In order to discover the simplest, fastest, and most efficient ways to maintain everything inside and outside of your home clean, we spend a lot of time testing goods, advice, and tricks. We offer window cleaning advice, a detailed how-to for maintaining freshly painted walls, and more. For instructions and precautions, it’s a good idea to visit the website of the blind maker before using any of the cleaning techniques listed below. Then, based on the type of material your blinds are made of and how thoroughly they need to be cleaned, follow the easy instructions below.
Ways to Make Blinds Cleaner Without Taking Them Down
The optimal method for thoroughly cleaning your blinds is to remove them and place them on a level surface. Although cleaning the top and bottom rails as well as the sides completely is made easier, you might not always have the time or energy to do this. While the blinds are still hanging, you can either dust them with a microfiber cloth, glove, or duster, or you can vacuum them using a gentle dusting brush attachment. Furthermore, the only method of cleaning real wood, cloth, or cellular shades that we advise is vacuuming.
Items You’ll Require
Dusters, microfiber cloths, or dusting gloves
vacuum cleaner equipped with add-ons
Warm water and dish soap
Using a microfiber cloth, glove, or dustpan, clean your blinds
When the blind is open, hold both sides of a slat with your glove or securely wrap the microfiber cloth over each side.
Start with the top slat of a horizontal blind (also known as a venetian blind) and work your way down. When dust from a slat above settles on a slat below, cleaning the slat from top to bottom ensures you won’t have to do it again. Moving from left to right, wipe the slat. When using a double-sided duster, like as this Swiffer GH Seal star double-sided duster, you will slide the duster between the slats to clean the topside of one and the bottom side of the one above it.
When cleaning vertical blinds, firmly encircle both sides of the blind with your microfiber cloth and work your way down. Although working from the left-most slat to the right (or vice versa) will make it easier for you to keep track of the slats you’ve already cleaned, there’s no need to worry about spreading dust to other slats.
A microfiber cloth should be dipped in a solution of dish soap and water.When cleaning metal, vinyl, or imitation wood blinds that are hanging, use a microfiber cloth dipped in a bowl of warm water containing a little amount of dishwashing detergent to get rid of tough stains and sticky residue.Using the moist microfiber towel, wipe the slats.Wipe the blinds from left to right (or top to bottom if they are vertical blinds) after squeezing out any extra water.Using a fresh microfiber cloth, dry wipe the slats.To remove any water stains or streaks, be sure to clean each slat on both sides. If at all possible, use water sparingly on genuine wood blinds.
Expert Tip: To prevent re-dusting your blinds while cleaning, be sure to shake your microfiber tool outside as soon as you see it gathering dust.
Using a Vacuum to Clean Your Blinds
Reduce the suction on your vacuum to the lowest possible level.Put the soft dusting brush attachment on your vacuum and reduce the suction to the lowest possible setting. Make sure the vacuum doesn’t harm your blinds if it just has one suction mode. Instead of having the vacuum attach itself to the blinds’ slats, you want it to gather up dust.
Shut the blind, firmly grasp the slats, and gently suction.Move carefully from left to right across horizontal blinds while maintaining taut blinds. If your blinds are vertical, take hold of each slat and vacuum a tiny area, starting at the top and working your way down.
Review each blind once more.To remove any dust that may have been left behind from the initial pass, vacuum along each slat once more in the opposite direction.
The slats can be opened and closed in the opposite way.Once you’re done, vacuum each slat once more and flip the slats to close them the other side.
How to Spot Clean Bathroom Blinds
Your best option is to use the bathtub to give metal, vinyl, or faux wood blinds a deeper clean. It is imperative that you closely follow the care recommendations provided by the manufacturer if you choose to clean your blinds using this method. Metal blinds may rust if they are submerged in water for an extended length of time. For cellular shades and real wood blinds, we do not advise using this method because submerging them in water damages them. Get in touch with your manufacturer if your cellular shades become soiled if you have any questions about the best way to remove them or about the warranty that comes with your purchase.
Items You’ll Require
Towels
Warm water and dish soap
microfiber linen
After lining the tub with towels, add dish soap and warm water to it.The towels will prevent scratches on the tub from the blinds. Use a small amount of dish soap and warm water. To ensure that the detergent is dissolved, swish.
Before lowering the blind into the tub, extend it and spread the slats.Only one blind should be submerged in the water at a time, and the top rail should remain draped over the tub’s side.
Give it a 20-minute soak.Wipe away any stubborn stains or dirt with a cloth.
Clean the blinds.After emptying the tub, rinse the blinds with clean water after using soapy water. Rinsing is much easier if you have a handheld shower sprayer.
Before replacing the blinds, let them dry completely.After removing as much moisture as possible with a fresh microfiber cloth, spread the blinds out flat to finish drying.
Dos and Don’ts of Blind Cleaning
Prior to vacuuming or sweeping your floor, clean your blinds. If you don’t, you’ll have to clean your floors again!
Rehanging your blinds should only happen once they are totally dry.
Before using water on your blinds, use a dry microfiber cloth to remove any dust. Use no water at all for cellular shades and wood blinds.
Please refer to the manufacturer’s instructions before using water to clean any blinds.
Can Dryer Sheets Be Used to Clean Blinds?
It’s not ideal, but you can do it. To begin with, you should only utilize dryer sheets that have been through a drying cycle. The static attraction of a fresh dryer sheet will collect part of the dust on the blind’s slats, but it will also transfer the fabric softener embedded in the sheet to the slats. You can clean your blinds using old, used dryer sheets if you’d like, but a microfiber cloth or vacuum would work better.
When Do Your Blinds Need to Be Replaced?
For a home, window blinds and shades are typically a durable investment. For up to ten years, the majority don’t need to be replaced.
When determining whether it’s time to repair your blinds, there are a few indicators you may watch out for:
The blind slats have warped, cracked, or are twisted as a result of heat or humidity damage. Some blind manufacturers will repair simply the damaged slats if there are only a few.
It’s almost tough to get your shades to open and close these days. It’s normal for the cords on your blinds to become slack with time and frequent use, making it challenging to draw the shades at night or let light in during the day.
The blinds and blind cables are frayed, discolored, or yellowing. The quality of our household goods will eventually begin to deteriorate, particularly blinds and other items that are exposed to nearly direct sunlight all the time!
Your blinds don’t match your new windows or are outdated. There isn’t a single size for windows. Certain window styles simply don’t look good on all windows, and different windows will require different shades that fit the size of the new window.
