Care Home Curtains

What fire rating do care home curtains need?

Curtains and drapes in UK care homes are specified against BS 5867 Part 2, the British Standard for the flammability of curtains, drapes and window blinds. It sets out three performance types. Type A is a domestic-level test. Type B is the general contract standard used across most commercial premises. Type C is the more demanding test and is the one normally specified where residents sleep on the premises and may need assistance to evacuate, which is why it is the usual requirement for care homes, nursing homes and assisted-living schemes. Type C also requires the fabric to hold its performance after a defined cleansing procedure, which matters where curtains are on a regular laundry cycle.

Your fire risk assessment is the authority on which type applies room by room; our job is to make sure every fabric on this page carries a current test report you can file against it. To narrow the range to fabrics tested to Type C, use the BS 5867 Type C curtains collection.

One point of confusion worth clearing up: Crib 5 (BS 5852 Ignition Source 5) is an upholstery and bedding test, not a curtain standard. When a specification asks for “Crib 5 curtains” it usually means Type C curtain fabric alongside Crib 5-rated seating. We carry both; see Crib 5 fabrics for the upholstery side.

Choosing curtain fabrics for a care home

The brief for a care home is different from a hotel or an office. Residents live here, often for years, so the interior needs to feel like a home while still meeting the compliance and housekeeping demands of a regulated setting. A few things we would prompt you to think about:

• A residential feel. Soft florals, gentle textures, small-scale geometrics and warm colourways read as domestic rather than institutional. The range here leans towards those designs.
• Dementia-friendly design. Large, high-contrast repeats and strong stripes can be misread by residents living with dementia or sight loss. Plain or low-contrast, small-pattern fabrics are generally the safer choice, with colour used to help residents tell one room or corridor from another.
• Light control in bedrooms. Good sleep matters for residents and night staff alike. Blackout fire retardant curtains suit bedrooms; dimout curtains give a softer effect in lounges and dining rooms.
• Laundering and infection control. Every fabric we list is inherently fire retardant: the performance is built into the fibre, so it does not wash out. That is the reason we do not list topically treated fabrics. Check the individual product page for washing and cleaning guidance.
• Clinical areas. Treatment rooms, medical suites and areas with stricter infection-control requirements are better served by the fabrics chosen for clinical environments in our hospital and healthcare curtains collection.

Specifying and ordering

Every curtain is made to measure in the UK. Choose the fabric, enter your drop and width, select a heading (pencil pleat, eyelet, wave or pinch pleat), and the configurator prices it immediately. For refurbishment programmes covering many rooms, or where you would rather send us a window schedule, request a quote and we will price the whole project as a single quotation across all the fabric houses we carry, including Panaz, Skopos, Edmund Bell, iLiv, Bancroft, Mallion & Knowles and Vescom.

Fire test certificates are supplied for your fire risk assessment and O&M files, and fabric samples are available so you can check colour and handle in the actual room before committing.

Care home curtain FAQs

Do care home curtains have to be fire retardant?

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 places a duty on the responsible person to control fire risk in the premises, and a fire risk assessor will expect curtains in a care home to meet BS 5867 Part 2, normally Type C in sleeping accommodation. Every fabric on this page is tested to BS 5867 Part 2; filter to Type C where your assessment calls for it.

What is the difference between inherently FR and treated FR fabric?

A treated fabric has a flame-retardant finish applied after weaving; its rating can degrade with washing and typically needs re-testing or re-treating. An inherently FR fabric, such as FR polyester, Trevira CS or wool, has the performance in the fibre itself, so it lasts for the life of the curtain. We only supply inherently FR fabrics.

Can I see samples before ordering?

Yes. Request samples from the product page, or tell us the rooms and colour scheme and we will put together a selection for you.