When our kids were little,
we had installed a bunk bed above one of the twin beds
in our vintage 1986 Avion camper.
Now that the kids are grown, we removed the bunk bed
and sadly discovered that one of the original camper curtains
had been pushed up against the window
and had gotten some water stains.
We have been gradually working on updating the colors of the camper
while still retaining most of the original features of the camper.
And this water stained curtain was really
starting to stand out and bother me.
So, I decided to try my hand at cleaning it.
Cleaning the Curtain Water Stains:
I read a lot of various differing opinions out there
about how to clean upholstery fabric
but in the end, this is how I accomplished
Cleaning Vintage Camper Curtains.
If you decide to try this, please be advised that your results may vary and no guarantee is made as to your results. Proceed at your own risk!
I used distilled water (so I hopefully wouldn’t leave any new water stains),
all detergent (because it is clear) and a clean toothbrush.
I mixed a little of the all detergent with some distilled water
and started gently brushing the stains
with the toothbrush and the detergent mixture.
After it looked like I had all of the stains removed,
I placed the entire curtain in a clean plastic tub
filled with the distilled water mixed with a little all detergent.
I let this soak for a few minutes without agitating.
I then rinsed the vintage curtain in another clean plastic tub filled
with only distilled water.
Without ringing or squeezing the curtain,
I hung the curtain out to dry on the clothesline.
I hung a towel with the curtain in front of it
to keep the clothespins from leaving marks on the curtain.
After making sure the stains were removed,
I gently pressed the curtain and hung it back up in the camper.
It looks much better, but it isn’t perfect.
It is now a teeny tiny amount shorter than the other curtain panel
that hangs on the same window.
(It didn’t have the water stains, so I didn’t wash it.)
I don’t suppose anyone else but me will ever notice this.
But I wanted to point it out in case you decide
to try something similar to clean your vintage camper curtains.
You might also end up with this or a different unwanted side effect!
Blessings~
Amy
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