Good afternoon, MuseumLers – In order to eliminate the guess-work, I suggest you locate a textile conservator in the neighborhood who can take itty bitty samples of the warp and weft of the drapes (as well as any sewing threads) and have the conservator identify the different components using optical microscopy. If the conservator has a polarized light microscope, it is possible to identify even the synthetics usually. The professional organization for conservators, AIC, has a free online referral service at: http://tinyurl.com/findaconservator I suggest you first click on the “Advance Search” button in order to refine your initial search. You will get the largest number of responses when you enter the zip code for your location by entering the largest number of miles. Click on “Textiles” under the ‘Select the type of conservation’. The cleaning possibilities in this situation must be guided by the fibre content. There is a big difference in what can be done safely for drapes made out of fiberglass fibre and what can be done for drapes that have a rayon fibre component. It might be that only a careful and thorough vacuuming can be done. The appropriate personnel safety precautions need to be taken if indeed the drapes are made from fiberglass fibre. Please do not hesitate to contact me off-list if you have any further questions or need further clarification. Regards, Meg . _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ___________ Margaret E. Geiss-Mooney Textile/Costume Conservator & Collections Management Consultant Workshops also offered on-site Professional Associate - AIC 707-763-8694 [log in to unmask] … have people working with us that are knowledgeable on fabrics (former dry cleaner and an upholstery restorer) which is why we know that they fabric is synthetic. We are concerned about shrinkage. I just want to make sure that the curtains are cleaned with long-term preservation and curation in mind instead of the easiest way possible (dropping off at dry cleaners). During this process, we are trying to educate the board on how a museum is run and how to best care for artifacts in a proper, professional museum way as caretakers… ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).