Best Steam Cleaner for Curtains to Keep Them Looking Fresh

If you’ve ever had the unfortunate experience of cleaning your curtains, you know just how tedious and difficult it can be. Not only would you usually take them down, but then figure out how to wash them without damaging the fabric, dry them, iron them, and hang them back up again.

Sound exhausting? Absolutely.

That’s why a steam cleaner for curtains is such a great solution. You can easily keep your curtains fresh and spotless with the right steam cleaner.

In this blog post, I’ll discuss the benefits of steam cleaning curtains, the different types of steam cleaners available, and how best to use them.

I’m not going to cover using a garment steamer in this post. I’ve already written a list of the best garment steamers for curtains and drapes.

I specifically want to focus on multipurpose steam cleaners and steam mops that you may already have at home but haven’t thought to use on your curtains.

Let’s get started:

Benefits of Steam Cleaning Curtains

Steam cleaning curtains carries many benefits, including:

• It’s a fast and efficient way to clean curtains.
• It helps to remove dirt, dust, and other debris from the fabric of your curtains.
• It can help with removing tough stains from curtains.
• An eco-friendly way to clean curtains. It uses less water than traditional cleaning methods and doesn’t require harsh chemicals.
• It helps to kill dust mites and other allergens, making it an excellent option for those who suffer from allergies.
• Steam cleaning is gentle on fabrics, so you don’t have to worry about damaging (most) curtain fabrics.
• It helps to keep your curtains looking fresh and bright.

Different Types of Steam Cleaners for Curtains

When I first thought about steaming curtains, I naturally thought about my handheld fabric steamer.

But in reality, you can use most steam cleaners to clean, refresh or remove wrinkles from curtains.

Here are some choices:

• Handheld steam cleaners: These are small, lightweight steam cleaners that are easy to maneuver and use. The downside is that they don’t run for very long, which can be a bit tedious.
• Canister steam cleaners are larger steam cleaners holding more water and running for longer. You usually get extra attachments that can help clean and refresh curtains, such as a fabric brush attachment.
• Multipurpose Steam Mops: A steam mop with a removable handheld steam cleaner with attachments for cleaning above-floor areas. I’ll show you how to use these for your curtains.

The Best Steam Cleaners for Curtains

When choosing the best steam cleaner for curtains, I didn’t want to focus just on wrinkle removal.

So, here are some steam cleaners that can help you remove dust, dirt, and stains effectively without having to take your curtains down or call in a professional curtain steamer:

• Eave Continuous Use Handheld Steamer
• H20 X5 Elite Steam Mop
• Black + Decker Multipurpose Steam Cleaner
• Bissell PowerFresh Slim
• Dupray Neat Steam Cleaner
• McCulloch MC1385
• Wagner Spraytech 915
• Ladybug Tekno 2350

Handheld Steam Cleaners for Curtains

Best Multipurpose Steam Cleaner

Best Canister Steam Cleaner for Curtains

Best Commercial Steam Cleaner for Curtains

Best Steam Vacuum for Curtains

How to Steam Clean Curtains

To steam curtains, follow these steps below:

• Read the care label on your curtains first for laundering instructions.
• Start by vacuuming the curtains to remove any dust and debris. If you have thick or blackout curtains, vacuum the front and back sides.

I used my steam vacuum to do this and was surprised at the color of the water in the waste tank after vacuuming two small window curtains:

I shouldn’t be though, this is how dirty the back of the curtains were:

As we live on a farm, our windows stay open all Spring and Summer. It get’s pretty dusty here, so when the backs blow against the flyscreens, they end up like this.

If you’re curtains look like this, take them down and wash them, they are beyond steam cleaning.

But for the purpose of this post, I thought, what an excellent experiment for me to test my steam cleaner on!

• Fill the steam cleaner with the appropriate amount of distilled water and let it heat up.
• Attach the fabric, upholstery, or triangle brush to the steam cleaner (depending on your model and the attachments you have available).
• Cover this with a microfiber bonnet or cloth to trap the dirt as you clean.

As I was using my steam vacuum, I used the triangle tool wrapped with a microfiber cloth. You’ll find similar tools on the Dupray Neat, McCulloch, and Vapor Clean steamers.

• Begin steaming from the top of the curtains and work slowly to the bottom of the curtains.
• As I left my curtains hanging, I pulled them as tight as possible with my left hand while holding the steamer in my right.
• Eventually, I got out my oven mitt and used this as a backing behind the curtain so the steam could penetrate the fabric better. If you have a steaming glove, use this as the oven mitt gets hot!
• Move the steam cleaner slowly over the fabric.

Clearly, these are thicker curtains, so what about the backing? Remember those pics above? It was pretty dirty.

I love to test out things with my steamer so I can bring you the best advice. So, if you have inexpensive polyester curtains with the “blackout” style backing – don’t use your steam cleaner on the back.

I tried this to get the dirt off and it melted away the rubbery feeling polyester:

Needless to say, I stopped steaming the back of the curtains. Cold machine washing on another day will have to do.

I was impressed at the level of dirt that came out of the curtains however. I took this photo before I started steaming the very dirty backing:

I’m impressed with the amount of dust and dirt the cloth was able to pick up just from the front of two window curtains. They’re not very wide, which goes to show just how dirty there are! These are bedroom windows as well, so that dust is right next to us when we are sleeping.

Frequently Asked Questions About Steaming Curtains

Enjoy Refreshed Curtains

Cleaning curtains can be a tedious and difficult task, but it doesn’t have to be. There are several different types of steam cleaners for curtains, so make sure to choose one that meets your needs.

Remember to follow the tips and advice in this blog post to ensure that your curtains stay looking great.