Caravan curtain cleaning

aussietraveller · Guru

Caravan curtain cleaning

Rip and Rosie · Guru

Ours are attached with velcro.... just rip 'em off and push 'em back on.

BarbandDaz · Senior Member

same with our pelmets. just pull from the sides and off they come smile

Cruising Granny · Guru

Some pelmets are timber, and others are padded fabric on brackets screwed to the van walls.
I'm guessing yours are the padded fabric type.
You'll have to unscrew them, take them out and blast them with a hose and dry them in the SHADE.
These fabrics are prone to fading, but if you want to get rid of the red dust vacuum the pelmets before you wash them.
Good luck.

_wombat_ · Master (of Mischief)

our curtains are fitted on a metal bracket under a pelmet, if yours is the same try putting your hands under the pelmet and pulling the metal bracket towards you and it will slide out of its frame

-- Edited by _wombat_ on Friday 9th of December 2011 08:28:03 AM

Gerty Dancer · Guru

The pelmets on our Jayco are covered with the same material as the curtains, and I dont think you could get it off. Looking underneath, the fabric is stapled on. But you might be able to remove the cutains themselves.

Our curtains are also a bit "iffy" after a lot of red dust too. I wonder if its possible to get them steam-cleaned in situ, as they do in houses, but also worry that it might make them look worse.

If you find an answer, could you let me know? Good luck with this.

shazartist · Senior Member

It is really easy to cover pelmets if you can get them on and off, and once you get the curtains off or the pelmet off the other may appear much easier to do as well.

Trying to steam clean a pelment could be an issue if the fabric is not dense or is over a thin foam, you could damage the top layer, and some foams rot and fall apart....If it was me and the pelmet fabric under material was ok, I would give it a good brush and do a new cover over the old one. especially if the old fabric had no pile. pick a colour or design that would work with new blinds or drapes when you felt you needed to change those..meaning forward plan on your colour scheme...just get a staple gun and don't use strips or checks.

The next issue is if the Pelmets and drapes were built together, you will eventually have to take them down, this would be easy if they were put up last, but if they were put up and moulding over the top, that will prove to be more difficult.

Hopefully someone has the same year unit on this forum and has dealt with this issue.

I was an interior decorator in my previous life...use a skew driver and hammer slowly and you will be ok...it is amazing how simple some things end up being.

I dont know that I was much help but, good luck.

Sharon

tiger5 · Senior Member

Hi David chris,

There is no need to remove the phelmets ,if you feel under it you should find that the curtin are on a rod.Feel the end of the rod and there will be a half cup holder which you can just pop the rod out.If you have the mesh curtins as well they have screw hooks on that plastic covered curtin spring.

Just remember whic curtin goes where as for some reason they are diferent sizes on the smaller windows

Firefly · Guru

You could try to vacuum them mate, that may help. I know what you mean about the red dirt, I love it but it does get in doesn't it.

aussietraveller · Guru

Thanks for all of the valuable advice we are going to attempt to remove the curtains tomorrow I will post a report once done. Thanks again

BarbandDaz · Senior Member

Took ours all down and washed them yesterday - whilst the sun shone biggrin

The lacey curtains were on a wire and easily removed. The main curtains on a rod which were in a cup like holder under the pelmet and the pelmet covers just pulled off.

Found that the metal rings on the main curtain have snagged the lacey curtains though - so will need to try and remedy that.

All back in the van now smile

Good luck with getting yours out.

Cruising Granny · Guru

My curtains are hanging from curtain cable from small hooks, under the pelmet. Bot the scrim and the lined fabric. I made them when I bought the van because the old ones were a bit dull and faded.
I also installed pleated blinds on the 2 biggest windows for light reduction and to keep the heat and cold out.
These things are installed to be removed eventually. If you want you can steam clean in situ, but it's a little job to pull them down and wash them. I'd do it by hand because the lining can be a bit fragile and flake off if the curtains have been hanging there for a while.
Vacuuming will take out the loose dust, but to freshen them up I'd wash them and hang them out in the breeze, but not in the sun for too long. The lining will deteriorate and go brittle if exposed to UV's for too long. Not friction.
Bear in mind these vans are shot together with a shanghai from a long distance, as cheaply as possible.
No matter how many thousands you paid for your van, corners would have been cut to keep the costs down.
So you won't have top quality curtain fabric to begin with. Sorry to disillusion you, but that's just the facts.
The pelmets will be on brackets, attached to the van wall by brackets which can be unscrewed.
You have to be a bit of an acrobat able to squeeze into tight places, but hey, put it down as aerobics and yogo exercises on the day.

aussietraveller · Guru

Finally success we have removed and washed some of the curtains.

For Gerty Dancer the process ended up being fairly simple and the advice by other forum members was not only very helpful but gave me the motivation to have a go.
1. slide main curtain along to L/H end and and pushed the curtain rod towards pelmet to remove from plastic clip then slid curtain rod and curtain out

2. unhook plastic covered spring curtain holder from bracket this is a bit hard as there is not enough room for the male hand to fit behind the pelmet.

3. discovered the option to remove the pelmet is fairly easy as there are two screws each end one easy to see at bottom and one at the top (Phillips screws) used
Thanks to all for your advice once again proving the value of Grey Nomads forum.

_wombat_ · Master (of Mischief)

aussietraveller wrote:
Finally success we have removed and washed some of the curtains.

For Gerty Dancer the process ended up being fairly simple and the advice by other forum members was not only very helpful but gave me the motivation to have a go.
1. slide main curtain along to L/H end and and pushed the curtain rod towards pelmet to remove from plastic clip then slid curtain rod and curtain out

2. unhook plastic covered spring curtain holder from bracket this is a bit hard as there is not enough room for the male hand to fit behind the pelmet.

3. discovered the option to remove the pelmet is fairly easy as there are two screws each end one easy to see at bottom and one at the top (Phillips screws) used
Thanks to all for your advice once again proving the value of Grey Nomads forum.

That's ok AT, the account is in the post biggrin biggrin

Boroma577 · Guru

_wombat_ wrote:
That's ok AT, the account is in the post

So is the cheque for the payment.....LOL

_wombat_ · Master (of Mischief)

Boroma577 wrote:
_wombat_ wrote:
That's ok AT, the account is in the post
So is the cheque for the payment.....LOL

sorry, no cheque's, cash only please, I will return the cheque. biggrin biggrin

Boroma577 · Guru

_wombat_ wrote:
Boroma577 wrote:
_wombat_ wrote:
That's ok AT, the account is in the post
So is the cheque for the payment.....LOL
sorry, no cheque's, cash only please, I will return the cheque.

No chance then....

_wombat_ · Master (of Mischief)

Boroma577 wrote:
_wombat_ wrote:
Boroma577 wrote:
_wombat_ wrote:
That's ok AT, the account is in the post
So is the cheque for the payment.....LOL
sorry, no cheque's, cash only please, I will return the cheque.
No chance then....

NO biggrin

Gerty Dancer · Guru

Thanks Aussietraveller, will give it a go.

Cruising Granny · Guru

My consultation, for whatever it was worth, was given for free. How silly am I?

aussietraveller · Guru

All free advice is greatly welcomed as a new pensioner wanting to spend as much time on the road as possible we need to watch all costs, The curtains came up like new.
Thanks again to all.