TL;DR — Curtain Cleaning Cost At A Glance
- Most UK households pay £30–£120 per pair of curtains in 2026. A quick on-site refresh of half-length curtains starts around £20; a pair of full-length interlined silk curtains dry cleaned off-site can reach about £190 in London — a figure uplifted from published rest-of-UK rates rather than separately sourced.
- The big choice is on-site or off-site. Cleaning in situ costs £20–£60 a pair and nothing comes down. Taking curtains away to be dry cleaned costs more, and take-down and re-hang adds £50–£100 on top.
- Off-site cleaners price by area or by weight — roughly £4–£8 per m² or £10–£18 per kg outside London, with London and the South East running 20–35% higher.
- Shrinkage is the real risk, not the price. Dry cleaners typically work to a tolerance of up to 5% shrinkage — about 10 cm off a full-length drop.
- Length and lining drive the bill. A full-length interlined pair costs roughly twice a half-length unlined pair to clean.
Add to Preferred Sources How Much Does Curtain Cleaning Cost In 2026?
Curtain cleaning is quoted three different ways in the UK, which is why online prices look so inconsistent.
On-site (in situ) cleaning is priced per pair or per square metre. A technician cleans the curtains where they hang, front and lining, using a low-moisture method, and they are usable again straight away. Nothing comes down, nothing is transported and nothing shrinks.
Off-site dry cleaning is priced per square metre, per kilogram or per pair. The curtains are taken down, cleaned in solvent, finished and re-hung. It is the deeper clean, and the one to choose for heavy soiling, smoke damage or fabrics that need a solvent.
Take-down and re-hang is separate labour, and it is often the line people forget.
Sources disagree noticeably on the per-square-metre rate: Checkatrade publishes £3.70–£8/m² depending on lining, while MyBuilder quotes £6–£18/m² for the same work. The table gives the honest spread.
| Unit of Sale | Rest of UK | London & South East |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum charge / call-out | £50–£70 | £68–£100 |
| On-site clean, half-length pair (to sill) | £20–£35 | £30–£45 |
| On-site clean, full-length pair (to floor) | £30–£60 | £40–£80 |
| On-site clean, per m² | £15–£25 | £20–£32 |
| Off-site dry clean, per m² | £4–£8 | £6–£12 |
| Off-site dry clean, per kg | £10–£18 | £13–£22 |
| Off-site dry clean, full-length lined pair | £45–£90 | £60–£120 |
| Take-down and re-hang | £50–£100 | £65–£130 |
| Collection and delivery | £8–£15 | £10–£25 |
Curtain Cleaning Cost By Drop And Lining
The trade measures a curtain by its drop — the finished length from the top of the heading to the hem. Two things then set the price: how long that drop is, and how many layers are behind the face fabric.
| Curtain Type | Approx. Drop | Rest of UK (per pair) | London & South East (per pair) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nets and voiles | any | £15–£30 | £20–£40 |
| Unlined, half length | up to 1.4 m | £25–£45 | £35–£60 |
| Lined, half length | up to 1.4 m | £30–£55 | £40–£70 |
| Unlined, full length | 1.8–2.3 m | £35–£70 | £45–£90 |
| Lined, full length | 1.8–2.3 m | £45–£90 | £60–£120 |
| Interlined, full length | 1.8–2.3 m | £60–£120 | £80–£160 |
| Blackout or thermal lined | 1.8–2.3 m | £60–£110 | £75–£145 |
| Silk, velvet or delicate | 1.8–2.3 m | £90–£150 | £110–£190 |
| Extra long, bay or double height | over 3 m | £100–£150 | £130–£200 |
| Pelmets, swags, tails, tie-backs (each) | — | £10–£25 | £15–£30 |
What Affects The Cost Of Curtain Cleaning?
1. On-Site Cleaning Or Take-Down And Dry Cleaning
This decides the whole bill. An in-situ clean of a full-length pair costs £30–£60 and needs one visit. The same pair dry cleaned off-site is £45–£90 for the cleaning, plus £50–£100 for take-down and re-hang, plus £8–£15 collection and delivery — so £100–£200 all in. One national in-situ specialist advertises curtain cleaning from £39 with nothing taken down.
2. The Drop
Length is the clearest multiplier in the trade. Small curtains up to about 4 ft come in at £25–£35 a pair, medium up to 8 ft at £40–£60, large up to 12 ft at £70–£100, and anything over 12 ft at £100–£150. Bay windows and double-height rooms also need access equipment, which pushes the labour up.
3. Lining And Interlining
Every layer adds area, weight and cleaning time. Checkatrade puts unlined curtains at £3.70–£6/m², lined at £4.25–£7/m² and heavy lined at £4.75–£8/m². Priced by weight, standard lined curtains are £10–£14/kg, interlined £12.50–£16.50/kg and blackout lined £14–£18/kg. Interlining — the soft bump layer between face fabric and lining — is the single biggest weight adder.
4. Fabric Type
Silk, velvet and linen need gentler handling and more hand finishing than polyester. Priced per set, silk runs £80–£120, linen £70–£105, and cotton or polyester £65–£95. Delicate fabrics also carry more risk, so some cleaners ask you to sign a waiver before they accept them.
5. Take-Down, Re-Hang And Access
Unhooking, bagging, transporting and re-hooking curtains is skilled, fiddly work — a fitter allows around three hours per set. If you would rather have a tradesperson do it, curtain pole fitting runs £60–£90 per room and track fitting £100–£150, and handypeople charge £60–£120 on a day rate. Some specialists build take-down, cleaning and re-hang into one weight-based price.
6. Your Location
London and the South East sit roughly 20–35% above the rest of the UK, and London minimum charges start higher — commonly £68 rather than £50. Collection and delivery is also more likely to be charged inside the M25, and congestion charges are usually excluded from quoted prices.
A Standard Curtain Cleaning Quote Covers
- A pre-clean fabric and colourfastness test
- Cleaning of the face fabric and the lining
- Pelmets, swags, tails and tie-backs, on most in-situ services
- Basic finishing and re-pleating of the heading
- Collection and delivery, on some off-site services
Charged as Extras
- Take-down and re-hang — £50–£100
- Collection and delivery — £8–£25
- Stain removal — £5–£15 per treatment, or £8–£12 per panel
- Fabric reproofing — £10–£25 per m²
- Rush or same-day service — £15–£30
- Repairs and alterations, including shortening — from £15 per metre
- Curtain pole or track refitting, where the fixings have failed — £60–£150
Can You Do It Yourself?
Partly — and you should know where the line is.
Nets, voiles and unlined cotton curtains are usually machine washable. Check the care label, wash cool on a delicate cycle, and hang them damp so gravity pulls the creases out. That is a genuinely sensible DIY job and costs nothing but a wash cycle.
Lined and interlined curtains should not go in a washing machine. The face fabric and the lining are rarely the same material, so they shrink at different rates and the lining ends up curling around the front. Pinch-pleat headings contain a stiffener that softens when washed, and pleats that once stood crisply against the pole hang limply afterwards. That damage is permanent.
Between cleans, dust curtains monthly with a soft brush or the brush nozzle of your vacuum, and air them outside on a dry, non-sunny day. It removes most of what makes curtains look grey and it postpones the professional clean by a year or more.
How To Save Money On Curtain Cleaning
1. Clean In Situ Where You Can
Skipping take-down and re-hang saves £50–£100 per visit on its own.
2. Do All The Windows In One Booking
The minimum charge is per visit, so cleaning six pairs at once is far better value than three separate jobs. Weight-based cleaners drop from £12/lb for one pair to £9.50/lb at 21 pairs and above.
3. Take Them Down Yourself
If you are confident on a ladder, unhooking and re-hooking your own curtains removes the labour charge entirely.
4. Bundle With Carpets Or Upholstery
Adding curtains to an existing cleaning visit spreads the call-out fee.
5. Wash The Nets At Home
Pay only for the lined curtains.
6. Join The Fantastic Club
If you book more than one service a year — £89 annually, with member pricing on every booking.
How To Hire A Good Curtain Cleaner
Ask first how they price: per pair, per square metre or per kilogram. Weight-based pricing penalises heavy interlined curtains; area-based pricing is usually fairer on them.
Then ask about shrinkage, because it is the main reason curtain cleaning goes wrong. Dry cleaners generally work to a tolerance of up to 5% shrinkage, and reputable ones say so up front. On a 2 m drop that is around 10 cm — enough to turn floor-length curtains into curtains that hover above the floor, with no way back. Interlined and blackout curtains are most at risk, because the layers shrink at different rates. In-situ cleaners market directly against this and several publish a no-shrinkage guarantee, on the basis that the fabric is never fully wetted or agitated. Ask what tolerance the firm works to, and whether it is written into the terms you are signing.
Check they carry public liability insurance and ask what cover applies to your curtains while they are off your premises. NCCA membership is a reasonable competence signal for soft-furnishing cleaning, and Which? Trusted Trader and Checkatrade listings add vetting.
A proper quote states the number of pairs and their measured drops, whether linings and pelmets are included, take-down and re-hang cost, collection and delivery, and the turnaround (typically 2–4 working days off-site).
Red flags: a firm quoting a fixed price without asking the drop or the lining; no colourfastness test before cleaning; no written shrinkage position; and anyone promising "guaranteed" removal of sun-rot or old water marks, which cannot be reversed by cleaning.
Book your curtain cleaning today!
Curtains hold more dust, cooking smells and pollen than almost anything else in a room, and they are the last thing most people think to clean. Fantastic Services cleans curtains in situ without unhooking them, so there is no shrinkage risk and no re-hanging to do.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can You Dry Clean Curtains Without Taking Them Down?
Yes. In-situ curtain cleaning uses low-moisture dry-clean technology applied where the curtains hang, with attachments that reach linings, pelmets, swags and tails. Prices start from around £39, or £30–£60 per full-length pair. The curtains are usable as soon as the technician finishes, and there is no take-down or re-hang labour to pay for.
Do Curtains Shrink When Dry Cleaned?
They can. Dry cleaners typically allow for up to 5% shrinkage, which on a full-length pair is about 10 cm of lost drop. Linings and face fabrics are rarely the same material, so they shrink at different rates and the lining can end up curling around the front. Ask any cleaner what tolerance they work to before you hand the curtains over.
How Much Does It Cost To Dry Clean Full-Length Curtains?
Expect £45–£90 per lined pair outside London and £60–£120 in London and the South East. Interlined pairs run £60–£120, and silk or velvet £90–£150. Add £50–£100 if you want the cleaner to take them down and re-hang them, plus £8–£25 collection and delivery.
Can You Wash Lined Curtains In A Washing Machine?
No — not safely. The lining and the face fabric shrink at different rates, so the lining curls round the front, and the stiffener in a pinch-pleat heading softens so the pleats hang limply. Unlined cottons, nets and voiles are usually fine on a cool delicate cycle. Always check the care label first.
How Often Should Curtains Be Cleaned?
Professional cleaners recommend at least every six months for curtains in kitchens, smoking households or on busy roads, and every 12–18 months elsewhere. Dust them monthly with a soft brush or a vacuum brush nozzle in between — that removes most of the dulling grey film and stretches the interval between paid cleans.
Do Curtain Cleaners Take Down And Re-Hang Your Curtains?
Some do, some do not. Off-site dry cleaners often expect you to bring the curtains in yourself. Specialists that offer a premium service build take-down, cleaning and re-hang into one price. Where it is charged separately it costs £50–£100. In-situ cleaners avoid the question entirely, because nothing comes down.
Is It Cheaper To Replace Curtains Than Clean Them?
Sometimes. A pair of ready-made unlined curtains can cost less than a £68 minimum charge, so replacing them is rational. Cleaning wins on made-to-measure, interlined, silk or velvet curtains, where replacement runs into several hundred pounds a window and a £90 clean buys years more use.
| Service | Standard Price | Fantastic Club Price |
|---|---|---|
| Half-length pair — on-site hot water extraction | from £30 | member rate applies |
| Full-length pair — on-site hot water extraction | from £60 | from £30 |
| Half-length pair — dry cleaning | from £70 | from £40 |
| Full-length pair — dry cleaning | from £140 | from £110 |
| Minimum service charge | £68 | £38 |
Curtains are cleaned without unhanging them. Prices apply within the M25; congestion charges are excluded. Fantastic Club membership costs £89 per year.
