Caring for Your Soft Fashions
Welcome the re-emergence of soft! Billowing fabrics in silks and satins, lush velvets and delicate sheers… Drapery and Roman shades of all kinds have certainly been seeing their re-emergence on the forefront of window fashion this year. It’s truly amazing what a little fabric can do to completely change the mood of a room.
So, you’ve done it! You’ve purchased your Roman Shades and Drapery Panels and they’ve just been installed. Why don’t they look right? The short and sad answer is that they won’t… Not right away anyway… Ideally, they will need about 2-3 weeks to properly “hang-out” & acclimatize before they fall softly into position.
A humidifier can help, but you will want to ensure that your new soft fashions are not exposed to too much moisture so as to cause any damage to the fabric. Many natural fibers can expand or contract with temperature and the elements and can cause them to shrink or stretch.
If you MUST steam, ensure you check the fabric content tags for directions. Distilled water is preferable and you can always start by steaming the room a little. Sometimes this is all it takes to allow you to relax that wrinkle without damaging the fabric.
Life hacks for steaming:
- Take a gym sock or 2 (new ones please) and place them over the head of the steamer to avoid steamer drips or spits.
- Always steam from the back (If something DOES go wrong, better on the back than the front)
- Never touch the fabric - Always stay a few inches away with the steam
Ultimately, the best advice is to vacuum your soft fashions delicately once a week and contact a professional if you’re not sure. We’re glad to help!
