When working in care environment the goal is to keep residents safe and keep the care home compliant to any regulations set out by the government and the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
The CQC have stated that you need to be inline with their framework under regulation 15: Premises and Equipment. This works in conjunction with the government specifics for public spaces.
Per DCLG (department for communities and local government) fire risk assessment guides, curtains and drapes should be compliant to - BS 5867-2: Specification for fabrics for curtains and drapes. Flammability requirements. British Standards Institution – Page 55 of the guide below.
Regulations for Curtains & Blinds
BS5867 is the certification that is for curtains and drapes and when compliant to this are flame retardant to British Standards. The standard is made up of the following.
BS5867 Part 2 B - Product that is certified to 10 washes.
BS5867 Part 2 C. – Curtains are inherently flame retardant and can be washed 50 times.
Guide to Buying Flame Retardant Curtains
When buying flame retardant curtains, you need to ensure that the curtains have the correct certification – BS5867. A fabric & curtain manufacturer will supply flame retardant certificates for the material showing what it has passed the test to both the face fabric and the lining.
Washing and Care
Remember that the washing and care instructions will be different for the face fabric and the lining. So the curtains can only be washed / laundered at the lower value of the fabric and the lining.
Direct Fabrics recommend lining curtains with a polyester lining for a standard shade with pattern prints. This means they can be washed at 71 degrees for thermal disinfection. Alternatively you can use a blackout lining which can be washed at 30 degrees.
See the table for a nice quick guide.
|
Fabric |
Washing |
FR Certification |
|
Dimout Venus Unlined Curtain |
71 Degrees for Thermal Disinfection |
BS5867 Part2c |
|
Printed Curtain Polyester Lining |
71 Degrees for Thermal Disinfection |
BS5867 Part 2c |
|
Printed Curtain Blackout Lining |
30 Degrees only due to blackout lining |
Certified to Lower Standard BS5867 Part2B |
|
Printed Curtain with Dimout Venus Lining |
71 Degrees for Thermal Disinfection |
BS5867 Part 2c |
Conclusion
This overview was created by Direct Fabrics to help care home owners understand the requirements set out by the government and the CQC. If you are looking for Flame Retardant Curtains and Blinds please visit our website at www.direct-fabrics.co.uk. Direct Fabrics has over 2000 different curtain fabric materials and can produces made to measure curtains and blinds for the care home sector.
Direct Fabrics can supply and manufacture through to installation.
https://www.direct-fabrics.co.uk/flame-retardant/curtains
Contact the team on 03301118995 for more information or email sales@direct-fabrics.co.uk
