White curtains add a bright, cozy, and airy touch while giving a comforting look to the place. They go well with any wall color but turn yellow due to poor maintenance and dust on the curtains.
Why Are My White Curtains Turning Yellow? White curtains turn yellow if kids clean their dirty hands with them while playing. Sometimes the pets hide behind the curtains or roll around them and make them look untidy due to their dirty paws. Moreover, the continuous exposure of fabric to sunlight makes them look pale and dull. Their fabric gets old due to many washings or by the use of chlorinated bleach.
White curtains can give a luxurious appearance to the place, and it never goes out of fashion. It makes the room look classy and trendy while going with any decor.
It prevents the outside light from coming inside and gives a cooling effect to your room.
But the white color turns yellow after some time due to the accumulation of debris and improper cleanliness. The stains on the white fabric are more visible, negatively impacting the place.
Due to dirty or sticky fingers of kids
The white curtains tend to be untidy if you have kids in your home, and they clean their hands from them.
They look grimy if your kids are playing hide and seek without washing their hands after eating and when they touch them with their hands.
Some kids have the habit of wiping their dirty hands or feet and runny noses from the hanging curtains, making them greasy.
Sometimes the kids clean their dirty toys, leaving a stain on them. Then, they leave the marks on the blinds, turning them yellow if they remain unwashed for a longer time.
I have 4 kids in my home, and they clean their things with the curtains when no one is around.
For this, you have to pay extra attention to your child and wash their hands after they eat something.
Tell them not to play behind the drapes and not touch them with dirty hands. You can fold the blinds when the kids are playing to keep them safe.
Having pets in your home
Having white curtains and pets in your home is so troublesome as they love to play or sit around the corners.
Pets roam around the home all day, and their uncleaned paws touch the curtains, making them look untidy.
They shed their hair and even they rub their leftovers against the fabric. As a result, greasiness appears on the white fabric, and they lose their brightness with time.
I have a pet cat in my home, and she tries to climb the blinds with uncleaned paws, which makes the curtains look untidy.
You should keep pets away from the places where blinds are hanging and make them clean. You have to take care of your pet’s cleanliness and specify a place for them.
Curtains exposed to sunlight
Although curtains tend to be protective against the sunlight, they show discoloration with constant exposure to UV rays.
Their fabric starts to fade if they are overexposed to direct sunlight. A yellow color layer appears on your white blinds if they hang for a long time.
Sometimes sun drying the curtains for a long time changes the color from white to yellow due to more exposure. This is because direct sunlight accelerates the discoloration of fabric, and it wears out quickly.
Ensure that your dry them in natural sunlight but keep them away from direct exposure. You can protect them from fading by reading the cleaning instructions carefully and hanging them in unexposed areas.
Fabric aging
You see that the curtains add a complete look to your room. Also, if you have white color fabric, it is susceptible to more dirt and dust than the colored ones.
Every fabric has a life of limited years, and they lose their brightness after some time. The life of a fabric increases if properly maintained and washed at a due time.
Even the frequent washing also damages the quality of the fabric and makes it look old or worn out.
Replace the old fabric after some years as they deteriorate with time. Instead, choose the fabric that withstands for a long time, and dry-clean them.
You can use a mild washing agent while washing to prevent it from getting old.
Proper cleanliness
Curtains need 2-3 washings around the year to look clean and bright. If you do not wash or clean them properly, then the yellowish color appears on the curtains.
Wash them in the hot season to dry well in heat, and remain moist-free. Next, you have to unhook them from the curtains’ railing and take them off for washing purposes.
After this, give them a gentle shake to remove the excess dust from the fabric. Next, dissolve the washing detergent in the cold water, and soak them in it for some time if you are washing them by hand.
Avoid rubbing the fabric against each other, and rinse them with water thoroughly to remove the water.
Dry them in sunlight or by spin washing them, and then hang them till they are completely dry. You can vacuum or steam clean them weekly to remove the dust.
You can use a laundry bluing agent to brighten the yellowing of the fabric and wash them after 3-4 months. After that, you can add vinegar or lemon to remove the stubborn stains from the curtains.
Dust, dirt mites and, watermarks
These are more exposed to dust and dirt as they hang for a long time on the rods. The dust coming out of the windows accumulates in the fabric, affecting the color.
When you see the stain of dust and debris, then give your curtains a gentle shake to remove them. Sometimes, the windows remain open in the rainy season, and the water leaves splashes on the blinds.
With the continuous dust accumulation, dirt mites are produced inside the fabric and cause health problems.
You can close the windows during rainy or dusty weather to avoid the deposition of the dirt. Wash the curtains or shake them off frequently to clean them properly.
Use the sprays to kill the mites present behind the curtains if they are not cleaned regularly.
Poor washing of curtains
The fabric’s color also changes when using too much bleach solution to remove the stain. It turns the white fabric into yellow while damaging the quality of the curtain.
If you do not rinse the cleaning detergent well, it changes the fabric’s color. Likewise, the use of fabric softener or chemical cleaner deteriorates the quality of the curtain by leaving them in yellow color.
Sometimes washing your white curtains with other colored fabrics turns them pale in color. Even when you wash them in a washing machine or hands by rubbing them, they permanently damage the fabric and discolors it.
Do not use the bleach solution more frequently as it damages the fabric and leaves a yellow mark. Instead, use a good quality cleaning agent, and give them a good rinse after washing to avoid fabric deterioration.
Long Curtains
If the curtains are long and touch the floor, they are more prone to dust and dirt. Also, sometimes the cleaning mops and water on the floor contact the blinds, giving them a stained look.
The continuous hanging of the curtains without cleaning makes them worn out. Also, they get messy too early if you have kids in your home and need more cleaning than the short ones.
For this, you have to look after the proper length of the fabric to prevent them from turning pale.
Related Articles:
Time required to drywall a new house
Tips for using Blackout Curtains For Bedroom
Bedroom Curtains Have to Touch the Floor
What color curtains can make my room look big?
Adding two-colored curtains to one window
