Washing machine or dry clean curtains?

[Patrick]

Can the window curtains on a Catalina 27 (85 model) be washed in a home washing machine. I thought I read that they could, but my wife wondered if the backing makes dry cleaning more suitable.I've not found anything in the archives. All I've seen is what a pain it is to replace them! Don't want to do that by trying to clean them!Thanks in advance,Patrick

 

[LaDonna Bubak - Catalina Owners]

A guess

I would be leery of dry cleaning cuz that might damage some rubber/plastic type backings. Maybe not but you might be best off to hand wash (or machine on delicate) and air dry. I believe it's the heat that damages backings most. Hopefully someone with direct experience will chime in tomorrow.LaDonna

 

[Bill]

It Depends...

The first thing to do is to determine what the fabric is made from. A good rule of thumb is that natural products (like cottons) should always be dry cleaned because they can shrink. Also, in general, lined curtains should be dry cleaned...because the lining and the face fabric may shrink at different rates.To determine whether the fabric is natural, take a small amount of the fabric and burn it in an ashtray. If it burns to a light ash it is a natural product. If it melts and burns into a plastic pool, its man-made and generally can be washed. There are other possible cautions, including rubber backings, etc.BillSilhouette470@aol.com

 

[LaDonna Bubak - CatalinaOwners]

Drycleaning cotton

I was told by a dry cleaner that cotton really shouldn't be drycleaned. I had taken a sweater in & it came back just as dirty but stunk to high heaven. They said that cotton really isn't dry cleanable. ???? Of course this was after I had paid for it! Since then, I've never dry cleaned anything cotton & nothing has shrunk considerably. Just be cautious about the drying process. Now wool is a different story! LaDonna

 

[Patrick]

What are the original equipment curtains made of?

Does anyone know what material Catalina used in the making of their curtains? I'm guessing that these are the original equipment that came on the boat. They are rather stiff and have the snap across to hold them together when open.I can't find anything in the manual that came with the boat, but I did find a web site for a similar year Catalina 22 that says they should definitely not be cleaned in the wash, but dry cleaned instead.Guess I'll go with that advice unless I hear differently. Thanks for the advice.

 

[LaDonna Bubak - CatalinaOwners]

Contact Catalina directly

Call them at (818)884-7700. They should be able to tell you how to care for them.LaDonna

 

[F SONDERGAARD]

CAREFULLY WASH

I WASHED OUR CURTAINS BY HAND AND HUNG OUTSIDE TO DRY. I THEN IRONED WITH A COOL IRON. EVERYTHING FIT BACK INTO PLACE. ALTHOUGH THE CURTAINS ARE A PAIN IN THRE BUTT IN HANG BACK UP. GOOD LUCK!!