dry-cleaner would not touch them. They sent me to another place down the road. I assured them I would not hold them responsible if they disintegrated. I got lucky and them stayed intact! They don't get much direct sun, but still . . . I was so lucky.

I wash them twice a year spring and fall when I change from the summer drapes to the winter drapes and vise a versa.

You have summer drapes and winter drapes?!? I'm impressed!

Got the year-round curtains washed yesterday while cleaning some windows. Beautiful day for line drying stuff, nice and breezy. Only took around a half hour for them to be dry. Also got the summer light blocking drapes down and the more sheer winter curtains up in the hall :)

I'm not sure how old a bunch of my curtains are- my mom made them 40+ years ago, and I just always remember them being in windows growing up. Some I made 10-12 years ago or so. All of them are about as nice as the day they were made. The ones in the hall are only 2-3 years old, and commercially made, so I don't know how well they will last in the longer term.

Mxk3, more of a necessity and cozy feeling . Winter is cooled and even with good windows you can feel the cold penetrating the glass. So in the late fall the heavy drapes go up. In the spring shear drapes are hung.

Heh, you and I are opposite functionthelook. I put up light blocking drapes in the spring in the hall because the morning summer sun is brutal there and heats up the whole area of the house without light blockers. I put up sheers there in the fall because we want the extra solar through the winter.

I make rod pocket curtains out of flat sheets. Unfortunately, flat sheets by themselves are hard to find nowadays.

Typically twice per year. We normally just hang them back up to try and let the wrinkles fall out!

one should clean the curtain at least 3 or 4 time a year......