It usually suits large, high curtains that are complicated to take down, and cases where only dust and greyness need to be removed. For deep stains, smoke smell and fabrics that must not be wetted or heated, cleaning with pick-up is usually better.
When on-site cleaning is suitable
- The curtains hang high: in a hall, in a double-height window, above a staircase.
- The curtains are large and heavy, and taking them down would be a separate job.
- The fabric is dusty or greyish but has no large stains.
- The room cannot be left without curtains, for example a bedroom or an office on the sunny side.
Whether on-site is enough is decided by the fabric and the dirt, not only by convenience. Send photos from close up and from the room side, and before the job a specialist tells you what to expect.
When on-site is not enough
If the curtains have old stains, a layer of kitchen grease or a strong smoke smell, work on site is usually not enough. In a study of tobacco smoke residue (Bahl et al., 2014), it stayed in cotton and polyester for 19 months. An overview in Tobacco Control concluded that ordinary cleaning often gives only a short-term result. For such curtains, see curtain cleaning for smoke and cigarette smell.
If the label does not allow wetting, on-site cleaning does not suit; send a photo of the label. If a curtain has already shrunk or its edge is wavy, on-site cleaning does not change that.
Steam cleaning curtains: what is and is not allowed
Steam is heat and moisture at the same time, and these are exactly the risk for two types of fabric. The fabric maker Brentano writes that viscose pile must not be steamed or rubbed, because water and pressure can crush it for good. Makers of blackout curtains warn that heat can make the coating crack or peel off.
So do not steam velvet and blackout curtains at home before you have read the label. More on blackout curtains on the page blackout curtain cleaning.
Sources: Brentano Fabrics care page (viscose pile), checked 07.11.2026; Wolf-Gordon Eclipse blackout fabric care, checked 10.11.2026.
How to prepare the room
- Clear the windowsill and the space under the curtains Take away plant pots and objects. Mention heavy furniture by the window in the request.
- Measure The width and length of the curtain in metres, or the length of the rail and its height from the floor.
- State the time and access In the request, state when the room is free, which floor it is on, whether there is a lift and where a car can stop.
How long the fabric takes to dry afterwards depends on the fabric, the room temperature, the air humidity and the ventilation. In damp air water evaporates more slowly.
How much on-site curtain cleaning costs
The price is the same as for curtain cleaning with pick-up: from €2.30/m² for thin and day curtains and sheers, and from €3.70/m² of fabric for heavy, night and double curtains. Travel is included in Riga and up to about 15 km outside the Riga boundary; further out it is from €10.
Example: one window with two sheer curtains, each 1.5 × 2.6 m: 7.8 m² × €2.30 = €17.94. The minimum order is €45: if the total is lower, you pay €45. All prices: prices.
What usually comes out and what may stay
Usually comes out
- dust and greyness;
- light dirt at the bottom and the edges of the curtain;
- room smell in the fabric may fade.
May stay
- old and rubbed stains;
- a layer of grease and yellowing from the kitchen or smoke;
- sun fading;
- a strong smoke smell that comes back from the room.
Sources
- Viscose pile must not be steamed or rubbed; water and pressure can crush it for good checked 7 November 2026
- Heat and hot or aggressive washing can crack or peel off a blackout coating checked 10 November 2026
- Tobacco smoke residue stayed in cotton and polyester for 19 months checked 7 November 2026
- Ordinary cleaning often reduces smoke residue only for a time checked 7 November 2026
- Evaporation is slower in damp air checked 7 November 2026
- Fans and a dehumidifier speed up drying checked 7 November 2026
