How long do curtains and blinds last?
Updated
How long curtains and blinds last depends on the sun they get, how they are cared for and the fabric. Sunlight fades and weakens every fabric over time, a lining helps protect the face fabric, and gentle regular care helps. Your retailer can tell you what to expect from the fabric you choose.
What decides how long curtains and blinds last?
Nobody can give a fair figure, because two identical curtains in two different rooms age differently. Four things decide it.
| What | What it does | What helps |
|---|---|---|
| Sun | Fades and weakens fabric over time. Light, ultraviolet and heat all play a part, and reds tend to fade most | A lining, and a fabric chosen for sun |
| Care | Dust, hand marks and snags build up. Damp air can lead to mould on fabric near the glass | Gentle dusting, airing, and moving a curtain by its wand and a blind by its chain or controls |
| Fabric | Fibres age differently. High linen fabrics may be less durable than low linen blends and polyester | Ask your retailer about the exact fabric |
| Use | Tracks, runners (gliders), chains and motors have moving parts that wear with use | Ask your retailer or installer to look at one that starts to stick |
Resene's guide to sun damage says visible light and heat do much of the fading indoors, that colours with a lot of red in them fade most, and that acrylic and polyester stand up to sunlight better than many other textiles. It also says lined curtains resist fading better than unlined ones.
Speedy Blinds treats fading as normal. All fabrics fade gradually, and a curtain that has hung in the sun can differ in shade from new fabric ordered later, even in the same colour. Fading can also shift a colour. In some fabrics warmer yellow tones reduce first, so dark colours, including black, can look more purple or blue over time.
How long do linen, sheer and blockout curtains last?
- Linen. High linen fabrics crease and shed fibres, and compared with low linen blends and polyester they may be less durable. Speedy Blinds recommends a protective lining for longer life.
- Sheer. A sheer is made without a lining, so its fabric takes the sun itself. It is light and open, so it snags on window locks and rough surfaces, and it shows hand marks, especially a pale one.
- Blockout (blackout). On many coated blockouts the coating can crack or stick if the curtain is machine washed, tumble dried or ironed on the coated side. Pinholes of light along the seams can become more noticeable over time in strong direct sun, and a separate blockout lining covers them.
How long do roller blinds last?
A roller blind has a fabric, a tube, brackets and either a chain or a motor, and each ages in its own way. The fabric fades in the sun like any other. The moving parts wear with use, so a blind raised and lowered every day is working harder than one that stays down. Faint roll marks across the fabric may lessen as the blind is raised and lowered.
Roller blinds are not balanced at the factory, so the installer levels the brackets and balances the blind on site. If a blind starts to roll to one side, ask your retailer to have it adjusted.
When should you replace curtains or blinds?
- The colour has faded or shifted, or no longer matches a newer panel.
- The fabric has weakened, snagged or torn, or mould has taken hold.
- A coating is cracking or sticking.
- The fabric itself is worn out, not only a track, runner or chain. A cracked or missing runner can usually be replaced without replacing the track.
Style is a fair reason too. Ask your retailer how your fabric is likely to cope with the sun on your window, whether a lining would help, and what the care instructions say. Speedy Blinds makes curtains, tracks and roller blinds for retailers, and your retailer can ask the workroom about a fabric.
Other ways people ask this
How long do blackout curtains last?
It depends on the sun, the care and the fabric. A coated blockout (blackout) fabric depends on its coating, so check the care instructions before any washing or ironing.
How long do linen curtains last?
High linen fabrics may be less durable than low linen blends and polyester. Speedy Blinds recommends a protective lining for longer life.
How long do sheer curtains last?
It depends on the sun, the fabric and handling. A sheer has no lining, snags on rough surfaces and shows hand marks, so gentle care helps.
How long do thermal curtains last?
The same things decide it: sun, care and the fabric. A lining takes the sun in place of the face fabric, which helps the face fabric last.
This answer is general information. For your own windows, your retailer's advice and your order with them come first.