Just dry clean them.

I have the exact same curtains. I had mine dry cleaned and they still shrank but they were able to re-stretch them to close to their original size. I wouldn't recommend washing them at all.

why on earth would you buy cotton curtains that are dry clean only and why on earth would you not be able to wash them?

front-loading machine, cold, delicate cycle and they should be fine.

I have the exact same curtains and have washed them in cold water and hung them to dry. They did shrink some, about an inch in all directions, but other than that they washed up nicely.

You may want to consider getting them pressed at the dry cleaners -- pressing them with an iron was time consuming and they don't hang quite as nicely as they did previously. I think a professional pressing would help.

i - also - have the exact same curtains and - also - have washed them in cold water multiple times.

What I found works well, is to hang them back on the curtain rod while they are wet - and give them a gentle tug to stretch them down and pull out any crimps. They dry in place and look absolutely fine.

...but a wee bit rumpled does goes with my decor...

Dry clean cotton? I don't think so. I'd use the above washing suggestions add a method that keeps cotton pants from shrinking. Hang them, then use a couple of clip pants hangers to suspend something heavy from the bottom. The weight stretches the cotton and keeps it from shrinking.

I washed cotton curtains and the problem isn't shrinkage, it's maintaining how the fabric hangs. If you wash in the machine you'll get lots of small wrinkles, and even if you iron it,the curtains probably won't hang the way they used to.

Cotton ALWAYS shrinks - even at the dry cleaners. But cotton also can stretch back - just like a cotton sweater - you know how they look after wearing them a few times.

Here is what I would do - and I wash everything (except coats) all my cashmere sweaters are hand washed and the curtains I wash as well.

I would put these cotton curtains in the cold delicate cycle with some delicate detergent - such as woolite or anything better.
Take them out of the washing mashine - DO NOT PUT IN DRYER. Let them air dry a bit in your room, but not completely dry. they need to be 20% wet - what I call soft. Then you need to iron them with no steam iron on the cotton setting. Make sure to iron on the back of the curtain - never iron something on the face side.

I promise you anything that you'll have the most crisp curtains ever and they won't shrink that much. Dry Cleaning is full of chemicals and you will inhale those chemicals one way or another.

Ditto what NYSFGirl said. I had the same Pottery Barn curtains and they WILL shrink even if you wash them on the cold gentle cycle. For me that was OK, they were slightly too long before. But they didn't hang quite right after.

Get them dry cleaned, even though it costs an arm and a leg.

I'm one of those people who obsessively washes everything with no respect for label suggestion. The reasons for such an outrageous behavior - a. I think everything comes out much cleaner and fresher from washing. b. less expensive (providing that you do not have to replace curtains altogether), c. environmentally friendly. d. i do not bark at my dog or hiss at my cats for sitting on the furniture or rubbing against it, harmonious cohabitation a big in my view.
To avoid shrinking - wash in cold water, dry on "no heat" or "fluff" setting till most of the moisture gone. Hang dry while still dump. You can spray "no wrinkle" starch on.

I have them, red ones. I washed them- I have to -I have a bad, bad dog. I washed them in cold with woolite, then I hung them up to dry. I didn't notice any real shrinkage, and I didn't really need to iron them either- just a touch up. But the color changed a bit. Not enough that I had to take them down, but you might take that into consideration if you have darker cotton curtains.

oh- I also have white cotton tab top curtains- cheap ones- in my living room too- they are 7 years old now- I wash them with the same method twice a year and they shrank a bit, but are just fine, clean with no odd dry cleaning smell!

I have almost the exact window set up as you, and the Ikea roman shades - but my windows don't open, so not as much of a dust problem - here's a link to the photo.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/24354747@N00/2320950769/

A trick I've learned from having had custom curtains made over the past few years - dry clean the curtains the first two times you want them cleaned. After that it should be totally safe for home washing (without tumble drying).

Tip provided by a lot of the cloth suppliers and curtain making shops I've dealt with :)

Pottery Barn should be using prewashed fabric for their cotton curtains.

Can you afford to replace the curtains in case they are ruined by washing them? Get them dry cleaned.

Usually you only have to dry clean cotton if it has an applied finish, curtains most often don't have a finish. I have mine dry cleaned because they can press them better than me and then I don't spend hours obsessively ironing.

Let down the hems before you wash them, Janel. Makers often say dryclean only, but that is only to be fool proof. You may find that you have a grey tide mark where you have let the hem down but washing will make it much less noticeable. They should come up beautifully if you put a cup of white vinegar in the fabric softener dispenser which will remove any residue of washing powder.

For disclosure I am a dry cleaner.
Unless you are taking your clothes to a cleaner who has a very old machine you should not have any chemicals left in the fabric after dry cleaning. There are EPA rules concerning this.
Yes washing with water is the best solvent, but not for all fabrics, weaves, and finishes. Manufacturers put care labels on them so that you as the customer will have a product that will enjoy for its useful life. I guarantee you that a garment washed will fade and have a much shorter life than something that has been dry cleaned.
Some drapes are stretched at the factory and thus will shrink (relaxation shrinkage) because that tension is lost in the water/tumbling action of the cleaning process. Dry cleaners usually have professional equipment that can put the tension back in after cleaning to minimize any distortion.
Did you know the Federal trade commission has the care label rule to protect you? If you follow the care label and something goes wrong, you have recourse with the retailer/manufacturer. If you do not follow the care label and something happens, well then you are on your own.
Hope that has educated some of you:)

For those of you who have already shrunk your cotton curtains by washing them....
I have cotton Woolrich curtains that I washed in hot water due to the stains on them. Duh! Then to top it off, I stuck them in the dryer on low. Needless to say, the stains came out but they shrunk at least six inches from the floor. Instead of throwing them away, I put them back into a rinse cycle with three cap fulls of liquid fabric softner and put them on a very short and gentle spin cycle. This allowed them to stay very wet but not dripping. I then hung them back up and gently pulled on them. Well, it worked!! They stretched at least four inches and are now only about an inch and a half from my floor. This...I can live with! Although, my boyfriend wonders if they would even stretch some more if I tried doing it again for a second time. I'll be back to tell you how it worked if I do decide to try it again.