We clean them in Riga and the Riga region, priced as heavy curtains, from €3.70/m² of fabric. Please send a photo of the back and the label first.
Why a blackout curtain is different
For an ordinary curtain, the fabric and the colour matter. For a blackout curtain with a coating, what is applied to the back matters too. The coating is not a fibre, so it reacts differently to heat and to hot or aggressive washing.
Photograph the curtain from both sides. From the back you can see whether there is a coating and whether it already has cracks or peeled patches. If the curtain is double, with a separate blackout lining, write that in the request.
What heat does to the coating
Makers of blackout fabrics warn that heat, such as a tumble dryer or a hot iron on the coated side, and also hot or aggressive washing can make the coating crack or peel off. That is why the label decides, and its temperature instruction must not be exceeded.
Source: Wolf-Gordon, Eclipse blackout fabric care page (maker’s instructions). Checked 10.11.2026.
Cracks in the coating can be seen as points or lines of light when the curtain is drawn in the daytime. Cleaning does not patch them.
Washing blackout curtains at home: what not to do
- Do not dry them in a tumble dryer.
- Do not iron the coated side with a hot iron.
- Do not wash hotter than the label allows, and do not choose an intensive programme.
- Do not use chlorine bleach or strong products: they can change the colour.
- Do not steam them on the rail: steam is heat too.
If there is no label or it is unreadable, it is better not to wash the curtain, and to send a photo.
Blackout roller blinds and double curtains
Blackout fabric is also used in roller blinds. There the fabric is attached to a tube and a mechanism, so the price depends on the situation: size, mechanism, take-down and fabric. More on the page Roman and roller blind cleaning.
In a double curtain the blackout lining is sewn in or attached to the decorative fabric. The front fabric and the lining can be made of different materials, so photograph both labels. If the lining is a separate curtain on its own rail, it is measured and cleaned as a separate curtain.
What to write in the request
- the number of curtains and the size of each in metres (fabric width times length);
- photos of the front, the back and the label;
- whether the coating already has cracks or peeled patches;
- whether the curtains must be taken down and what the fixing is (hooks, eyelets, tracks);
- the floor, whether there is a lift, and where a car can stop.
How much blackout curtain cleaning costs
Blackout curtains are heavy curtains: from €3.70/m² of fabric. Example: in a bedroom two curtains, each 1.4 × 2.5 m: 7 m² × €3.70 = €25.90, below the minimum. The minimum order is €45: if the total is lower, you pay €45.
With pick-up: pick-up and return in Riga costs €10 (both ways together); in the Riga region up to about 15 km from the Riga boundary it is also €10, and further out another €10 is added. If it is hard to take the curtains down yourself, see the page curtain take-down, cleaning and rehanging: its price depends on the situation. After you fill in the form, a specialist contacts you and gives the price based on the size, the fibre and the photos. All prices: prices.
What usually comes out and what may stay
Usually comes out
- dust and greyness on the surface;
- fresh stains that have not been rubbed;
- smell in the fabric may fade.
May stay
- a cracked or peeled coating;
- points of light that are already visible;
- sun fading on the surface;
- fold lines where the coating is already damaged.
Sources
- Heat (tumble dryer, hot iron on the coated side) and hot or aggressive washing can crack or peel off the coating; follow the label checked 10 November 2026
- Chlorine bleach and strong products can change the colour checked 7 November 2026
