Cleaning drapery material in Newell

[2StrokeDiesel]

Drapes that cover inside of windshield are dirty. Cant find a tag on cleaning instructions. Actually cant find any tag. Do they need to be dry cleaned?

[The Newell]

It depends, However some can be machine washed and hung to dry. I'd take them to a professional laundry/dry cleaner for an assessment. Dry cleaning is usually done to keep fabric from shrinking. I washed ours and they did indeed shrink in length a tad. I continued to wash them regularly when wife & I were fulltiming it was so much easier to wash them once or twice per year.

[Ron in South Dakota]

I've had ours dry cleaned but now I wash them. Didn't seem to make any difference and it is much more convenient to do them at home.

[Neweller]

We have washed drapes on multiple occasions in some different coaches and had good luck. Only because we don't really like the chemicals used by dry cleaners. Dry cleaning is definitely easier and gives a nice ironed looking pleat if that is what you are after.

Something you need to know is what the two materials of the drape and liner are. Know if there are any shrinkage issues. On a couple of occasions we had to steam the drape material itself as it shrunk a little shorter than the backing or liner material. It was easier to re-installed them prior to steaming; holding them in place nicely while pulling downward and steaming.

We have even dyed a set a darker shade and they came out awesome. Woolite, we felt worked the best. Some people have said they used Tide, but I didn't want to chance it. I have used Tide on carpets and that is another story.

Maybe I can find some pictures. It's really sad as I lost hundreds of photo's of how to's when my computer crashed and burned a while back. I wish I would have uploaded them to here sooner.

[stewart33]

I have been on the search for a good small compact steamer that wouldn't take much space up in the coach.

These two have good reviews and the prices aren't bad.

Enviromate P7 Pronto Portable 4-Bar Pressure Hand Held Steam Cleaner and Fabric Steamer (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003XJC9FY/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B003XJC9FY&linkCode=as2&tag=affiliatechie-20)http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=affiliatechie-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B003XJC9FY

Or the Hoover TwinTank

Hoover TwinTank Disinfecting Handheld Steam Cleaner - WH20100 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004Q7CK4W/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B004Q7CK4W&linkCode=as2&tag=affiliatechie-20)http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=affiliatechie-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B004Q7CK4W

I like that they clean, sanitize, disinfect and steam not only clothing but they would be great for the drapes in the coach too. I say it's a must for those with asthma and allergies from dust, and even pet dander. We are considering one of these options maybe one of them will work for you?