Insider Secrets: How NY Drapery Care Can Save You Big Bucks on Hunter Douglas Shade Cleaning

In New York's competitive cleaning landscape, carpet and rug cleaners often offer onsite drapery and shade cleaning at surprisingly low prices, however these services often lack the knowledge and specialized care that high-end window treatments require. At NY Drapery Care we can offer our customers the most appropriate cleaning process for their specific needs be it at our workroom or onsite.

Do you have solar shades installed in your windows? If you do, you probably realize that they offer many benefits including providing privacy, protecting furnishings, artwork, and floors from UV exposure and the fading associated with it, as well as reducing heating and cooling costs by limiting heat gain and loss through the windows.  Solar shades, like all window treatments, need periodic maintenance to remove the buildup of soot, dust, dander and other pollutants that circulates in homes and offices even if the windows are rarely if ever opened. If by chance you live in Manhattan and do leave your windows open, a clear line of soot will form in a very short time and heavy accumulation will certainly occur that most often will cause some level of permanent discoloration. To help avoid permanent discoloration it is best to remove the soot every 1-3 years. Some solar shade fabrics are more serviceable than others and will clean very well even if left unmaintained for 10 years while other fabrics will become permanently discolored in a much shorter time. The best way to clean most solar shades, depending on the actual fabric, is to immerse them in long tubs and let them soak until the caked on soil loosens. Once the soils have loosened the fabric needs to be brushed and wiped down. Following the scrubbing and wipe down the shades must be repeatedly rinsed to make sure all the soil has been removed. If the shades are not properly rinsed any remaining soil will simply redeposit itself on the fabric leaving streaks or blotchy spots. While immersion is certainly the best way to clean solar shades, especially heavily soiled ones, there are processes that can be used onsite to clean motorized shades. If motorized shades are routinely maintained they can remain looking great for a very long time. With the cost of hard wired motorization so high, it only makes sense to maintain the shades before they need replacement.

I have seen too many avoidable issues happen when painters or other construction contractors remove window treatments. While these contractors may be excellent at their specialties they often do not have the knowledge or show the care when it comes to safely removing window treatments and storing them during renovations.  Recently I was called to a duplex penthouse in West Chelsea where the painters removed the linen sheers and drapery. Don’t let this happen to you. No matter if you just purchased your apartment and want to make use of the existing window treatments, or you have been in the apartment for years and are getting around to painting or perhaps a more extensive renovation, it is the perfect time to have the window treatments professionally removed, cleaned and stored until the dirty work is done. We always advise our customers to leave the responsibility for removing and tagging each window treatment to us, be it a drapery panel or Roman shade, so that the fabric does not get manhandled or worse and at the time of reinstallation everything goes back exactly as it was. Before you end up in knots give us a call and we will smooth everything out!

Congratulations – You just closed on a sale Window treatments can cost tens of thousands of dollars and more which is why your clients would almost certainly appreciate learning about our services. While not every window treatment matches every decor many popular window treatments do. The high-end residential customer we service often has motorized solar or blackout shades in addition to drapery and sheers. We do our drapery and sheer cleaning by hand at our specially designed workroom using only 100% eco-friendly solutions. By doing the work by hand we can be sure that the fabric does not get damaged or shrink as a result of cleaning. Motorized shades are carefully and neatly cleaned at the apartment once the painting or renovations are done and the dust has stopped flying! Storage is available for any window treatments we remove for cleaning. If a buyer would like to make use of the existing window treatments they should contact NY Drapery Care for removal and cleaning before the painters or construction contractors start their work so we can properly handle and tag each piece we remove from the apartment. Only once the painting/renovation is done would we come and rehang the window treatments and properly dress the windows. If a seller wants to keep their existing window treatments they absolutely should contact NY Drapery Care to have them cleaned and properly boxed for long term storage using acid-free tissue. Fabrics should never be folded and stored while still covered in years of soot and dust. If no one wants the old window treatments it still might be the time to contact NY Drapery Care. We run a year-round drapery donation drive by facilitating the removal, freshening up, and delivery of unneeded drapery to Housing Works’ thrift stores. Funds raised from your donation will be used toward assisting those suffering from both HIV/AIDS and homelessness. Donors will receive a Housing Works tax-deductible donation form as well as years of good Karma!!! Please take note of the following before arranging any donations: Donations are limited to high-quality custom drapery panels in excellent condition ONLY. We cannot accept valences, cornices, and Roman shades since they are too unwieldy to be displayed at the thrift stores. Get NY Drapery Care remove the drapery that will be donated from the windows rather than the painter or other contractors who may mishandle them. (If the drapery has already been removed please just cover it and set it aside for pickup) To learn more or to schedule an estimate please contact NY Drapery Care at 212-396-4210.

Whether you’re remodeling, painting, or just want to improve your home’s air quality, professional cleaning is a must to maintain the quality and beauty of your drapery and window treatments. Here are the top 8 reasons to have your draperies and window treatments professionally cleaned by NY Drapery Care. 1. Improve air quality indoors Draperies and other window treatments actually act as in-home air filters, grabbing dust, pollutants, cleaning chemicals and various allergens. Over time, your window treatments need to be cleaned in order to remove the built-up pollutants and help keep your home free of harmful particles. To improve indoor air quality and provide a healthy environment for your family, professional cleaning is the smart and safe option. NY Drapery Care also uses GreenEarth 100% eco friendly cleaning solutions. These solutions are safe for the environment, safe for your home, and are made using sustainable processes. 2. Help prevent spreading germs Because of the air-filtering qualities of draperies, they can be a common place for bacteria and microscopic pests like dust mites to gather. Even when your window treatments appear clean, they could be housing more germs and pests than the eye can see. If they haven’t been professionally cleaned in a while, it’s time to contact a professional drapery cleaning service. The deep cleaning provided by professionals is a sure thing compared with DIY methods. 3. Enjoy an eco-friendly, pet and kid-friendly clean without fragrances and fumes Unlike traditional cleaning processes which waste water and require harsh chemicals, our refined hand cleaning techniques use environmentally-friendly solutions manufactured by GreenEarth Cleaning. Not only are these solutions friendly to the environment, they are odor free so you’ll never suffer from that “dry cleaner” smell. All of our cleaning is done in our specially designed workroom where we have complete control over the entire cleaning process. By cleaning every treatment by hand and letting it naturally air dry we avoid not only harsh chemicals, but we also avoid issues of shrinkage or possible damage to fragile fabrics. 4. Save money – lots of it When was the last time you priced out the cost of new window treatments? They’re not cheap. Having them cleaned vs. buying new ones will save you money every time. But it’s also important to maintain and protect your investment over time. By getting your treatments professionally cleaned, you’ll remove airborne pollutants and help prevent sun rot or dry rot which destroys drapery fabrics. 5. Avoid the time consuming take-down and rehanging process Time is money. Odds are that your draperies were hung and installed by professionals. Removing and then reinstalling them by yourself is a time consuming, potentially difficult endeavor. Save time, save your sanity. We carefully and professionally remove your draperies, then reinstall them when they’re ready. 6. Avoid damaging your draperies We can’t tell you the number of stories we’ve heard from people who damaged their window treatments trying to DIY the cleaning process. Draperies can easily get stretched, shrunken, or faded. Avoid the headaches by leaving it to drapery care experts. 7. Rejuvenate the look and feel of your draperies and window treatments Dirt and dust eventually begin to weigh down your draperies over time, causing fraying and loss of shape. Professionally cleaned window treatments have the look and feel that you loved when you first had them installed. 8. Trust the experts Homeowners trust professionals to design and install their high end draperies, curtains, shades, and blinds. Doesn’t it make sense that the same level of expertise is required when it comes to cleaning and maintaining the quality of your window treatments? Ready to get started? Contact us today to schedule your drapery or window treatment cleaning free consultation.

As the owner of a workroom, whose sole focus is cleaning finer custom fabric window treatments, I sometimes come across fabric choices that make me wonder out loud “WHY” ??? Why would a designer choose unlined sheer wool for a Central Park West penthouse with expansive unobstructed eastern exposures? The sheers that come to mind were only 5 years old and had deteriorated to the point where cleaning was not an option. The fabric was shredding from the effects of strong UV exposure and the destructive combination of Manhattan soot and moisture by the windows. Choosing the Right Fabric for High-End Sheers  While natural fabrics made of cotton, linen, silk, or wool all can be made into beautiful window sheers, they certainly benefit by being blended with a man-made or synthetic fiber to improve serviceability and useful life. Blended fabrics are much less susceptible to shrinkage and are often more resistant to deterioration from the sun’s UV rays. Since blended fabrics are less likely to shrink we often can use a wet cleaning process that is done by hand to safely and thoroughly clean the sheers. If even minor shrinkage is a concern we can always dry clean the fabric by hand, however for the most thorough cleaning possible a water based immersion process is best. While you may not have given much thought to maintenance in the past remember that your client’s sheers act no differently than giant air filters trapping soot, dust and allergens and should be thoroughly cleaned every year or two. With so many available fabric choices why wouldn’t you opt for one that is both beautiful and readily serviceable? It only makes sense!!!

Unlined sheer fabrics effectively act like huge air filters when hanging in the window. By their nature, sheers let the air in the apartment circulate through them which then embeds soot, dust, dander and other allergens in the fabric even if the windows are rarely if ever opened. If you can imagine what your furniture would look like if you dusted every few years you can start to imagine what has collected in the weave of your sheers. New York Drapery Care Sheers Cleaning Service  Ideally we prefer to clean our customer’s sheers in our workroom , by hand-washing them using a water based process and environmentally friendly cleaning solutions. We use a series of very long tubs we designed specifically for this purpose. The sheers are cleaned and rinsed repeatedly to remove all the embedded soil. Once the sheers are clean they are hung to naturally dry and then steamed by hand to remove all the wrinkling. While we wish we could use this immersion process all the time it simply is not safe to use on certain fabrics without chancing significant shrinkage. Natural fabrics including some linen weaves and wool are extremely susceptible to shrinkage. The only way to ensure that these delicate sheers will not shrink is by hand dry cleaning them and letting them slowly air dry. While we would love if everyone cleaned their sheers and drapery every couple of years, the reality is many people who contact us wait until they’re painting, renovating, or replacing their windows and are forced to take down their window treatments. This is often after 5, 10, 15 years or more. Sheers that have not been maintained in many years can still be cleaned, however the fabric may have become permanently discolored. When soot, moisture by the windows and the sun react with each other they will over time permanently discolor the fabric, often leaving it with a slight gray cast no matter how clean the fabric is post cleaning. If you, or anyone else in your home suffer from dust allergies please don’t overlook this important bit of maintenance .

Does your apartment have floor to ceiling windows? Are they covered in sheers that have not been serviced in years? As specialty cleaners of fabric window treatments, NY Drapery Care has serviced hundreds of customers living in Manhattan’s glass curtain walled buildings. What we observed is that motorized sheer drapery panels are a very popular choice for covering vast expanses of windows given their functionality, providing privacy while still permitting light in.

Part of getting your client's apartment renovation off to the right start is arranging for the window treatments to be removed, or if motorized, properly protected before the renovation work begins. Don't Leave Protecting Your High End Drapery to Your Building Contractor A duplex in Chelsea greeted us with this disheartening sight. The contractors thought they had "protected" the 22' high drapery panels in the great room from the construction dust, plaster, and paint, when in fact they only managed to worsen things as is clear from the photos below.