When dirt builds up on your PVC strip curtains, you may find that they are no longer as useful as they once were. It will not be as easy to see through them, and you will also find that they are less hygienic. Dirt which gathers on the strips could also attract mould, insects, or other further complications. In order to avoid replacing the curtains and also keep them clean, follow these steps.
Clean the area
First of all, if your curtains are used in an indoor area, think about cleaning down the area itself. If you have dust or dirt on the floor and this is kicked up by foot traffic and forklifts, then it can easily become smeared on the curtains. If they are placed in a clean area, it will take longer for them to get dirty. Consider this when you are deciding where to put your curtains. You should also start a regular cleaning schedule as this is more hygienic and better for the safety of your employees.
Create appropriate policies
Next you can think about the other ways in which your curtains might be getting dirty, and create policies to prevent these from happening. For example, if your workers can get grimy while working elsewhere, encourage them to change before moving into the area where your curtains are. You can also ban greasy or dirty machinery from being moved through the curtains, as these can easily spread grime. If you have curtains fitted on a rail, you may be able to move them back out of the way when dirty things are passing through. This will help stop the grime from building up so quickly.
Wipe down
Your first port of all for cleaning the curtains once they have become dirty is to give them a simple wipe down. With a bucket of warm water and a sponge, you can simply run your sponge across the surface of the PVC. You will no doubt see that a lot of the dirt comes off very easily this way. If your curtains appear clean once you have tried this, then you only need to make sure that you wipe them down regularly in the future. If they still appear dirty, then you need to move on to different methods.
Soak clean
If the PVC is scratched, you may find that small granules of dirty become embedded in these scratches, making them hard to remove by wiping down. In this case, you may get better results by soaking. Take your PVC strips down from their hangings – this may be done individually or all at once. Soak them in a bowl of water or another container for an hour or so. When this time is up, lift them out of the water and give them a wipe down. This may be enough to lift the dirt out of the scratches and give your PVC curtains a clean appearance once more.
Further cleaning
If you do wish to clean them further after this point, you will need to use chemical-based cleaners. However, there are a few things to be aware of. Do not use a solvent based cleaner, as this could damage the material. Bleach is fine to use, especially if it is watered down greatly. Before you wash the whole curtain, use the bleach solution on a small area to be sure that it will not discolour your curtains or make them appear cloudy. If all seems fine, you can go ahead and use the cleaner, being sure to rinse it away fully. Be careful not to mix your cleaners – bleach combined with ammonia, for example, will lead to bad results. Once you have finished cleaning, make sure to dry off the curtains there and then. If you don’t, you could end up with streaks left on the material by the water as it dries.
Once you have finished cleaning, you may wish to use a repellent spray to try and keep the problem from reoccurring. For example, if your dirt has attracted mould, you can use an anti-mould spray to prevent it from happening again, or at least doing so in the near future.