How to Make No-Sew Bleached Drop Cloth Curtains (plus how to bleach drop cloth without the whole house smelling like a pool!)
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You guys…I am so excited to share this project with you! When we moved into our house, the one thing I hated was the heavy brown curtains.
Well, five years later they still hang on the curtain rods, taunting me. No more! I have exchanged them for soft, textured, gorgeous drop cloth curtains that would be at home in any farmhouse or cottage.
We searched everywhere for affordable curtain solutions, but our options were either insanely expensive or not quite our style. When my husband came home with a pack of drop cloths for a project, I knew I had found the solution to my curtain dilemma. We could have honestly just taken the drop cloths out of the package and hung them up, but I wanted them to be a little softer and more neutral, so we decided to bleach them first.
All the bleaching tutorials I found used a washing machine to soak the curtains, but with two kiddos in the house all day I didn’t want us to be inhaling chemicals for days. So, we took it outside. Here’s how we bleached drop cloths:
Choosing the Right Drop Cloths
We have several large windows in our house, so we are bleaching 8 drop cloths to have a total of 4 window treatments. The first drop cloths we bought from Lowe’s had a large seam running horizontal through the middle of the drop cloth. That obviously wouldn’t work, so we tried the drop cloths at Home Depot and none of them have that seam.
NOTE: We used the 6×9 Everbilt brand drop cloths (in the blue packaging) from Home Depot, but several of you have said that they changed the fabric of their drop cloths so that they are no longer able to be bleached. Please let me know in the comments if you find some drop cloths that will work!
We purchased 6×9 drop cloths. We could have saved a few dollars by using the larger 9×12 drop cloths and cutting them in half, but I am no seamstress and I would have added several sewing hours to my project to save about $10…not worth it!
How to Bleach Drop Cloths Outside
To prep, I cleaned out 2 large plastic tubs and filled them halfway with water. I added 8 cups of bleach (1/2 gallon) to each tub and stirred.
Then I added two drop cloths to each tub, making sure they were both completely covered and saturated. I used a stick to stir to keep the bleach from irritating my skin.
Once the drop cloths are completely covered in the bleach mixture, allow them to sit for at least 3 hours. I let our drop cloths sit for about 7 hours because of timing and they were perfectly fine.
We strung a line across our back yard (you know, because we’re fancy) to wash out the cloths. Since houses are often power washed with bleach, we decided this very diluted mixture wouldn’t be too bad for our lawn.
We hung each drop cloth on the line, making sure there were no wrinkles. Then we sprayed them to remove the bleach.
(If you happen to have a little helper who watches you through the window, stop here and think about how stinkin’ cute they are)
Then I cleaned out a third plastic tub, filled it halfway with water, and added some vinegar. I submerged the rinsed out drop cloths in the vinegar mixture to neutralize the bleach. If you skip this step, the bleach may keep working and deteriorate your fabric over time.
After letting it soak in the vinegar mixture, I rung the curtains out and took them to the washing machine. I washed each curtain in a cycle with no detergent, then a cycle with detergent. Then I threw them in the dryer with a dryer sheet.
DIY No-Sew Bleached Drop Cloth Curtains
Oh my…when they came out of the dryer I could not contain my excitement! They are so soft and gorgeous. Their texture and dreamy color look like linen, but with a slightly worn, vintage feel. The drop cloth curtains would certainly fit in any Joanna Gaines design plan.
Here’s a video of the whole process:
It is so much brighter throughout our house. I am thrilled!
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It looks bigger & more open. I love the lighter look!
Well done!
So cool! How much vinegar?
Hi Jennifer! We used about half a gallon diluted in that big tub of water.
Thank you for the information. However, unfortunately, the Everbilt drop cloths from Home Depot now have a huge seam running down the center and the tag reads ” unspecified fibers” for what they are made of. These were the 6×9 8oz. Oh well, these go back to the store and I go back to the drawing board!
Hi! Love this post & will be doing this soon for some windows we need curtains for. Quick question though, how long did you let them soak in vinegar for?
Hi Amanda! The vinegar solution is really just to stop the bleach from reacting with the fabric. I put two curtains in the vinegar solution at a time and took the first one out after about 30 minutes. The second one I left in the solution until the first had gone through all the wash cycles. As long as all of the drop cloth gets soaked well, the amount of time shouldn’t matter.
Hi! Love the drop cloth curtains and I believe this to be the perfect solution to my sunroom windows! Can you please tell me the brand of drop cloths from HD? I have searched their website for 6×9 also, and do not find any that size. I want to be sure and get the right ones that you used so I know they will be bleach-able. Thanks so much!
Hi Tami! These are the drop cloths we used:
6 x 9 Drop Cloths
Have you had any recent comments about the drop cloths if they are still beachable ? I’ve also heard that harbor freights drop cloths are 100% cotton but couldn’t find if that was true on their website.
So they have to be 100% cotton to be bleachable? Any others bleachable as well?
I tried this with the Home Depot drop clothes and they did not bleach.
Doing as I type this!!!! I hope they turn out ? I will post a picture as soon as I have them hung!
I can’t wait to see them!!!
We just moved into our new home An as first time homeowners we are trying to stick to a budget and we have a 2 year old so we don’t want expensive curtains that may get ruined. These drop cloth curtains are absolutely perfect!! I was wondering what brand of drop cloth at Home Depot you used?
Hi Taylor! Yes, I totally understand! Our 10 month old thinks our curtains are napkins :/ I love that I can replace one for less than $15! These are the drop cloths we used:
6 x 9 Drop Cloths
Thanks so much. They are soaking right now; I can’t wait to see how they turn out!!!
Which drop cloths did you get froklm Home Depot? The HDX or the Everbilt brand? Thanks!!
Hi Hannah! These are the drop cloths we used:
6 x 9 Drop Cloths
I used to love the Everbilt ones until a seamstress turned me onto Harbor Freights drop cloths. They have two kind in my HF. One is folded like a square and weighs less than the other that is folded in a rectangle shape. They both are 9 x 12 and they both have the same exact picture on the front. The good one will tell you it’s 10 oz but the square lightweight one will not tell you the oz. The 10 oz works amazingly for slipcovers, reupholstering, curtains, bags, etc. I usually buy all the good ones from my HF asap. That way I always have a stockpile. 😉
And those you can bleach?
I recently bought everbilt and hb. Neither one bleacher. Not sure why. Any help is appreciated. Thanks!
Also, the 9 x 12 ones I spoke of are only 15 and change each!! But they do shrink a good amount, about 2″ all the way around. 😉
Looks great! I think I’ll do this in our bedroom.
How much did they shrink?
Hi Marianne! We didn’t notice any shrinking at all, although I will saw I didn’t actually measure before I washed them.
holy moly these are AMAZING!!! this is the look i’ve always wanted but couldn’t afford. i will be doing this in my bedroom … thanks for sharing!
I got my bedroom panels for my 10 ft ceilings and,windows from Ikea for super cheap. 110″ long! They have shorter ones of course, but they were pretty cheap…like 25 per panel and I only needed 4.
Did you fold them when you hung them? It would be awesome to see some pictures of how you hung them on the clips ?
Also I would like to know what clips you used and where to get them please! Love this!
Hi Whitney!
Thanks for commenting! I can’t find the exact clips we used, but these are very similar: http://amzn.to/2y6QrJh
We used 7-8 clips per curtain. Let me know if you have any other questions!
Megan
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Can you give the brand of these please? The link leads to an item that is no longer available. 🙁
Yes I’d love to know brand!! Link is no longer working!
Oh no! Thank you for letting me know! They changed the location of the product on me. Here’s the new link: http://www.anrdoezrs.net/click-8403639-11210757?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.homedepot.com%2Fp%2F5-ft-9-in-x-8-ft-9-in-8-oz-Canvas-Drop-Cloth-69CV8%2F203737046
If that says the product is unavailable, you can click here (http://www.dpbolvw.net/click-8403639-11210757) and search “5 ft. 9 in. x 8 ft. 9 in. 8 oz. Canvas Drop Cloth”. It should be the ‘Everbilt’ brand drop cloths in the blue packaging.
Oh no! Thank you for letting me know! They changed the location of the product on me. Here’s the new link: http://www.anrdoezrs.net/click-8403639-11210757?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.homedepot.com%2Fp%2F5-ft-9-in-x-8-ft-9-in-8-oz-Canvas-Drop-Cloth-69CV8%2F203737046
If that says the product is unavailable, you can click here (http://www.dpbolvw.net/click-8403639-11210757) and search “5 ft. 9 in. x 8 ft. 9 in. 8 oz. Canvas Drop Cloth”. It should be the ‘Everbilt’ brand drop cloths in the blue packaging.
I love these curtains! Where do you get the curtain rods? I love the look of them!
Your curtains look so great! I would love to do this for my home. What brand did you use for the drop cloths? The link says the item is no longer available so I can’t see it.
Oh no! Thank you for letting me know! They changed the location of the product on me. Here’s the new link: http://www.anrdoezrs.net/click-8403639-11210757?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.homedepot.com%2Fp%2F5-ft-9-in-x-8-ft-9-in-8-oz-Canvas-Drop-Cloth-69CV8%2F203737046
If that says the product is unavailable, you can click here (http://www.dpbolvw.net/click-8403639-11210757) and search “5 ft. 9 in. x 8 ft. 9 in. 8 oz. Canvas Drop Cloth”. It should be the ‘Everbilt’ brand drop cloths in the blue packaging.
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Good morning,
After the dryer did you need to iron them?
Thankyou
Hi Kelly! I didn’t iron them (because I hate ironing ?) but they probably could have used it. Mine were a bit wrinkled to start, but they relaxed pretty quickly from hanging up.
My home depot has these exact drop cloths, howeve some have slightly frayed edges and some have bound edges. What did your edges look like? I’m afraid of fraying.
Been soaking now for 6 hours and they do not seem any lighter! Yeeks!
Probably used more bleach than recommended. Exact same drop cloths you recommended. 🙁
Same here! I went through the process a second time on the same cloth, but to no avail. Still waiting to hear from her back because I’m disappointed that it didn’t come out near white! 🙁
Our drop cloths definitely got lighter and softer, but they are not white. They look more like linen – a slightly ‘natural’ color. If yours aren’t getting any lighter at all, I would suggest checking to make sure your bleach isn’t old or maybe using less water in the bleach/water solution.
Same here! I was assuming they were going to come out white.🙁 I prefer white but I have already invested too much. Maybe I’ll put these in my bedroom and get the white for my dining room.
The Home Depot everbilt brand is now made of a cotton/poly blend (they used to be all cotton). The blend will NOT bleach. The only way to bleach drop cloths is to buy 100% cotton ones. I just read this on another post and thought I’d add it to this conversation in case people were thinking they did something wrong.
I just bought some Home Depot ones and I like their color as is. But I will definitely be buying 100% cotton ones for bleaching in other rooms.
Hope this helps 😊👍
Thanks for the tip
What type of hooks did you use. I can’t sew to save my life
Hi Darlene!
Thanks for commenting! I can’t find the exact clips we used, but these are very similar: http://amzn.to/2y6QrJh
We used 7-8 clips per curtain. Let me know if you have any other questions!
Megan
What did you use to hang them? Absolutely love this!
Hi Brittney!
Thanks for commenting! I can’t find the exact clips we used, but these are very similar: http://amzn.to/2y6QrJh
We used 7-8 clips per curtain. Let me know if you have any other questions!
Megan
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Can you tell me what type of curtain rod you used? I would need two 6 x 9 panels per window and I am concerned that the weight would bend the brackets. Thank you.
Have you shared about your updated rods? I’d love to see them.
Hi, I stumbled on your page for the tutorial as I am trying to do this for my wife and I’m having a hard time getting my drop cloths to bleach. I soaked one (I bought the kind you recommended from Home Depot) in a bathtub for about 8 hours today and it is nowhere near white… Im trying again in my washing machine, which is a front load, so not sure how that is going to go (some sites say you can, others say it won’t work). Im wondering if the manufacturer changed the fabric content since you did yours. Do you know if yours are 100% cotton? The ones I bought (Everbilt 6ft x 9ft) are 54% Cotton, 43% polyester, 3% other. Im just wondering if that might be causing my issue. Thanks!
Same thing happened to me. I read thru the comments. She said hers are not white, more of a linen look. I wish that was stated during the tutorial.
I love this look! I’m wondering if the curtains have any lingering scent of the bleach? My daughter and I are chemically sensitive, so I’m wondering if they’ll be a problem hanging inside after bleaching. Thank you!
I haven’t noticed a scent at all. I think the scent would be awfully strong if you were to bleach them indoors, but doing the actual bleaching outside helped a ton. After they were rinsed outside, rinsed in the washing machine, and washed with detergent, I didn’t notice any lingering scent. Maybe someone else who is chemically sensative can chime in?
Hi there! We attempted this method today and it didn’t work. 🙁 I don’t know what I did wrong. We used the sane brand, but they are not 100% cotton. I read that if you don’t use 100% cotton drop cloths the bleach method wont work. What do you think? I’m bummed out. I may try again and soak them longer…
I tried this yesterday. I purchased same dropcloths from Home Depot, but the cloths did not bleach. Added more bleach with no change. Any suggestions?
What color did they end up being? I’ve bought some and I’m trying ti decide if it’s worth trying….
They are a but lighter than a natural linen color. If you’re going for bright white, this isn’t going to be the look that you want. If you want a muted natural linen color, then go for it!
Hi, I soaked my drop cloths from Home Depot, the ones in the blue packaging (Everbilt), I soaked them overnight. I think I just figured out what I did wrong. I put vinegar in with the bleach solution and they did not come out white. Is that what I did wrong? I want them to be white like in you picture.
Thank you
I just bought my drop cloths today from HD! Yay so excited to work on this project over the weekend but reading some of the previous comments, I hope mine actually bleach!
Thanks for posting this your curtains are beautiful!
Hi!! About to try this myself! Does the water have to be hot??
I bought the everbilt canvas from Home Depot but mine has a seam across the center, non of yours seem to have seams?
I love these! Maybe this is a given, but did you use concentrated bleach? Mine have been soaking for 9 hours with a whole gallon of regular bleach and no color change has happened.
HI , I loved the way her curtains came out………..So I purchased the canvas from HOME DEPOT as directed and much to my disappointment it does not work nor will it. You must buy ALL COTTON CANVAS if it has any polyester in the fabric it will NOT BLEACH.
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I bought multiple panels from the same store at the same time. Some of the panels are much darker than the others. Did anyone else have that problem?
I bought 12 cloths from HD also. Before checking out I realized several were tan toned and others were grey toned. So I switched them out and got 12 that matched. However, after getting them home and opening them I found that 2 of the 12 had a seam running down them. I easily exchanged them. For those of you going to buy these cloths, just make sure you check both the color matching and turn the package around looking at all 4 sides to check for seams in the middle. You can see them if they are there.
The brand she is recommending does NOT bleach. It’s possible Everbilt has switched to a cotton blend/poly mix. Look at the canvas in the package before you buy, if it has multicolored threads in the fabric, it’s a poly mix and will not whiten.
Hello! Thank you for the tutorial on how to bleach the drop cloths. May I ask what color you painted your living room walls? It looks like a hint of gray.
I want to try this! any word on the Home Depot brand, of it works? The link to the item Megan posted did not work.
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Hello. I started reading through all the comments but it was taking me forever! My question regards how wide you like the curtains. Are they flat when closed all the way together or do they still have some folds? Hope that makes sense. Trying to figure out how many drop clothes to buy!
Hi Rita! When I measure, I want them to cover the whole window (about 3 inches on either side) and still have pleats. A common measurement is to double the actual window opening, but it doesn’t have to be exact.
I absolutely love these curtains. We went a bit over budget on our build so these fit our blown budget well and have the casual farm house feel. It couldn’t have been easier. I have tried attaching a picture but am having technical difficulties with that
Hi, I purchased drop cloths from Home Depot, but must be a new fabric, tried bleaching them to no avail. Any ideas?
I love the chandelier shown in one of the pictures featuring your DIY curtains. Can you share where you got it? Thank you!
Harbor Freight has the kind of drop cloth your looking for, for this project l. And they’re more reasonably priced.
Home Depot in our area no longer carries them.
AFTER BLEACHING DO U THINK THEY COULD BE DYED A ROYAL BLUE??
So just curious…was one 6×9 equal to one panel? So for 4 windows you got 8 drop cloths?
Just completed both panels. Did exactly as you said. Purchased exact cloth from Amazon. Used 8 Cups Dollar General Bleach. Soaked only 4 hours in top loading machine. Rinsed one cycle cold. Another cycle cold with 4 cups vinegar and little oxi powder. Then finally dryer! Came out white.
Where did u get the drop clothes from? The hd link doesn’t work.
I got these drop cloths but they have an extra seam. Did yours have an extra seam?
I am sooo excited I found your site/post/video….I am NO seamstess but figured I bet I could make curtains from drop cloths to help with draft a box s and looked it up and realized it was a “thing”! Thank you so much for sharing your information, I am over the moon about the white color instead of going with the original dropcloth color. Ill let you know how they come out! I bought a box of 3 6×9 heavy duty drop cloths from The Paint Store for $24and change plus 20 delivery which will cover 3 windows for $44 plus my labor bleach, vinegar and some dried branches for curtain rods! Since I am on disability and on a tight budget, I have tapped into my creativity and ways to make a beautiful home inexpensively and this is my first of many projects. Wish me luck!
Do you have a printable version of the instructions?
Love your whole tutorial. Thanks!
Your curtains look fabulous! I was thinking about making roman shades from the drop cloths. Do you think the fabric would be suitable?
What did you do with the bleach water? Dump it on the ground? Didn’t that kill your grass? Not worried about the ground water, but don’t want to kill my grass. My washer is new, so can’t do it there as it won’t allow you to fill the tub. No Bathtub. Please help.
Hi Megan,
Ive accidentally bleached mine too long and they now have a slight yellow tinge to it.. not too bad but it is noticeable…
Ive already cut into pieces ready to make my sofa cover.. its only roughly cut.
How do i fix this?
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