Two things happen to every wall tapestry. It arrives with fold lines from the package, and after a few months on the wall it collects dust. Both are easy to fix if you know what the fabric can take. This guide is written for Kiyo Arts tapestries, which are 100% polyester microfibre with hemmed edges, and most of it applies to any printed polyester tapestry.
First: do you need to wash it at all?
A tapestry on a wall doesn't get dirty the way clothes do. Most of the time it only needs dusting. Take it down every month or two, carry it outside and give it a few firm shakes. For anything that shaking doesn't shift, go over it with a lint roller or the soft brush attachment of a vacuum on its lowest setting.
Wash it when it has a visible mark, has picked up a smell from cooking or smoke, has been used as a throw or picnic blanket, or has just come out of long storage.
How to machine wash a polyester tapestry
- Wash it on its own, or with a few similar colours. Zips, hooks and rough fabrics like denim can snag the surface.
- Use cold water. Our tapestries are machine washable cold. Hot water is the main cause of fading in printed fabric.
- Choose a gentle or delicate cycle with a low spin speed. A hard spin sets deep creases.
- Use a small amount of mild liquid detergent. Powder can leave white residue on dark prints.
- Skip bleach and fabric softener. Bleach strips colour. Softener leaves a coating that dulls the print and attracts dust.
- Take it out as soon as the cycle ends. A wet tapestry left in the drum will crease badly.
How to hand wash
For the smaller sizes, or if you are being careful with a favourite piece, fill a bath or large sink with cold water and a little mild detergent. Submerge the tapestry and move it around gently for a few minutes. Don't scrub the printed side. Drain, refill with clean cold water and rinse until the water runs clear. Press the water out with your hands. Don't wring or twist it, which stretches the hems.
Spot cleaning a single mark
You rarely need to wash the whole thing for one stain. Dampen a clean white cloth with cold water and a drop of dish soap, then dab from the outside of the mark toward the middle. Rinse the cloth and dab again with plain water. Let it air dry. Test on a corner first if you are unsure.
Drying
Air drying is the safe choice. Hang the tapestry over a shower rail, a drying rack or a clothesline, spread out as flat as you can. Dry it in the shade or indoors: strong direct sunlight will fade any printed fabric over time. Polyester dries quickly, usually within a couple of hours.
Here is a useful trick. Hang the tapestry back on the wall while it is still very slightly damp. The weight of the fabric pulls it flat as it finishes drying, and you skip the ironing step entirely.
Getting the wrinkles out
New tapestries arrive folded, so creases on day one are normal. In rough order of effort:
1. Just hang it
Most fold lines relax on their own within a few days. If you are not in a hurry, do nothing.
2. The shower method
Hang the tapestry in the bathroom, away from the water, and run a hot shower with the door closed for ten to fifteen minutes. The steam loosens the fibres. Smooth the fabric downward with your hands afterward and leave it to cool.
3. A garment steamer
This is the fastest and most reliable method. Hang the tapestry and pass a handheld steamer over it from top to bottom, holding it a few inches from the fabric. Work from the back if you can. Keep the steamer moving.
4. A damp cloth and a hairdryer
No steamer? Mist the creased area lightly with water from a spray bottle, then use a hairdryer on a warm setting while you smooth the fabric with your other hand.
5. An iron, with care
Polyester melts at temperatures that cotton shrugs off. If you iron, use the lowest synthetic setting, iron on the back of the fabric, and put a thin cotton cloth such as a pillowcase between the iron and the tapestry. Never let a hot iron sit in one place, and never iron directly on the print.
What not to do
- Don't wash in hot water.
- Don't use bleach, stain removers containing bleach, or fabric softener.
- Don't use a high-heat dryer cycle. Heat sets creases into polyester and can damage the print.
- Don't iron on high or directly on the printed side.
- Don't dry in direct sun day after day.
- Don't dry clean unless the label on your particular tapestry says you can.
Storing a tapestry
If it is coming down for a while, make sure it is completely dry, then roll it instead of folding it. A roll has no fold lines to remove later. Wrap it in a cotton pillowcase and keep it somewhere dry. Avoid sealing it in plastic for months, which can trap moisture.
Back on the wall
A clean, flat tapestry deserves to be hung straight. Our guide to hanging a tapestry without nails covers six methods and how to keep the top edge level, and the tapestry size guide will help if you are choosing your next one. You can see every design in the tapestries collection.