As a provider of window treatments, Rosenberg Interior Technologists’ closest strategic partners are those who handle the maintenance and upkeep of our drapery products. This humorous interview with Chuck Strausser, founder and owner of New York Drapery Care, will inform both interior designers and luxury home owners of everything they need to know about how they should clean and maintain draperies, valances, and sheers.
Rosenberg: What are the three major concerns/questions you find luxury home owners expressing when they discuss a project with you?
Strausser: In my thirteen years of business, my favorite three questions that designers and luxury home owner clients tend to ask me are:
#1 What can I expect from cleaning? I have waited more than 10 years since we installed the sheers and the dog soiled the bottom edge 3 years ago.
#2 When can you come? Our renovation is starting tomorrow.
No — on second thought, I already stuffed my white linen draperies into some black garbage bags. Is it okay to just pick up later today?
#3 Will you be able to make everything look like it did before?
This one is my personal favorite. The answer depends on whether or not the large black garbage bags already had today’s lunch in them before they became home to your white linen draperies.
But seriously, sometimes it is possible to work miracles and other times, no. It depends mostly on how long the stain has been left untreated.
As an example, we once removed enormous water stains on silk panels made from discontinued fabrics which absolutely delighted both the homeowner and designer equally. The sooner any staining is addressed the better the expected outcome.
Rosenberg: What do you see in the future for draperies?
Strausser: I see lots of soot and dust in their future!
In Manhattan, I see huge ripple fold panels of both synthetic and natural fabrics on motorized tracks that have been hanging unmaintained for years on end. These fabrics are acting like huge air filters collecting soot, dust and allergens.
While the rest of the apartment is kept meticulously, the window treatments are rarely if ever maintained – unless the sheers have become visibly coated and start looking dingy and gray. So until that changes, the future will be just as soiled as the past for drapery owners in Manhattan.
Rosenberg: What do you find that clients typically overlook when it comes to keeping up their drapery maintenance?
Strausser: They tend to overlook the maintenance itself…until another project in the room necessitates the removal of the window treatments. Renovations, painting projects, new windows all focus the homeowner on how long it’s really been since the draperies or shades were originally installed.
On average I would say most people wait 5-10 years before cleaning their window treatments. I suggest cleaning every 1-3 years depending on several variables.
Rosenberg: What is the most misunderstood or overlooked aspect of drapery maintenance?
Strausser: I believe people are generally concerned that cleaning their fabric window treatments may cause shrinkage or otherwise damage the fabric. So they simply avoid cleaning until they are confronted with an event like the room being painted. Then they finally get everything cleaned.
The reality is that, most of the time, the cleaning will only improve the fabric’s longevity and it’s way more economical than replacement — which becomes inevitable if window treatments are neglected for a long period of time.
Rosenberg: What challenges do you find yourself having when working with other parties on draperies, for example, interior designers, or interior technology consultants such as myself?
Strausser: By in large I have not had issues working with allied trades. Perhaps my biggest issue is that jobs estimated to take 6-8 weeks actually take 6-8 months and I have to store large items as a result. My advice to designers would be to play it safe when it comes to making estimates to avoid this.
Other than that, I am quite frequently confronted by situations where hardware was removed by painters or other contractors. I strongly advise that these parties make sure that everything goes back into place so we can easily reinstall.
If the brackets have been removed, and reinstallation is simple we will do it without question. But if the installation requires drilling into freshly painted walls, we would refer the client to an installation company before we even return.
If you’ve got questions about how to maintain your custom window treatments such as draperies, valances, and sheers, email info@roseintech.com.