How to Remove Creases From a Curtain

Why a curtain arrives creased

A new curtain is folded for shipping, a stored curtain keeps the marks of its storage. These creases are not permanent: most furnishing fabrics relax with weight, heat or moisture. The method depends on the material and the time you have, from the gentlest to the fastest.

5 methods to remove creases from a curtain

1. Simple hanging. Hang the curtain and let it drape for 24 to 48 hours. Under its own weight, the fabric relaxes and most light creases disappear on their own. It is the gentlest method, with no risk.
2. Weighted hanging. For marked creases, hang the curtain and weight the bottom (a clothes peg with a small weight, or pull gently downwards). The tension speeds up the fabric relaxing.
3. Vertical steamer. With the curtain hung, run the steam from top to bottom a few centimetres from the fabric. Steam relaxes the fibres in a few minutes. It is the fastest and safest method for most fabrics.
4. Bathroom steam. Without a steamer, hang the curtain in the bathroom during a hot shower. The ambient steam relaxes light creases in about thirty minutes.
5. Iron, inside-out. As a last resort, iron on the reverse of the fabric, at low temperature, with a damp pressing cloth between the iron and the curtain. For materials that tolerate it only, never on a blackout lining in direct contact.

Match the method to the material

Linen and cotton steam well and tolerate a warm iron inside-out. Velvet is never ironed flat: only vertical steam, with no contact, is safe. Synthetic fabrics and blackout linings fear direct heat: prefer hanging and steam from a distance. When in doubt, test on a hidden hem before treating the whole surface.

Mistakes to avoid

Never iron velvet or a blackout lining with the iron placed flat: the heat crushes the fibres or marks the lining. Do not use too hot an iron on a synthetic, which can melt or glaze. Do not pull sharply on a still-cold fabric to undo a crease: hanging and heat do the job without forcing.

A straight drape from the moment you hang it

A curtain at the right length keeps a crisp drape: too long, it piles up on the floor and marks; too short, it pulls on the rod. Kurtens makes curtains custom to the exact centimetre, in a range of colors and fabrics, delivered ready to hang. To aim for the right length, see the measuring guide, then the Kurtens custom curtains.

Frequently asked questions

The creases of a new curtain disappear with hanging and steam. For a curtain at the right length, with a straight drape from the start, have it made as a Kurtens custom curtain, to the exact centimetre.