Don’t Overlook This….!

September 13, 2010

In almost all of the homes and commercial buildings that I visit each year the most overlooked fabrics that I find are window treatments. While the main function of any window treatment is to enhance the appearance of our home or office they also provide privacy keep the cold out and even help reduce our energy bills. In addition, one of their most important jobs is to filter the air and contribute to a healthier indoor environment. Dust, soot, pet dander and the inevitable dust mites can all be found trapped inside your window treatments. Like any other “filter”, when these fabrics are full and can hold no more pollutants they will begin to release them back into your indoor environment. These types of substances can be the most offensive to the occupants because of their ability to trigger allergic reactions and asthma attacks as well as contributing to sick building syndrome.

: Custom drapery hanging by Roger of Shades-IN-Place

No matter if you have drapes, swags and jabots, shears or any of the thousands of intricate combinations one thing that they all need is regular maintenance. As with all other fabrics, maintenance will help them to last longer, look better and keep pollutants out of the breathing space. Regularly maintaining any fabric is usually no more complicated than vacuuming often to remove surface dust and refresh their appearance. Some of the more simple configurations of flat panel drapes lend themselves to be aired out in the back yard while those mounted on boards or in complicated arrangements may need a more gentle touch.

When light maintenance is no longer enough to keep your window treatments fresh and clean you had a choice. The traditional choice of drapery cleaning has been to either send out the drapes or have them cleaned on location. Regal Fabric Care has pioneered new cleaning techniques and methods specifically designed to remove deep down dust, dander, dust mites and their related allergy causing fecal matter from even the most delicate window treatments while maintaining the look, feel and integrity of the fabric. Our cleaning method uses HEPA filtered vacuums to insure complete removal, prior to becoming airborne, of all particulate matter followed by our exclusive “liquid free” cleaning which is both effective and safe for use on all fabrics and finishes including moiré and chintz. For questions or more information on how Regal Fabric Care can help you have a healthier home and office please call at 781-995-0683.

All photos in this post are courtesy of Roger Magalhaes, owner Shades-IN-Place

Roger of Shades-IN-Place

Roger Magalhaes is a certified Professional Installer by CHF, Hunter Douglas, Somfy and Norman Shutters, an active member of the WCAA, WAA, CHF among others and the owner of Shades IN Place. Roger can be reached at 508-520-6700 or http://www.shadesinplace.com/