Drop Cloth Curtains for BIG Windows

These drop cloth curtains for big windows have been such a game-changer (and money saver). Drop cloth has a lovely linen billowy look, perfect for farmhouse-style window treatments. We tackled some major roadblocks along the way. No sewing, no special skills required! Here’s how we did it…

BIG Drop Cloth for BIG Windows

The windows in our living room are the biggest in the entire house, each one measuring 8 feet high and 4 feet wide. There are four windows side by side on one wall, making one large “window wall”. The walls in this room are approximately 12 feet tall with a vaulted ceiling. The view out of these windows is spectacular so I knew I could not slap cheap-looking window treatments on them. The fabric needed to be significantly larger than the window measurements to accommodate the height of the curtain rod above the windows and the floor space below.

My Search for the Right Drop Cloth

Running to the local department store was not going to cut it. I have found that many of the department stores have changed their fabric making them unbleachable. I wanted to bleach my drop cloth to make them lighter and softer. After scouring every paint store, department store, and every corner of the internet, it seemed like there was no solution in sight! Every time I found a good quality bleachable drop cloth, it either was the wrong size or it had an ugly seam running right through the center of it! I even considered sewing smaller drop cloth curtains together. This was not a realistic option since I have zero sewing skills whatsoever!

I almost gave up!

At one point, I considered biting the bullet and just purchasing extra long linen curtains…. until I saw the prices. YIKES!! Due to the size of the windows, I would either have to buy extra long drapes or order custom curtains! Both options were WAY TOO EXPENSIVE! I did eventually find a few cost-effective premade extra long curtains on the internet with decent reviews, but they still did not have the farmhouse linen look I was going for. I knew it wasn’t worth the hassle, so I went back to the internet and tried again. I realized I was not going to purchase something unless it met the following criteria:

Large enough drop cloth fabric

I found the most common sizes available on the internet at the best prices were usually about 9 x 12 feet drop cloth. In my case, I needed at least 10×14 feet of fabric to adequately fit my windows and accommodate the wall space above and below them.

Drop cloth without ugly seams

I have used drop cloth with a vertical seem in our bedroom windows and they look just fine. However, I felt that the curtains in the main living area needed to look as flawless as possible. This room gets a lot of visibility and I wanted them to look perfect. No seams were the only way to achieve this look.

Quality drop cloth

This is where the amazon customer reviews came in super handy. I even found a few interior designers that swear by certain types of drop cloth. They used a specific brand of drop cloth to upholster furniture, make custom curtains, etc. After reading their reviews, I knew I was on the right track.

Bleachable drop cloth (optional)

This part is optional. You might not want to bleach your drop cloth white. That is fine. You can just put the cloth in the laundry to soften it then skip to the hanging part. For me, I wanted to lighten the color of the fabric a bit.

I have made the huge mistake in the past of just buying any old drop cloth and throwing it in some bleach and absolutely NOTHING happens. I think much of the reason for this is because all drop cloth fabric is not created equal. Some drop cloths are treated so that bleach can not penetrate the fabric. The best solution I found for this problem was to ensure the drop cloth fabric is made out of 100% cotton. I’ve even called the manufacturer and asked them outright if their drop cloth was bleachable.

Caution when using bleach

This project involves the use of large amounts of bleach water in a large vessel. Be sure to choose a well-ventilated safe environment when using chemicals like bleach. Always wear safety equipment such as glasses, masks, and gloves. Supervise any small children or animals that could potentially go near this project. Also note, that we are on a septic system and we could not use our washing machine as a vessel for the bleaching process. Use caution when draining your bleach water to ensure there is no harm to any person’s animals or property. Consider neutralizing your bleach water if needed and check with any manufacturer to ensure this is done safely!

My Favorite Drop Cloth for LARGE Windows

After the long search, I narrowed it down to the TUFFBOY SUPER WEIGHT COTTON CANVAS DROP CLOTH. It hit all of the criteria on my list and I have to admit, I am impressed with this drop cloth. Now that I finally found the right fabric it was time to get to work on making these curtains.

How I Bleached Large Drop Cloth without Using a Washing Machine

I was so excited when I finally found the perfect drop cloth that I didn’t even take into account that I still needed to bleach and launder it to be ready for hanging. The major problem with this is we are on a septic tank. Dumping bleach in the washer was not an option!

Large stock tank in the backyard

We ended up using a stock tank we already had on hand in the backyard and a garden hose to fill it up with water. We found our tank at Tractor Supply and I’ve linked a similar one here for those of you who might not have a large vessel to use outside. This was the perfect size to fit my 12 X 15-foot drop cloth with enough room for water to bleach it properly. I’ll admit, this drop cloth does not bleach completely white, but it does still lighten the fabric enough for my taste.

Garden hose and TWO GALLONS of bleach

After filling the tank a little over 3/4 of the way with water, I dumped in 2 gallons of bleach. Yes, TWO GALLONS. Remember, this is for a very large drop cloth (12 x 15 feet). I covered the top of the tank with some scrap pieces of wood to protect the mixture from the sun and to keep any critters out of the bleach water. The bleach can get intense so  I recommend wearing safety glasses a mask and large gloves as well.

Let each drop cloth soak for 8-10 hours

I made sure to bleach one drop cloth at a time and to stir the drop cloth in the tank with a stick every few hours to make sure all of the fabric made contact with the bleach. I let it sit all day long (about 8-10 hours). After that, I emptied all of the water out of the tank. Some tanks have a drain that will make this process easier. I highly recommend wearing large rubber gloves for this part. Be careful with this step and get help if you need it.

White vinegar to get rid of the bleach smell

After emptying the bleach water from the tank, I rinsed the drop cloth off with fresh water, drained the water then poured about 4 cups of white vinegar back into the tank along with a little more water. I put enough water and vinegar mixture so that all of the fabric could make contact with it. After about 10 minutes of soaking in the vinegar solution, I moved the drop cloth from the tank into a smaller bin and hauled it inside in the washer. This will be heavy so get help if you need to!

I ran each drop cloth through the washer with my regular detergent and fabric softener. Then dried it in the dryer for about two cycles. I preferred preshrinking my fabric since I knew the drop cloth was plenty big and I would likely have access to fabric to trim later on.

How I hung drop cloth curtains

Jeff installed the curtain rods about two feet above the top of the windows. He made sure to screw the rods into either a stud in the wall or used a drywall anchor to ensure the curtain rod was secure. Luckily, I had my husband’s handy ladder to do this!

We really loved the black industrial pipe style we found at Lowes as well as curtain rings (these are in gray, you would need to see if Lowes has any in black or you could paint them black).

I linked a similar curtain rod and curtain clips below for those who prefer to shop on Amazon. These products had great reviews and I plan on using them in some future projects!

I had to adjust my fabric to accommodate the length from the curtain rods to the floor. I simply pre-hung the drop cloth and cut off the excess fabric with a pair of scissors. Then I took the raw edge of the fabric and made a small fold and attached my curtain clips with an easy pleating method. You will be able to see this process much better on my YouTube video tutorial. I made pleats by making two pinky-sized folds in the fabric and then clipping it all together with a Curtin clip.  The pleats were spaced out evenly to my taste. You can put as many as you want for this step.

Bottom Line: I saved some serious money

I repeated this process for all four drop cloths. It was a lot of work but it was totally worth it! After purchasing the drop cloth, bleach, and vinegar. This project cost me about $150 in total. This is not counting the stock tank we already had on hand. Not a bad deal compared to the prices I found on extra long or custom linen curtains with prices ranging from $500-$1000 and up! Remember this project was for extra-large windows with tall walls and ceilings.  I hope this post served you well and saves you some serious money while decorating your house!

Watch me tackle this project in our YouTube video tutorial below!

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