How to Clean Pet Hair and Smell Out of Curtains and Blinds

Curtains and blinds are easy to forget, but they hang right where pets spend their day: a cat on the windowsill, a dog watching the street with its nose against the glass. They collect shed hair, dust and dander, slats get nose prints and drool, and fabric near the floor can pick up a smell or, now and then, urine. This guide covers fabric curtains and drapes, and fabric, vinyl, faux wood and wood blinds and shades.

It follows the cleaning instructions of the blind and shade maker Bali Blinds, the drapery maker The Contemporary Curtain, and Humane World for Animals on pet stains and odors. Check the care label or instructions for your own window treatments first, because what is safe depends on the material.

Know what you are cleaning

• Fabric curtains and drapes: washable, dry clean only or lined, depending on the care label.
• Fabric shades: cellular, pleated, roman, roller and sheer shades. Bali’s cleaning chart shows none of these as water immersible.
• Vinyl and aluminum blinds: the most forgiving. Bali says vinyl vertical vanes may be removed and immersed in water.
• Faux wood blinds: can usually be dusted, vacuumed and spot cleaned.
• Real wood blinds: Bali says never to use water on them.

The routine: dust and vacuum

Pet hair sticks to fabric and settles on slats, so regular dry cleaning does most of the work.

1. Shake curtains gently. The Contemporary Curtain recommends giving drapes a gentle shaking on a regular basis, to stop dust and dirt lodging in the fibers.
2. Dust blinds and shades. Bali recommends dusting lightly and regularly with a feather duster. On slatted blinds, close them one way, dust, then close them the other way and dust again.
3. Vacuum with a brush. Bali says to lightly vacuum blinds and shades with the upholstery attachment for a deeper clean, and recommends dusting and vacuuming cellular and pleated shades monthly. For drapes, The Contemporary Curtain suggests a handheld vacuum with a soft brush attachment on the low-suction setting.
4. Pick up the last hairs on curtain fabric with a lint roller or a slightly damp rubber glove dragged in one direction. Test it on a hidden area of delicate fabrics first.
5. Vacuum the sill and the floor under the window, where hair and dust drop.

For sheer and layered shades, Bali suggests low suction or blowing dust away with a hair dryer on a cool setting.

Nose prints, drool and paw marks on blinds

• Vinyl, aluminum and faux wood: Bali’s spot cleaning method is a soft cloth or sponge with mild detergent and warm water. Wipe the marked slats, then dry them.
• Vinyl vertical vanes: Bali says vinyl vanes may be removed and immersed in water. Wash them with mild detergent, rinse, and let them dry before rehanging.
• Real wood blinds: dust with a soft cloth only. Bali says never to use water on wooden blinds.
• Fabric shades: blot gently with mild soap and warm water and let the area dry completely, as Bali says, taking care not to crush or wrinkle the fabric. Do not soak them.

Bent or chewed slats cannot be cleaned back into shape. Many makers sell replacement slats or vanes.

Washing fabric curtains

Follow the care label first. Some curtains are machine washable, many lined drapes are dry clean only.

• Get the hair off first by shaking and vacuuming, so it does not end up in your machine. See pet hair and odor in the washing machine and dryer.
• Air tumble before a full clean. For a more thorough clean of its lined drapes, The Contemporary Curtain says to take them off the rod and tumble them in the dryer on a no-heat cycle for about 30 minutes, then shake them well as you take them out. This loosens trapped dust, and pet hair with it.
• Washable fabric: wash as the label says. For machine-washable fabric vanes on its vertical blinds, Bali says to use the gentle cycle, warm water and a mild laundry detergent, no chlorine bleach, and to line dry, not tumble dry.
• Dry clean only drapes: The Contemporary Curtain recommends professional dry cleaning, or a company that cleans drapes in place, for a deep clean or stain removal.

Urine and smell on curtains

Curtains that touch the floor sometimes get marked by a cat or a male dog, or soak up a smell from an accident nearby.

1. Find the spot. A UV black light in a dark room shows dried urine on the hem and the floor beneath. See how to find pet urine with a black light.
2. Blot, do not rub, fresh urine with paper towels.
3. Washable curtains: for machine-washable items, Humane World for Animals suggests adding a box of baking soda to your regular detergent, air drying if possible, and washing again with an enzymatic cleaner if the soiling is still there. Check the enzyme product is labeled for laundry use and suits the fabric.
4. Dry clean only curtains: take them to a dry cleaner and tell them it is pet urine. The Contemporary Curtain notes that many spot cleaners leave a ring around the stain, so it suggests cleaning the whole drape instead of just the spot.
5. Clean the floor and wall under the window as well, or the smell comes back. See our guides to cat urine smell and cat spraying on walls and furniture.

Humane World for Animals recommends enzymatic cleaners for pet urine because they break down pet waste odors, and advises avoiding ammonia and vinegar, whose strong smells may encourage a pet to mark the same spot again. Keep hems an inch or two off the floor if marking keeps happening. If your pet suddenly starts urinating outside the litter box or its usual spot, talk to your veterinarian, since it can have a medical cause.

What not to do

• Water on real wood blinds. Bali says never.
• Soaking fabric shades or fabric vertical vanes. Bali says fabric vanes may not be immersed in water or dry cleaned.
• Steaming or ironing fabric while it is on vertical vanes, which Bali says will damage them, or putting that fabric in the dryer.
• Spot cleaning dry clean only drapes yourself, which can leave a ring.
• Strongly scented sprays on curtains to cover a pet smell. They mask it for a day; washing or dry cleaning removes it.

Keep the window area cleaner

• Give your pet a washable blanket or window perch on its favorite sill, and wash it weekly.
• Tie curtains back or choose a length that clears the floor in rooms where pets spend time.
• Keep blind cords and chains tied up out of reach of pets, so they cannot chew them or get tangled.
• Vacuum curtains and blinds when you vacuum the room, so hair never builds up. For the rest of the house, see how to get rid of dog smell in the house.

Keep cleanup supplies ready

Our Pet Cleanup Kit has gloves, an enzyme odor product, an absorbent powder and a UV black light in one pouch, so you can find and treat urine under the window before it soaks in. Check the label for which surfaces and fabrics each product suits, and test it on a hidden spot first.

Frequently asked questions

How do I get pet hair off curtains without washing them?

Shake them, vacuum them with a soft brush attachment on low suction, then use a lint roller or a damp rubber glove for the rest. The Contemporary Curtain also suggests tumbling drapes in the dryer on a no-heat cycle for about 30 minutes to loosen trapped dust.

Can I clean wood blinds with water?

No. Bali says never to use water on wooden blinds. Dust them with a soft cloth or vacuum them with a brush attachment.

How do I get dog nose prints off blinds?

On vinyl, aluminum and faux wood, wipe the slats with a soft cloth or sponge, mild detergent and warm water, then dry them. On wood blinds, use a dry soft cloth only.

How do I get cat urine smell out of curtains?

Wash washable curtains with baking soda added to the detergent, then again with a laundry-safe enzymatic cleaner if the smell is still there, as Humane World suggests. Have dry clean only curtains professionally cleaned, and clean the floor and wall underneath too.

Sources

• Bali Blinds and Shades: How to clean your blinds and shades
• The Contemporary Curtain: Care and cleaning of custom draperies
• Humane World for Animals: How to remove pet stains and odors

This guide is general cleaning information. Follow the care label and maker’s instructions for your curtains and blinds, and the product label, and test cleaners on a hidden area first.