Drapehaus
Drapehaus
Preparing the room
Drapehaus
Preparing the room
Material
Cotton is the most used curtain fabric in Goa and for good reason. It is inexpensive, it washes easily, it is available everywhere, and in a traditional naturally ventilated house it behaves well.
By the Drapehaus studio · 19 September 2026 · How we write
Its great advantage over more expensive natural fibres is that replacing it does not hurt. A cotton curtain that has three good years and then goes tired has cost very little, and the household can simply make another. That changes the calculation entirely compared with a linen curtain expected to last a decade.
The limits are the same as any absorbent natural fibre: it needs to be able to dry, which means occupied houses with airflow, away from the worst of the salt.
In a climate where fabric accumulates salt, dust and humidity, the ability to wash something easily and often is worth more than the ability to make it last. A cotton curtain washed twice a year stays clean, and clean fabric is what resists mildew — because mildew feeds on what is trapped in the weave rather than on the fibre alone.
Cotton takes a hot wash, dries in a few hours of Goan sun, and does not require any special handling. For a family home that is a genuine advantage over fabrics that need professional cleaning.
It also means the seasonal routine — wash before the monsoon, wash again in October — is realistic rather than aspirational. A fabric people will actually maintain outperforms one they will not.
Cotton shrinks, typically in the first wash and typically by a few percent. On a floor-length curtain that is enough to be visible. The answer is to wash the fabric before making up, which any competent workroom will do as a matter of course, or to allow extra in the hem.
It fades faster than synthetics under Goan UV, particularly in strong colours. Lining helps substantially, and choosing mid-tones rather than saturated colours makes the fading far less conspicuous.
And it absorbs — about eight percent moisture regain — so all the monsoon cautions apply. In an occupied ventilated house that is manageable. In a closed villa it is not.
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Cotton covers a huge range, from voile fine enough to see through to canvas stiff enough to stand up. For curtains in a Goan house the useful middle ground is a medium-weight plain weave or a drill, heavy enough to fall in soft folds and block a reasonable amount of light, and light enough to wash at home and dry on a line in an afternoon.
Heavier cottons such as duck and canvas suit Roman blinds and cushion covers better than curtains, because their stiffness holds a crisp fold. Lighter cottons such as mulmul and voile make good sheers but wear quickly in direct sun, because fine yarns have far more surface exposed to UV for the amount of fibre they contain.
Weight also governs how long cotton lasts. A thin cotton on a bright window loses strength and colour visibly within a couple of seasons; a heavier weave of the same colour, lined, can look good for years. When in doubt, choose the heavier cloth and the fuller heading.
Indian handloom and hand block-printed cottons are some of the most beautiful curtain fabrics available anywhere, and they suit Goan houses naturally. They also behave differently from mill cotton, and knowing how saves disappointment. Handloom weaves are often looser, so they tend to shrink more in the first wash and move more with humidity.
Hand printing, particularly with traditional or natural dyes, can be less lightfast than modern mill dyeing, and colour can run in the first few washes. Wash these fabrics separately in cool water until the rinse runs clear, and pre-wash before making up so any bleeding happens before the fabric is sewn to a lining.
On a sunny window, line them and accept that the colours will soften over time. Many people like the way a block print ages. If the colour must stay exactly as bought, the fabric belongs on a shaded window or on cushions rather than on a west-facing opening.
Mildew on cotton gives warning if you look for it. The first sign is usually a musty smell in a room that has been shut, followed by small grey or black dots along the hem, in the folds at the back of the curtain, or wherever the fabric touches a wall. The lining often shows it before the face fabric does.
Speed matters. The US EPA advises that drying wet materials within 24 to 48 hours prevents mould growth in most cases, and cotton that has been soaked by a leaking window or blown rain should be taken down, washed and dried in the sun as soon as possible rather than left to dry on the rail in monsoon air.
Once the dots have appeared, washing and sun drying will usually stop the growth and remove the smell. On white cotton, an oxygen bleach can lift light staining. On coloured cotton, established stains often remain, because the growth has been feeding on the fibre itself, so the lesson is to catch it at the smell rather than the spots.
Cotton suits the rhythm of a family home better than any other fabric. Because it is inexpensive to make up and easy to wash, many households keep two sets for the main rooms: lighter cottons for the dry months and a darker or heavier set for the monsoon, or a festive set brought out for Ganesh Chaturthi, Diwali and Christmas.
Swapping sets has a practical benefit beyond appearance. Each set spends half the year washed and stored, so neither accumulates the salt and dust that feed mildew, and neither takes the full year of sun. Two cotton sets rotated this way often outlast a single, far more costly curtain left up year-round.
In a let property the calculation is different. Cotton relies on someone noticing a smell, opening windows and washing on time, and that attention is rarely there when a house is managed remotely between bookings. There, polyester or a blend is usually the more honest recommendation.
The dry months from November to May are the right time to make cotton curtains. Fabric can be pre-washed and dried outdoors in a day, hems can be set on fabric that has already shrunk, and the finished curtains go up clean and dry. Making up during the monsoon is possible, but pre-washed cotton can take days to dry fully indoors, and fabric sewn while still slightly damp is starting its life at a disadvantage.
Plan the pre-monsoon wash for May, before the IMD normal onset date of 5 June, and the post-monsoon wash for late October, once the rains have withdrawn and the sun can dry heavy fabric properly. Those two dates, held to year after year, do more for the life of a cotton curtain than any fabric treatment or finish.
It also helps to think about how cotton sits alongside the rest of the room. A cotton curtain next to a wall that stays damp through the rains, above a floor that is mopped daily, or beside a bathroom door that lets steam out will struggle far more than the same curtain on a dry, sunny wall. Moving a curtain a little further from the source of moisture, or swapping that one window to a blind, is often all that is needed.
Diagnosis
WhyCotton shrinks in the first wash, typically by a few percent, which is visible on a long drop.
FixPre-wash the fabric before making up, or allow extra in the hem so it can be let down once.
WhyCotton is less UV-stable than synthetics, and strong colours show the loss most.
FixLine sunny windows and choose mid-tones. On a very exposed window, cotton is the wrong choice.
WhyCotton absorbs readily and a closed house gives it no chance to dry, regardless of how clean it was.
FixCotton needs an occupied, ventilated house. In seasonally closed properties use synthetics.
WhyLightweight cotton with insufficient fullness reads as flat and thin.
FixIncrease fullness to 2.5 times and choose a heavier weight. Cotton at proper fullness looks generous; at 1.5 times it looks mean.
WhyHand-printed and some handloom cottons release loose dye in early washes, and it was sewn up unwashed.
FixPre-wash printed cotton separately in cool water until the rinse runs clear, before it is made up.
WhySunlight degrades cellulose, and the edge that stays exposed when the curtain is drawn back takes the most.
FixLine sunny curtains, rotate or swap sets seasonally, and replace fabric that tears easily at the edge.
WhyThe fabric is picking up moisture from a damp wall or cool floor and cannot dry in monsoon air.
FixWash and sun-dry promptly, then rehang on deeper brackets with the hem clear of the floor.
Checklist
Pre-wash fabric before making up, or allow hem
Use 2.5 times fullness, not less
Line anything on a sunny window
Choose mid-tones over saturated colours
Wash before the monsoon and again in October
Avoid in closed or beachfront properties
Wash hand-printed cotton separately until the rinse runs clear
Choose a medium or heavier weight for curtains
Act on a musty smell before spots appear
Consider two sets rotated through the year
From the Journal
All articlesFAQ
In occupied, naturally ventilated houses away from the immediate coast, yes — cotton breathes well, washes easily and is inexpensive enough to replace without pain. In closed seasonal properties or beachfront positions it absorbs too much moisture and will mildew.
Yes, usually a few percent in the first wash, which is clearly visible on a floor-length curtain. Any competent workroom pre-washes cotton before making up. Failing that, allow extra in the hem so it can be let down afterwards.
Twice a year at minimum — before the monsoon and again in October. Clean fabric resists mildew because mildew feeds on the dirt and salt trapped in the weave, so regular washing does more than any treatment.
Almost always insufficient fullness. Cotton at 2.5 times the track width reads as generous and soft; the same fabric at 1.5 times reads as a flat panel. Weight matters too, but fullness is the bigger factor.
Yes, in an occupied, ventilated house, with a few precautions. Handloom weaves are often looser, so they shrink more and should be pre-washed. Hand-printed colours can run in early washes and fade faster in sun, so line anything on a bright window and wash separately until the rinse runs clear.
Take them down, wash them and dry them fully in the sun, which stops the growth and removes the smell. On white cotton, an oxygen bleach can lift light staining. On coloured cotton, established spots often remain because the mildew has fed on the fibre, so it is far better to act at the first musty smell.
Cotton in an occupied, naturally ventilated family home where someone will wash it on time; polyester or a blend in let properties, closed houses and anywhere near the beach. Cotton feels better and is easy to replace. Polyester absorbs almost no moisture, so it tolerates neglect that cotton does not.
On any window that takes real sun, yes. The lining absorbs the UV that would otherwise yellow and weaken the cotton, and it protects dyes that fade quickly. Choose a lining that washes at the same temperature and shrinks similarly, or pre-wash both, so the two layers do not pull against each other.
They can, but slowly, and cotton that stays damp for days in monsoon air is at real risk of mildew. If you must wash in the rains, spin thoroughly, hang the curtains in the driest room with a fan running and make sure they are completely dry before rehanging. Where possible, wait for a sunny break instead.
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