Tips For Cleaning Your Blinds

People have a “love/hate” relationship with their blinds…

• Love because
  • they are so versatile, you can let as much or as little sun in as you are in the mood for
  • they are great for privacy
    • they look great; they come in different sizes, styles, colors and materials
  • you can choose room darkening or light filtering
  • they fit into many budgets
• Hate because
  • they are NOT fun to clean
  • in fact they are so not fun that many people put off cleaning them until they have built up dirt, grime, dust and grease on them.

The real key to having clean blinds that you love and enjoy is to clean frequently so it’s not such a dreaded task.

Make your blind cleaning easier:

• Keep the dust under control by:
  • Regular vacuuming, using the brush attachment moving in a sideways direction for Venetian blinds and up and down for vertical.
  • If by chance your vacuum doesn’t have a brush attachment, use a lamb’s wool or micro fiber duster, a blind cleaning tool, or you can even make your own tools using a pair of BBQ tongs with 2 micro fiber cloths wrapped around each end and attach with rubber bands.

This works well to keep your blinds clean on a regular basis, but if they have gone past the simple dust build up, follow the instructions below.

Cleaning Plastic Blinds:

Begin cleaning heavily soiled plastic blinds by removing as much of the dust as possible using the steps above. Once that is done:

• Remove your blinds from the window and place them in a bathtub of warm soapy water.
  • Let soak for about 1 hour
• Remove from the tub and wipe the slats with a micro fiber cloth, moving sideways, then wipe with a dry cloth.
  • Weather permitting, you could hang outside to dry
• If the weather is nice and you’d like to take the process outside, laying your blinds on a towel or rug, you can use a bucket of warm soapy water and brush it on both sides of your blinds with a car washing brush, rinse with the hose and dry as above.

Cleaning Wood Blinds:

As with the vinyl blinds, remove as much dust as possible before cleaning off the heavier dirt.

• If your wooden blinds need more than a simple dusting, make a window cleaner of 1 cup white vinegar and 1 cup warm water, and wipe them down using a microfiber cloth, one slat at a time. It’s alright to get your wooden blinds a little wet, but not soaked, and then dry them as quickly as possible.

Cleaning Fabric Blinds:

Your vacuum is your best friend to clean any type of  fabric blinds. But if they are heavily dirtied, you may need to take them to be professionally cleaned.

If there are only a few spots of dirt on your fabric blinds, you can spot clean them with  a small amount of warm water and some dish soap…using a sponge dipped lightly in the water gently rub the spot in the direction of the blind, for vertical blinds up and down and for Venetian blinds, sideways.

Remember, once your blinds are cleaned, they only stay that way for a few weeks unless you take a little time about once a month and remove the dust before it can build.

I have been cleaning windows in the Seattle area for nearly 30 years, and quite frankly, I enjoy it!  I will be happy to answer all of your questions, and I know the mistakes to avoid. I clean private homes or apartment complexes.

Contact me for a FREE Quote.