There is no single interval that works everywhere. How often curtains and upholstery need cleaning depends on where they hang and what they face: dust, cooking, smoke, humidity, salt.
At home
Vacuuming with an upholstery nozzle every few weeks does more than it seems to, because dust in the folds turns into a stain the moment it meets humidity. For professional cleaning, a rough guide is every one to two years, more often if there is smoking, an open kitchen next to the living room or pets.
In hotels and busy spaces
Wear is faster here and the interval shorter. Plan it room by room: a lobby and a restaurant do not need the same rhythm as a guest room.
Near the sea
Salt and humidity make fabric get dirty and smell sooner. If the space is by the water, allow a shorter interval.
The fabric chooses the method
Some fabrics wash, some need dry cleaning, and some are ruined by the wrong method. The label and the manufacturer give the instruction. Hotels have one more point: if the fabric carries a fire-performance finish, the wrong cleaning can weaken it.
How do you know it is time? When the colour looks dull, when there is an odour, when the same stains keep returning, or when the folds have lost their drape.
We clean curtains and furnishing fabrics ourselves, using the method that suits each fabric.
