What Makes Wool A Good Choice For Curtains?
If you are considering fitting new curtains in your Streatham home, you are likely choosing between not only the colour of the fabric, but the fabric itself.
Many fabrics make excellent curtains – linen, velvet, even silk. But another fabric to consider is wool, and we’re going to share five reasons why wool is a wonderful choice for curtains, regardless of what room you plan to hang them in.
Wool curtains are excellent for energy efficiency
With heating bills expected to increase in the UK following the war in the Middle East that has pushed oil prices up considerably, now is a good opportunity to explore how you can reduce your heating bills.
Although many will be hoping that prices fall before next winter, there is a great deal of uncertainty in markets, which means it’s better to prepare for fuel bills to rise by ten per cent or more.
Wool curtains are a relatively simple way to improve the energy efficiency of your home. During the winter months, wool curtains can help prevent your home from losing heat via its windows.
This is because wool as a fabric contains millions of microscopic air pockets that act as an effective insulator – this effect is amplified when you choose full-length wool curtains that are made to fit well around your windows.
What’s more, wool curtains can also help keep your home cool in the summer. Those same air pockets in the fabric are just as effective at keeping heat from solar gain out as they are at preventing the warmth in your home from escaping through your glazing.
Wool curtains are naturally flame resistant
Most fabrics ignite at temperatures between 200 and 300 degrees C, whereas wool has an ignition temperature of 570 to 600 degrees C, making it a naturally flame resistant fabric without the need for any chemical flame retardants.
This not only keeps potentially harmful chemicals out of your living environment, but also means that you have better protection in the event that you experience a fire at your property.
Wool curtains have antibacterial and hypoallergenic properties
If you or someone in your household suffers from asthma, this could make wool curtains the ideal choice. As a fabric, wool is naturally hypoallergenic and has antibacterial properties, which can help to reduce the dust particles present in your environment.
Wool is also resistant to dust mites, while its natural ability to absorb moisture while resisting mould and mildew means it can help regulate the humidity in your home effectively.
When combined with the fabric’s temperature regulating properties, it makes even more sense to consider wool curtains for your home as they can help support a healthy indoor environment for you and your family.
What’s more, when you shop at Pret A Vivre, you’ll find that we offer wool fabric mixed with other materials, which makes it more resistant to moths – so your curtains will last longer!
Wool curtains hold their shape well
When you hang curtains, you want to know that they will drape well and hold their shape to ensure that even as you draw and open them each day, they will continue to look fantastic.
The natural crimp in wool fibres, which is what creates those microscopic air pockets in the fabric that helps with its energy efficiency, is also what makes wool resistant to wrinkles. Wool has a natural elasticity to it that enables it to keep its shape well.
This not only helps to prevent wrinkles from forming in your curtains, but also means that they are unlikely to sag or stretch and ensures their longevity as a window dressing.
Wool curtains are the sustainable choice
As a fabric, wool is one of the most sustainable options available. Not only is it completely natural, but it is a renewable source of fabric given that sheep regrow their wooly coats every year.
What’s more, when you decide to change your curtains, you can rest assured that the wool fabric will biodegrade naturally without adding to plastic pollution in our environment like synthetic fabrics do when disposed of.
From a production perspective, it also takes less energy to produce woolen fabrics than it does to make their synthetic counterparts. All of which adds up to making wool curtains a very sustainable choice for your home.
Naturally, when you choose new curtains for your home you want them to look good and wool delivers on this front too. Wool curtains are a timeless and stylish choice for your window dressings that deliver in many more ways than simply aesthetically.
What’s more, the fabric’s longevity can give you confidence that your curtains will last for many years to come and continue to look just as good as the day you hang them.