# How often do you change your curtains? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 8, 2012, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-change-your-curtains/624498 "2012-06-08T13:56:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2012, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-change-your-curtains/624498/21 "2012-06-09T05:59:35Z")
I remember when I was a kid our lounge room curtains were the obligatory 70s orange (while in the kitchen they were bright green, in my bedroom a dazzling blue, and in my sisters’ bedroom a sunny yellow). That just didn’t cut it in the progressive dynamic 80s so my Mum commissioned a changing of the guard to something more neutral, a colour that I now cannot remember but was probably beige\*. As, by definition, neutral colours go with everything, I’m sure if she was still living in the same place they would probably have remained exactly the same 30 years later. \*It may have had a floral pattern ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2012, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-change-your-curtains/624498/22 "2012-06-09T06:05:41Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > You’re supposed to change your curtains? > > I haven’t even washed my windows. Great combination of post and user-name! But…I’m with you. I’ve lived in the same place for nine years and, like you, have never changed curtains nor even washed the windows. (I’ve got bookshelves in front of all my windows. Books are my “view!”) ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2012, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-change-your-curtains/624498/23 "2012-06-09T06:31:32Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > You’re supposed to change your curtains? > > I haven’t even washed my windows. This. 😛 Though we’re about to move, and may need to buy some, as this apt. has blinds everywhere so we just haven’t bothered with curtains in EVERY window. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2012, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-change-your-curtains/624498/24 "2012-06-09T07:25:27Z")
I don’t have curtains, just mini-blinds. If I wanted curtains, I’d just buy some pretty fabric from Joann’s and make my own. And I’d keep them forever. I wouldn’t \*mind \*having curtains if they were already up, but I’d have to measure and buy hardware and tools and get up on a chair and install the brackets and rod myself. It’s not like I don’t know how to do it, it’s more like… why should I bother? I’m the only one who spends time in here, and I don’t care. If I owned the place, maybe it’d be different. Since I’m just renting, it’s not worth the bother. ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2012, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-change-your-curtains/624498/25 "2012-06-09T11:08:52Z")
Why would anyone change their curtains? ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2012, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-change-your-curtains/624498/26 "2012-06-09T13:09:50Z")
When I moved into my first apartment in 2003 I made curtains panels out of some wacky coral-colored chintz that I loved. I kept those until my husband and I moved into our current ultra-mod house, where they just didn’t work, and where I replaced them with panels made of Amy Butler prints. That was 2010. ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2012, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-change-your-curtains/624498/27 "2012-06-09T13:15:58Z")
I never wash my curtains. The few times I did, they looked like shit afterwards. Went from careful creamy eggshell with a starchy finish to non descript greyish white thin cheap looking blech curtains. I do hang them out to air. I have an outside line two stories high that lets me hang them in the wind without crubling up. Most of my curtains are second hand anyway. You can search on ebay for the right heigth, and the widt of the curtains usually doesn’t matter much. People put perfectly good curtains up on ebay just because they want something different. ---
**Author:** ![MissTake](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misstake/32/3189_2.png) [@MissTake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MissTake)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2012, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-change-your-curtains/624498/28 "2012-06-09T13:23:44Z")
I bought my living room curtains 6 years ago and have no desire to change them out - they’re perfect (chocolate brown suede). The kitchen curtains were a make do five years ago, I would have to sew up what I want, but I cannot sew to save my life. The curtains that hung in my bedroom for 14 years are finally being retired today. Both my bedroom and TheKid’s room are getting new rods and curtains, purchased to “go with” the new color schemes of our rooms. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2012, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-change-your-curtains/624498/29 "2012-06-09T14:26:51Z")
The only windows that still have curtains are in the kitchen and breakfast room. I know the curtains pre-date 1995, probably by a lot. I have no reason to change them. ---
**Author:** ![brainstall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@brainstall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brainstall)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2012, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-change-your-curtains/624498/30 "2012-06-09T14:39:16Z")
I’ve been in this house for almost 6 years and have not changed the curtains since I moved in. I did trash the hideous 70’s vintage ones that were here when I bought the place, but I replaced them with the neutral Ikea basic panels I had in my last home. About 6 months ago, I took the curtains in my living room down to wash them and still haven’t got around to putting them back up. I don’t really need them for privacy - large plants cover most of the window, but in the summer I close them during the day to help keep the house cool. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2012, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-change-your-curtains/624498/31 "2012-06-09T15:04:24Z")
> [@iftheresaway](#): > > Maybe if I was redoing a room’s look completely? That’s the only time I’ve done it in the five years I’ve been in my house (although we kept the old curtains in case they end up working in another room after my husband decides on yet another decor change). We also added new curtains - switched from blinds to curtains when we converted an office into a nursery. That’s about it, though. I changed out all the curtains and roll-blinds in the new house because they were hideous and dirty and I was changing the look of the rooms entirely with new paint, new carpet, and new decor. I don’t see me changing them for anything new until they’re damaged, sun-bleached or stained beyond repair, or my tastes change enough that they begin to grate on me. I can’t imagine that I’ll feel any need to change them for several years, probably a decade or more. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2012, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-change-your-curtains/624498/32 "2012-06-09T15:04:27Z")
I’d like to change out the ones in the master bedroom - I wasn’t all that crazy about them when I bought them (ordered on line, so my own fault) and I’m tired of them and the bedspread. The problem is, I haven’t seen any that I like enough to shell out the bucks for, especially since most of the time spent in that room is sleeping in the dark. I made our living room window treatment, and the more I look at it, the less I like it, but again, I haven’t seen any fabric I like better, so I’m kinda stuck with what I’ve got. Maybe it’s time to visit JoAnn’s again… I rarely see the guest room windows, so those don’t bother me. The roman shade in the kitchen needs to be cleaned - I suppose I can take it down and launder it. The sheers in the dining room are all snagged thanks to the cats, but the replacement will also get snagged, so when anyone comes over, I just leave them open and the snags disappear among the folds. And the drapes in this room are cheapies from Lowe’s. I’ve been thinking about changing them out, but I’ll probably wait till I decide to paint this room. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2012, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-change-your-curtains/624498/33 "2012-06-09T15:14:24Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > One of my very favorite parts of my house is that it needs no curtains. We’re on 11 acres, and you’d have to be perched in a tree to see into most of our windows. The only two windows that even have coverings are the guest bathroom, which faces the front of the house and if someone is standing on the porch they could look into it. It’s not visible from the street (none of the house is.) > > We also have blinds on our bedroom windows, which are only used for mornings we want to sleep in without the sun waking us up. > > I hate curtains. Hello, sweetie, how ha- Wait, who the hell are you and what are you doing in our house? Ahhh! Ahem. We’re in the same situation. No curtains, blinds or anything else because if you’re that desperate/interested to look in, have at it. If you’ve gone that far, not much is going to stop you. We do have heavy, leather blackout curtains in the theatre, but they’re normally open. We’d change them if the overall decor in the room changed, but not on their own. > [@johnpost](#): > > not needed for privacy though they do help to conserve heat during heating season at night. regular curtains help some, insulated ones help more, actual window quilt system even better. > > also south facing ones can keep house cooler in summer. not always the nicest though in your biggest windows or when not in the room does help. We have 150 to 200 houseplants in the windows … you try telling them they’re losing out to curtains. Audrey would _not_ be happy! ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2012, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-change-your-curtains/624498/34 "2012-06-10T21:36:55Z")
We have blinds in this place (been here ten years) that were landlord provided. They’re cloth vertical blinds - we wash them every couple years (we smoke). I do have a curtain over my front door window which I was at the same time. In the past, I’ve never really lived anywhere long enough to change the curtains - I tend to move then throw the old ones out before it would be time to change them. My mom only changed curtains when she redecorated a room. ---
**Author:** ![jabiru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@jabiru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jabiru)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2012, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-change-your-curtains/624498/35 "2012-06-11T00:49:50Z")
I have venetian blinds **and** curtains. I must be weird. I’ll change the curtains when I get sick of them or really need a change of colour scheme. The curtains in the living room, dining room and family room are about 20 years old (could be older); those in the bedrooms are ten years old and they only got put up because I wanted curtains with that extra backing stuff which blocks out the sun. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2012, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-change-your-curtains/624498/36 "2012-06-11T02:38:39Z")
Change the curtains? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2012, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-change-your-curtains/624498/37 "2012-06-11T03:59:02Z")
Only if I’m changing decor. Right now I only have curtains in the bedroom (on a spring rod in a little window alcove to soften and hide the blinds), my apartment came with blinds and while I really hate blinds (ugly things), I haven’t gotten to the point where I’m ready to do window treatments. I’m still not sure how long I’ll live here, so I’m not sure if I can justify the time I’d have to spend to spackle and repaint if I moved out. ---
**Author:** ![Airk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@Airk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airk)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2012, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-change-your-curtains/624498/38 "2012-06-11T18:51:00Z")
…what? Change my curtains? I’m lucky if I remember to change the bedclothes from time to time. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-change-your-curtains/624498/39 "2012-06-12T01:27:48Z")
We’ve lived in the same house going on 14 years now, and it took us several years to replace the curtains that came with the place with ones that we liked better. Like others, we’d change the curtains if we changed the overall decor of a room, but we’re in no big hurry to do that with any of our rooms. If we don’t redo a room, we might get tired enough of some of our existing drapes to find something new in another decade or so. ---
**Author:** ![Dereknocue67](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6de8d8/32.png) [@Dereknocue67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dereknocue67)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-change-your-curtains/624498/40 "2012-06-12T05:06:17Z")
Change curtains? What’s the point after the windows are covered with aluminium foil? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-change-your-curtains/624498.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-change-your-curtains/624498.md?page=3)