Curtains add all kinds of great things to a space, from visual interest to delicate shade and solitude, but they occasionally seem to get a mind of their own. No matter how often you tug on them, then they insist on hanging slightly askew. Curtains behave this way for a variety of motives, but with some investigative work and a little bit of imagination you can get them back on the straight and narrow.

Degree

Whenever your curtains are hanging twisted, the error may not be with your curtains, but with the curtain pole. The best way to make certain is to place a carpenter’s level on top of the curtain and check to confirm that the bubble is centered. If it is not, you’ll want to look at the brackets to see if one of these is loose. When they’re tight, loosen the screws on tap and one on the bracket lightly with a mallet to move it up or down until the bubble at the level is on true. Tightening the screws on the brackets need to ensure that the curtain pole remains level.

Iron

Mirrors which get opened and closed a lot can develop wrinkles that keep them from hanging straight. 1 way to repair this it to carry your curtains down and wash them if they’re machine washable. If they are not, shake them out to remove any dust that may have settled on them. Put your curtains wrong side up on your ironing board and press on the creases and wrinkles out with an iron set at the appropriate heat for the curtain material. Placing a dish towel or pillowcase in addition to the cloth can stop damage if it has a synthetic lining or is extremely fragile.

Starch

Sometimes keeping your curtains too tidy can contribute their hanging oddly. Washing can weaken or even remove the sizing that retains drapes sharp. This is particularly true of lightweight sheers. You can place the body back in your curtains by making homemade starch from cornstarch and water. After a good soaking in starchy water, then hang the curtains to dry and iron them or give them a quick spin in a cool dryer with no fabric softener sheet to give them a crisp appearance and the body to hang properly.

Weights

Back in the day, royals maintained their skirts from exposing state secrets by having the palace seamstresses sew weights to the hems. If your curtains are hanging crookedly since a number of those threads have shrunk while some haven’t, it is possible to open the hem only enough to slip in weights. The small, metal weight can help pull the curtains down to hang evenly.

See related