Is It Better to Clean Your Hunter Douglas Silhouettes Onsite or Offsite?
If your Silhouettes are looking dingy and gray, it is definitely time to have them professionally cleaned.
One of the most compelling reasons for purchasing Hunter Douglas Silhouette shades is their durability and ability, with periodic cleaning, to look virtually new, for 20 years and more. Lesser brands may offer similar looking products, but they often fall short on quality and are generally less resilient to the air pollution that Manhattan slowly but surely deposits every day onto your Silhouettes.
Customers regularly reach out to us years after buying their Hunter Douglas Silhouettes, often when they are about to paint or otherwise renovate their apartment. We also find many customers contact us when they close on a new apartment in which they “inherit” the Silhouettes with their purchase. These customers often inquire if the “old” shades can be cleaned. My response is an enthusiastic “YES” since I know what can expected from a thorough cleaning at our workroom.
It is not unusual for customers to wait five, ten, or fifteen years and more until they clean their Silhouettes. With over one hundred and twenty Google 5-star reviews, many of which affirm our excellent results cleaning Silhouettes, we know we have a winner with our proprietary immersion process.
The cost of cleaning your Silhouettes is generally about 15% of the cost of replacement so unless the Silhouette is physically damaged it always makes sense to clean them. If you want to maintain the Silhouettes so they always look their absolute best, we suggest cleaning them every year or two.
Here's what one of our satisfied customers had to say in their Google 5 star review:
“I just had to write and leave a stellar review for Chuck and his wonderful company NY Drapery Care. I have Hunter Douglas Bon Soir Silhouette Shades that had not been cleaned in 10 years (I know...) Chuck immediately knew that these were the type of shades that had to use a special process..they cannot be ultrasonically cleaned like the regular Silhouette shades . He and his delightful associate came to my home, inspected my shades, took them down (and gave me temporary paper shades while mine were out). They came back today and they look BRAND NEW. I could not be happier. What a delightful person, to deal with, immaculate work, and I cannot recommend them highly enough. Thank you Chuck & Kelly. I'm THRILLED”
- R. Deutch, Upper Eastside
NY Drapery Care’s Immersion Process (This is Not Ultrasonic Cleaning)
Over the past 20 years we have developed and refined a cleaning process that is done in our workroom using a series of very wide tubs and cleaning tables we designed specifically for cleaning a variety of window treatments. We clean Hunter Douglas Silhouette, Duette, and Luminette shades, as well as solar and blackout shades using this method. Silhouette fabrics that require the use of a dry-cleaning solution are never immersed in water but rather are dry cleaned by hand instead.
Customers who need to maintain privacy while their Silhouettes are out being cleaned are offered temporary shades that are cut to neatly fit in their windows. There is never a need to hang a sheet in a bare window!
Cleaning Silhouette Shades Onsite
Companies that offer onsite cleaning of Silhouettes often don’t have any other option to offer you since they don’t have a workspace, other than your apartment, to do the cleaning in. The onsite cleaner will come to your apartment with an injection extraction machine, that is about the size of a large vacuum cleaner, which can spray a cleaning solution onto the Silhouettes and then immediately vacuum the dirty solution off.
Before starting their cleaning process, onsite cleaners must take precautions to shield your windows, walls, and floors from any potential overspray of the cleaning solutions they use. This step is crucial to prevent any damage to your apartment.
Additionally, it's important to recognize that Silhouettes with room-darkening capabilities, which utilize an opaque fabric, require a specific cleaning approach. These shades should be cleaned with a dry-cleaning solution to avoid any damage. The adhesives used to bond the various layers of fabric in these room-darkening Silhouettes are soluble in water and can deteriorate if they become saturated with water.
Conversely, Silhouette shades without the room-darkening feature can safely undergo cleaning with a water-based solution. A knowledgeable and seasoned onsite cleaner will be aware of these distinctions and select the most suitable cleaning method accordingly.
The injection extraction cleaning method can achieve impressive outcomes when handled by a technician who is both experienced and thoroughly trained. Yet, in the hands of those less skilled, this approach can result in a considerable mess, affecting both the apartment and the Silhouettes themselves. Without meticulous care, it's all too easy for a technician to leave behind streaks of soot and dust on the fabric, marring its appearance.
In contrast, our specialized immersion method effectively eliminates any possibility of residual streaking, a key factor in our consistently excellent track record. This method ensures that your Silhouettes are returned to you in pristine condition, free from the risks associated with less precise cleaning techniques.
Our customers frequently tell us how pleased they are with the transformation of their Silhouettes and our hassle-free service. For instance:
“NY Drapery Care did an excellent job cleaning our Silhouettes. We highly recommend them, especially since about ten years ago another cleaning company destroyed one of our shades, which had to be replaced. On the other hand, Chuck Strausser, the owner of NY Drapery Care, is extremely knowledgeable and reliable.”
- C. Galef, Upper Eastside
Conclusion
Unless you absolutely, unequivocally must have your Silhouettes cleaned in your apartment, it is always best to have the shades removed for a very thorough cleaning at our workroom. By taking the Silhouettes offsite, you can be certain you will have no mess in your apartment and can be sure you are getting the most thorough cleaning possible.
If you are planning on doing work in your apartment, it is always best to have us over to remove the Silhouettes BEFORE the other contractors start. We know how to properly remove and package the Silhouettes and can help you avoid any mishandling by less knowledgeable contractors.
Contact us today for your free written estimate.