The Best Way To Store Curtains

Here's the best way to store your long curtain panels and valances.

Organized, clean and safe so they look great when you pull them out to use again.

Season after season.


For some reason, January, and its fresh page on the calendar, seems to get everyone thinking about cleaning and organizing.

Including me.

As a matter of fact, I've been doing a lot of it lately.

Packing up holiday decorations, cleaning out cabinets to make room for the gifts I received and moving along with the process of simplifying.

Apparently that is never-ending.

Well, yesterday, I was on the phone with a friend, while taking down the ivory velvet curtain panels I put up in the living room for Christmas, and it prompted a conversation.

I love all your curtains and the way you change them out so often, but where do you keep them when you're not using them?

Hmmm. In that moment, it dawned on me that others may have the same question.

After all, we don't have a large house and I do have a lot of curtains.

I wouldn't want to tuck them up in the attic, it's not finished. Ick.

And the basement is dry, but that's where the Christmas items are hiding.

Knowing that many of you may have the same dilemma, I decided to share my curtain storage secret today.

And trust me, it's really not that big of a secret. But she seemed surprised when I told her, so maybe you will be, too.

Long ago...

I used to fold them up every season and put them in the linen closet.

That worked well, until, the sheet and blanket collection grew along with the kids. They have the same decorating bug as their momma. So that teeny linen closet got pretty crowded in the last few years.

It forced me to clean it out more often...and in the process I've lost a few panels. By accident.

No one really knows where they went, but I have a feeling that we erroneously donated a few in an organizing frenzy.

Bummer, since I tend to reuse my curtains and the fabric from time to time.

Then...

In an effort to make room in the linen closet, I bought a bucket. I kept my old fabric scraps and the off season curtains, again folded up, inside.

And that worked well, for a while, until my fabric stash and collection of coordinating trim, required more space. I was just about to buy another bucket, when I had an epiphany.

Now...

I was moving things in the hall closet to see if another bucket would even fit, when I found an old garment bag on the floor, in a ball.


One of my daughters' prom dresses came home in it years ago. However, once the gown was worn and dry cleaned, it was either donated or still hanging in the clear cleaner plastic.

Now, these gown bags are awesome. They're not strong enough to travel with, but they are strong enough for storage and I do use them that way.

I have baby dresses and Halloween costumes in some, but until that day, I never put curtains in them. And I wondered why not?

They stay clean, organized, don't take up valuable space in my linen closet and they are right at my fingertips when I want to redecorate. 

What a great solution. So now it's my go-to.

It works well for both panels and valances. They hang long and straight and I use one bag per complete curtain set or room.

However, if I have something small, like my collection of kitchen sink window valances, they all go in one bag.

You can organize yours in a way that makes sense to you, so they're easy to locate when you want them.

1. First, I take them down and I wash them.

If they are store bought curtains, I follow the directions on the tag. If they are handmade, I either dry clean them or carefully wash them in the machine myself.

When dry it's time for the next step.

2. I fold my panels first in quarters, lengthwise.

3. Then I fold them over, in half, so they fit nicely on a hanger.

I know, those wrinkles are probably screaming at everyone, but trust me. They're fine. I just leave them.

I'm not a fan of ironing and usually by the time I go to hang them up on the windows the following season, most of the wrinkles have fallen out.

Plus, I once I do hang them, I always give them a quick once over with my steamer to remove any little lines or fold marks.

There are also wrinkle release sprays. You are supposed to be able to squirt and go. I haven't used one yet, but I might be willing to give an unscented version a try. 

When they're all folded and on the hanger, it's time for the big step.

4. I just pop them in the bag and zip that sucker up.

5. I tuck it into the hall closet (which by the way used to be the one and only bathroom in the house when it was first built) and voila, perfect curtain panel storage.

I don't really need a lot of them, which is great, since we only had so many proms.

And if I ever need more I did find some very affordable clear ones to purchase. And actually the clear ones are even better so you can see what's inside without having to open them all up.

But free is free, so that's where I am for now.

Well, there and back to red curtains in the living room.

C'mon.

We all knew those ivory velvet lovelies wouldn't last forever.

What do you use those old garment bags for?