When we moved into our house, there were fabulous traditional curtains in the lounge covering the patio windows. We would have loved to have kept them as they were expensive and luxurious.

But… we have a cat. Our cat is a busy body and likes to sit at the patio doors, looking outside into the garden, watching the various neighbourhood cats pass by. Because this activity makes him quite animated at times, he likes to brush up against the curtains until eventually – horror of all horrors, they end up trashed.

We swiftly removed the luxury curtains and replaced them with some cheaper ones. They were still nice, but we thought that at least we wouldn’t be so annoyed when he covered them in fur.

As it turns out, these ones were even worse for attracting fur and we had to throw them away in the end as the fur was just too difficult to continuously remove.

Thus began our mission. For our next pair of curtains, we had to find something that was low maintenance and would not be completely trashed within the first five minutes of hanging them. Or even within the first five years of hanging them. This was all about durability and ease of cleaning; but we also wanted something that looked nice.

We ordered a few sample materials, and left them in the cat’s bed over the course of a week to put them to the test.

Many fabrics could be easily dismissed as they were dry clean only. I wanted something that I could easily wash at home if I needed to. I also wanted to be able to wipe the fabric clean in between washes and was advised caution by one fabrics shop as they said that regular washing or wiping with wet wipes can cause a water mark.

The results of the test are below.

Polyester Curtains – Woodyatt Curtains

There were no washing instructions for this sample, but as polyester is a durable fabric, I would imagine that it can be washed on a cold wash. This can vary between polyester products, so I would have to check the washing instructions on the curtains themselves if I went ahead with the purchase. Cat hair did stick to the polyester sample, and was a bit of a pain to get rid of, although not completely impossible. I found myself being concerned that the material may not stand the test of time, judging by the amount I had to scrub to get it clean, so concluded that there must be better options around. 4/10

Faux Suede – Terry’s Fabrics

It may have sounded silly to test a faux suede fabric, as it was always going to attract cat hair, but my first thought was that I may be able to brush the curtain fabric free of the unwanted cat hair. As an additional bonus, I discovered that this fabric can be washed at home at 40 degrees. My attraction to it was short lived however, as no matter how hard I brushed, the cat hair did not want to leave this fabric. Also, the fabric was a bit damaged by my hard brushing. The only bonus was that it came up very clean after a 40 degree wash. 5/10

Cotton Patterned Fabric – Terry’s Fabrics

My rationale behind choosing the patterned fabric was that the cat hairs may be a bit less noticeable. This fabric is also 100% cotton and can be washed at 30 degrees. Though I would prefer to wash at 40 so that grease and dirt would also be easier to remove, this was still an appealing option. I did get good results with this fabric. I was right about the hairs showing up less, and they brushed off fairly easily. After washing, the material came up clean too. 8/10

Textured Weave – Next

I liked the idea of the weave as I thought that this may be more resistant to the problem of cat hair sticking to it. The issue with this material is that it was dry clean only. The sample withstood the test. Although it did get covered in cat hair, I was pleasantly surprised by how easily I could brush it away, but if I am unable to regularly clean it, then the grease and dirt may become an issue further down the line. This option was therefore somewhat reluctantly discarded. 6/10

Outdoor fabric – Ebay

This idea was given to me by a shop assistant when I was carrying out my research into the best type of material to use, and I must admit, I would not have thought of it. Outdoor fabrics do not have to be thick and stiff, heavy duty materials – there are plenty these days that look soft, hang well; and are fully waterproof and therefore very easy to clean. I was so excited about trying this fabric, I perhaps got a little carried away, and was disappointed to discover that the cat hair still stuck to it a little. However, I was then delighted to discover that not only did it brush away easily, but I could also wipe it clean to get rid of the hair. This was definitely my top choice. 9/10

 

If you are a cat owner and choosing curtains, be sure to examine the care instructions before you buy. A word of warning is to also look out for lined curtains, as you may settle on a fabric that is perfect for protection from cat hair abuse, but then discover that you can create another cat from the amount of hair that is stuck to the lining. Our recommendation would definitely be to make your own using outdoor fabric, which can be purchased from Ebay, and many fabric stores throughout the UK.