How to Clean Curtains and Blinds by Type, and What It Costs

How you clean a curtain depends on its type and fabric. Sheer and thin fabric curtains whose label allows washing can usually be washed at home, by hand or on a gentle cold programme. Rainbow (zebra) blinds, roller blinds and wooden venetians should only be vacuumed and wiped where they hang. Roman blinds, large heavy curtains, silk and anything fitted high up are better left to a specialist. UpClean charges 40,000 VND per m², minimum 400,000 VND per visit, with take-down and re-hang optional at 100,000 VND.

Which curtains and blinds can I clean myself?

Fabric that hangs loose and carries a wash symbol is yours to wash. Anything with a coating, a roller, slats, cords or a motor is cleaned where it hangs, or by a specialist.

Type	At home
Sheer and thin fabric curtains	Washable at home if the label allows. Take care with very wide panels and with embroidered or beaded sheers.
Heavy fabric and blackout curtains	Vacuuming is fine. The panels are heavy, shrink easily and have a coating that can craze, so think twice before washing them yourself.
Rainbow (zebra) blinds	Vacuum and wipe with a damp cloth in place. Do not take the fabric off to machine-wash it.
Roller blinds	Vacuum and wipe with a damp cloth. No soaking, and no folding of the fabric.
Aluminium venetian blinds	Wipe slat by slat. Wash with water only if the manufacturer allows it.
Natural wood venetian blinds	A dry cloth, or one wrung as dry as possible. Never soak them.
Roman blinds, silk, brocade, motorised curtains	Have a specialist assess and clean them.

What do the symbols on a curtain care label mean?

The label sewn into the edge of the curtain names the fabric and the cleaning method it permits. If it is missing, ask whoever made or fitted the curtains, or play safe and treat them as not washable in water. Whatever the label says, test for colour on a hidden corner first.

Symbol	Meaning
A washtub	Washable in water. The number inside is the maximum temperature, and a bar under the tub calls for a gentle programme.
A washtub with a hand	Hand wash only, gently, without rubbing.
A washtub crossed out	No washing in water. Vacuum, spot clean or dry-clean only.
A circle with a letter	Dry-cleaning by a professional. Do not wash it in water yourself.

What can go in the washing machine, and how do I wash sheer curtains?

Sheers and thin fabric curtains whose label shows a washtub can go in a household machine. A blackout curtain can only if its label allows it, and then on a gentle, cold programme without a hard spin, because the blackout coating crazes when it is folded, rubbed or dried with heat. For a large panel, or one that has lost its label, ask a specialist. A thick curtain that has taken up water is very heavy: it can overload a household machine, or pull the rail down if it is hung up soaking wet.

Vacuum both faces while the curtain still hangs, with a soft brush head, following the folds from top to bottom.
Take it down and remove every hook and any metal ring that comes off. Note or photograph the order of the panels.
Shake it gently on the balcony, then soak it in cold water with a mild detergent. Use no chlorine bleach.
Wash gently by hand, or in a laundry bag on a gentle, cold programme with a low spin, apart from clothes with zips or hooks.
Use no heat to dry it. Hang it in the shade, or back on the rail while slightly damp so that its own weight pulls the creases out, with the windows open and a fan on until it is dry.
White sheers that have yellowed a little can have a further soak in an oxygen-based whitener for whites, at the dose on its label and after a test on a hidden corner.

How do I clean rainbow (zebra) blinds and roller blinds?

Clean both while they hang. A rainbow blind, sold in Vietnam as “rèm cầu vồng”, has two layers of striped fabric, offset against each other, running in a loop round a roller. A roller blind is a single sheet of fabric, usually with a stiffening coating. Taking either fabric off to wash it tends to put the stripes out of line, crease the cloth or lift the coating, so that the blind rolls up unevenly.

Lower the blind fully and vacuum both faces with a soft head on moderate suction.
Wipe with a microfibre cloth dipped in water with a very little neutral detergent and wrung as dry as possible, moving along the stripes.
Dab at marks; do not scrub. Follow with a cloth dampened in clean water, then a dry one.
Leave the blind fully down until it is completely dry before rolling it up, so that no damp or mould forms inside the roller.
Wipe the bottom bar and the cassette that covers the roller. If your supplier says the fabric may be removed and hand-washed, follow the supplier's instructions.

How do I clean aluminium and wooden venetian blinds, and Roman blinds?

Aluminium: tilt the slats one way and wipe each from the inside outwards with a damp cloth or a fabric glove, then tilt them the other way and do the other face. Some manufacturers allow the blind to be taken down and washed in the bath with warm water and mild soap. If so, keep the mechanism box at the top dry and wipe everything dry straight away, so that the head rail does not rust.

Natural wood is very sensitive to water; it warps and sheds its paint. Dust it with a dry cloth or a feather duster, wipe marks with a cloth wrung as dry as possible and dry the slat at once. Plastic-based faux-wood slats cope better with damp but should not be soaked either.

A Roman blind is sewn in one piece with horizontal battens and a set of cords behind. Washed whole, the fabric can shrink away from the battens and the cords tangle, and the blind no longer folds evenly when it is raised. At home, vacuum it regularly and dab small marks with a damp cloth; anything more is for a specialist.

How do I take curtains down and clean them safely?

Use a sturdy A-frame ladder with someone holding it. Do not stand on a chair or a window sill to reach a high rail.
Switch off the power to a motorised curtain before wiping it, and keep water out of the motor and the control box.
Tie curtain cords up out of the reach of small children. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) warns that curtain cords are a strangulation hazard for children.

How often should curtains and blinds be cleaned?

Deep clean them about every 6–12 months, sooner in the situations below. In between, vacuum fabric curtains every week or two when you vacuum the floor, and go over slats and rainbow blinds weekly with a duster or a fabric glove. Open the windows on dry days so that the fabric does not hold damp and smells, and tie back curtains near the hob while you cook.

Where	Suggested interval
Living room	Every 6–12 months, or every 3–6 if the windows face a main road or a building site.
Bedroom	Every 6–12 months; consider 3–6 where someone is prone to dust allergy.
Home with pets	Every 3–6 months, because hair and odour cling to the hems near the floor.
Curtains near an open kitchen	They take on the smell of cooking oil. Watch the smell and the colour of the fabric; they usually need cleaning sooner than the rest.
After painting or renovation	As soon as the work is finished, above all if the curtains stayed up throughout.

How is professional curtain cleaning priced?

UpClean's price has three parts: the total curtain area at 40,000 VND per m², take-down and re-hang at 100,000 VND if you want it, and a minimum of 400,000 VND per visit. Fabric, sheer and blackout curtains share one rate; the fabric only decides the method. The re-hang fee is charged once for the whole visit, however many windows there are.

To estimate the area, measure the width of the curtain when it is drawn across the window and multiply by the height from the heading to the hem. Count each layer of a double curtain separately. Under 10 m² without re-hang, the cost is the minimum. The areas below are estimates: on the day, the specialist measures each curtain with you and confirms the all-inclusive price before starting.

Home or curtain type	Estimated cost
Studio, about 6 m² of curtain	400,000 VND, the visit minimum, with or without take-down and re-hang.
Two-bedroom apartment, about 20 m²	Without take-down and re-hang: 800,000 VND. With it: 900,000 VND.
Three-bedroom apartment, about 32 m²	Without take-down and re-hang: 1,280,000 VND. With it: 1,380,000 VND.
Villa, about 80 m²	Without take-down and re-hang: 3,200,000 VND. With it: 3,300,000 VND.
Roman, roller and venetian blinds, motorised rails	Send photos. The specialist assesses them and replies with a method before quoting.
Silk, brocade, embellished curtains	Accepted only after photos, a reading of the care label and a test on a hidden corner.
High windows and double-height rooms	Surveyed first so that safe equipment can be arranged. Work goes ahead only when you agree to the plan.

What UpClean does on the visit, and how to book

The method follows the fabric. Heavy curtains and those that are hard to take down are vacuumed on both faces and then steam-cleaned while they hang on the rail; sheers and washable fabrics are washed gently, one set at a time. Blackout curtains are handled lightly to keep the coating intact. Before any of this, the specialist reads the care label, tests colourfastness on a hidden corner and explains any risk of shrinkage or fading.

The rate per m² also covers measuring, wiping the rails and hooks, steaming and setting the folds, and the Up Report: before-and-after photos of each set, sent by WhatsApp or Zalo, with notes on worn or faded areas and broken hooks. Rail repairs, new hooks and sewing are not included. With take-down and re-hang, each panel is photographed and numbered by window and goes back in the same place with the same folds. Curtains steam-cleaned in place are usually only slightly damp and dry as the room is aired; for curtains washed in water, the drying method and the handover time are confirmed in the quote.

For a quote, send a photo of each window, rough measurements and whether the curtains have one layer or two. Bookings are taken on 0968 726 135 by phone, WhatsApp or Zalo, 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM every day, and quotes, confirmations and the Up Report can be in English. Up specialists are identity-verified and trained to the Up Standard. Their name and photo are sent to you in advance, for you to give to building management where outside staff must be registered. If a set is not right, reply to the Up Report within 48 hours and it is redone free of charge.

Curtain cleaning: How each fabric is handled, and the areas covered.
Price list: Curtains, rugs, sofas and mattresses can share one visit and one quote.
Get a quote: Enter the area and the re-hang option to see the cost.
Book a visit: Mention rails fitted at the ceiling or run by a motor.

Frequently asked questions

How do I get white sheer curtains white again?+

Hand wash them with a mild detergent, then soak them in an oxygen-based whitener for whites at the dose on its label. Do not use chlorine bleach: synthetic fibres can yellow further and weaken.

Can I use a garment steamer on curtains?+

A handheld steamer smooths creases and freshens the surface of many fabric curtains, after a test on a hidden corner. Do not use one on silk, on heat-sensitive coatings, on wooden venetians or on roller blinds.

How do I remove black mould spots from curtains?+

Vacuum the curtain outdoors, then wash it as the label says if it is washable. Spots that have grown deep into the fibres rarely disappear completely. With curtains that cannot be washed in water, or large panels, have a specialist look before you try chemicals.

How much does it cost to clean the curtain of one bedroom window?+

A bedroom window of 1.6 × 2.4 m has about 3.8 m² per layer, which is 152,000 VND by area. That is below the minimum, so the visit costs 400,000 VND. Adding curtains from other rooms to the same visit makes full use of it.

How are double-layer curtains charged?+

Each layer is measured separately and the two are added. A balcony door of 3.2 × 2.7 m has about 8.6 m² per layer, so a sheer and a blackout layer together come to 17.2 m², or 688,000 VND before any re-hang fee.

Will my curtains shrink or fade when they are cleaned?+

The specialist reads the care label and tests colourfastness on a hidden corner before starting. With fabrics that shrink easily, such as linen and cotton, or with old, worn curtains, UpClean explains the risk and the suitable method so that you decide first.

How to clean curtains and blinds by type: what can go in the washing machine, how often, and how professional cleaning is priced