My kids and I are slowly but surely getting settled into our new home and I have been working my tail off to get everything unpacked and put away. I feel like it’s taking me forever to get it all done, but I have to remember to give myself grace because I don’t have anyone here to help me out and it’s impossible to get it all done by myself! Giving myself grace is a lesson I am being taught over and over these days, and it’s a doozy.

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Anyway, today I wanted to share with you the single easiest DIY hack I know: DIY faux linen curtains. I’ve been using this hack for years now and it’s still my favorite way to add beautiful window treatments to a space for very little money. All you need is a curtain rod, curtain clips and (the best part) drop cloths! What’s that you say? Yes, the drop cloths you get on Amazon, or at Home Depot or Lowe’s. Not even kidding, y’all. 

So when you’re shopping for your drop cloth, here’s what you need to look for: the right length and that the drop cloths don’t have a seam going down the middle. Most of the time, the package will tell you whether there is a seam or not, but every now and then you get an unpleasant surprise seam. For instance, when making my curtains for this post, I ripped open one of my packages of drop cloths and discovered it had an ugly seam going right through the middle. Good thing I saved my receipt because that sucker is going back!

Anyway, my curtains needed to be at least 8 feel long, so I bought two 6X9 drop cloths. You want to make sure they’re at least 8 ounce weight or they’ll be too flimsy. I like to hang my curtains at least 6-8 inches from the top of the window, so the 6X9 drop cloths were the perfect size (if you have shorter ceilings, just hem the cloth using Stitch Witchery hem tape and an iron!). 

First thing you want to do is wash the drop cloths. I like to wash them with bleach to lighten and soften them up a bit. While my “curtains” were washing and drying, I hung my curtain rods. Once dry, I attached my “curtains” to the clips, strung the clips onto my rods and voila: linen-look curtains for a fraction of the price!

I love using drop cloths as curtains because they’re cheap and easy to clean. But also, I really love the texture of them because they have that nubby, linen feel to them. I also love their natural linen color: not white, not cream, not beige…just natural. They are super versatile in any room and with many different styles. 

I love how they turned out in my living room and I will be adding them in my dining room soon! I’ve also used them in my bedroom (I told you I love to use them everywhere!). 

Have you used drop cloths as curtains?

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