CARE AND CLEANING

Dusting. Regular light dusting maintains a like-new appearance of most blinds, shades, shadings, and sheers.
Vacuuming. For deeper cleaning, vacuum gently with a brush attachment of any vacuum cleaner. Most products may be vacuumed using a vertical stroke.
Compressed air or hair dryer (non-heat setting). ). Use to blow dust off selected window coverings.
Spot-cleaning. Spot-clean shades and blinds with soft cloth or sponge moistened with lukewarm water. Add mild detergent if needed. Blot gently to avoid creasing or damaging the fabric. Rubbing can damage fabrics. Spot-cleaning may result in cleaner areas.
Vinyl vertical blinds. You can reduce build-up of static electricity by applying a thin film of detergent on all vanes.
Bathtub cleaning/water immersion. This method can be used for faux wood blinds and most, but not all, honeycomb fabrics.
- Immerse entire shade in lukewarm water with mild detergent. Wash by gently moving liquid around with your fingers. Not recommended for blinds with cotton or decorative tapes.
- Rinse with clear water.
- Close shade before removing from rinse water.
- Hold rails and tilt the shade to allow excess water to drain off.
- Re-install damp shade into window opening.
- Lower shade all the way to allow it to dry completely.

Note: Honeycomb shades should be dried in the fully lowered position.

More information

Alta cleaning guide

Blind & Shade

Dusting. Regular light dusting maintains a like-new appearance of most blinds, shades, shadings, and sheers.
Vacuuming. For deeper cleaning, vacuum gently with a brush attachment of any vacuum cleaner. Most products may be vacuumed using a vertical stroke.
Compressed air or hair dryer (non-heat setting). ). Use to blow the dust off selected window coverings.
Spot-cleaning. Spot-clean shades and blinds with soft cloth or sponge moistened with lukewarm water. Add mild detergent if needed. Blot gently to avoid creasing or damaging the fabric. Rubbing can damage fabrics. Spot-cleaning may result in cleaner areas.
Vinyl vertical blinds. You can reduce the build-up of static electricity by applying a thin film of detergent on all vanes.
Bathtub cleaning/water immersion. This method can be used for faux wood blinds and most, but not all, honeycomb fabrics.
- Immerse entire shade in lukewarm water with mild detergent. Wash by gently moving liquid around with your fingers. Not recommended for blinds with cotton or decorative tapes.
- Rinse with clear water.
- Close shade before removing from rinse water.
- Hold rails and tilt the shade to allow excess water to drain off.
- Re-install damp shade into the window opening.
- Lower shade all the way to allow it to dry completely.

Note: Honeycomb shades should be dried in the fully lowered position.

Inside (IB) Mount – Shade will be mounted within the window frame.
Outside (OB) Mount – Shade will be mounted outside the opening, and will overlap the window.
Be sure to add the desired overlap amount to each side and then add that measurement to the total ordered width when ordering an outside mount shade.
End (EB) Mount – Shade is mounted at the top left and right side corners.

Inside (IB) Mount

Be sure the window opening is deep enough to install the mounting bracket. Refer to the Mounting Charts for minimum and recessed mounting depths for each product.
Measure the width inside the window opening at the top, middle and bottom. If widths in the window vary, order the minimum width necessary to allow the shade to fit within the opening and go up and down.
Measure the height inside the window opening at the left, right and center. If heights in the window vary, order the shortest height for vertical treatments and the longest height for horizontal treatments – except Window Shadings. In this case, order the shortest height to allow for full rotation of the bottom rail.
To ensure the window is square, measure the window on the diagonal. If the two diagonal dimensions are not exactly the same, it may be necessary to specify an outside mount.

Outside (OB) Mount

Measure the desired width and height. To minimize light gaps, the shade should overlap the window opening at least 2" on each side and at the bottom.
When measuring the height, be sure to take into account the requirements for mounting the bracket attachment above the window opening.

More information

Alta measuring guide

Download the measurement sheet, grab a pencil, and a metal measuring tape for taking window measurements.
Decide on the type of aesthetic appeal that you are trying to achieve as well as the intended function of the window coverings and purchase your curtains and hardware accordingly.
Determine how long your drapes should be, consider the mood you want to project in the room.

Inside Mounts

Creates a sleek, modern appeal to windows. The inside mount technique is appropriate for applying Roman shades or if you want to keep molding in a line of sight. When measuring for an inside mount, begin with the width. Measure the window at 3 different points (top, middle, bottom) and use the narrowest figure for your final measurement. For determining the length, measure 3 different points and use the longest figure for your final measurement (unless you are hanging Roman shades, then use the shortest measurement.)

Outside Mounts(recommend)

A more traditional, classic method for mounting drapes, outside wall mounts are perfect for creating the illusion of larger windows or for draping a fuller, more-dramatic look with more fabric. If you have a really wide window, you can break up space by hanging several panels across the window. Hang your drapes so they flow straight down, or tie them back in pairs to show a more formal window treatment.
When preparing to hang curtains using an outside wall mount, make sure the fabric extends 6″ to 8″ beyond the outside of the window frame. To ensure minimum light gaps and maximum privacy, add 4″-5″ of fabric on both sides of the window.

On most curtains & window treatments, it takes two to three times more material/curtain to provide the proper fullness in appearance when installed/hanging on rod/track than the actual window width.
Example: If your window measures 36" wide, you need curtains that will give a minimum width of 72" (window width x 2 = 72") fabric for that window. Sheers can be 3 times the window width (window width x 3 = 108")

More information

Measurement Sheet

Spot treat any stains with a stain remover, gently rubbing it in with an old toothbrush
Wash curtains in cold water on the delicate cycle, using a mild cold-water detergent intended for delicate fabrics
Press and iron curtains before hanging
Re-hang while still just barely damp
- *** It is NOT recommended to use the tumble dryer or another dryer on any level of heat to dry the fabric.

For valance, a vacuum cleaner is the best tool to refresh the drapery material. Start at the top of the valance on one side and vacuum from top to bottom. Then work your way across the entire valance. Use one hand to vacuum and the other to hold and/or smooth the material as the suction removes dust, dirt, and grime.
- *Depending on the valance material, you may be able to use a hand-held garment steamer for a deeper clean.

Curtain Measuring

Curtain Cleaning