Dusting 101: Four Easy Steps to Clean Your Blinds

For a large number of people, blinds are a source of privacy, a way to block excessive sun exposure, and even change the view on occasion. While some people love the convenience of blinds, it’s hard to find as many people who enjoy cleaning them.

Cleaning blinds can be a pain, especially if you don’t know how to do it. Many people don’t realize that the majority of the cleaning supplies you need to clean your blinds are already in your home. Here are some simple and affordable ways to clean and preserve your blinds.

General Cleaning Tips

Whether you have wooden or Venetian blinds, it’s a good idea to vacuum any lingering dust. It’s easiest to use the brush attachment to make cleaning your blinds much easier. If you do this every time you clean your house, it’s harder for the buildup to stay on your blinds.

Now, there are some differences in the way you clean blinds made of certain materials. For instance, you can clean wooden blinds with diluted vinegar followed by a wooden conditioner. However, aluminum and vinyl blinds should be soaked in soapy water and wiped down with a cloth. Fabric blinds are best vacuumed on a low setting and spot cleaned. Otherwise, they’re generally cleaned on both sides and dried.

Step One: Collect your supplies

Regardless of which blinds you have, you’ll want to start by gathering your cleaning supplies. Common cleaning supplies include a vacuum, warm water, baking soda, and mild soap. Dish or castile soap is easy on the majority of blind types.

Step Two: Close your blinds

Once you’ve gathered your cleaning supplies, you should close your blinds. The majority of blind types can be cleaned with them slightly tilted open. Blinds that overlap like aluminum blinds are easier to clean on an angle. Wooden and faux-wood blinds should be completely closed during cleaning.

Step Three: Clean your blinds

When you’re ready to clean your blinds, take the direction of your blinds into consideration. Vertical blinds are easiest cleaned from top to bottom. Since vertical blinds usually have hooks holding them in place, it’s a good idea to hold onto the end of your vertical blind for stability. As you get closer to the bottom, you can use both hands.

For horizontal blinds, you wipe from side to side. Start from the top slat and work your way down to avoid having to re-clean dust from previous blinds. It’s best to use a microfiber cloth dipped in your cleaner to dust your blinds.

If you have tongs, you can rubber band the cleansing cloths onto them to wipe your blinds. Otherwise, you’ll have to flip your blinds and repeat this process again. If your blinds still appear soiled with food or grease, they may need a deep clean.

Hard to clean vinyl and aluminum blinds can be taken off and soak them in the tub with warm water and soap. Add baking soda for additional stain removal. Leave them for about an hour and wipe them one last time before drying and rehanging them.

Sometimes, your blinds appear yellow, even after you’ve deep cleaned them. This occurs from sun damage. All you have to do is add three cups of bleach to a tub of cold water and soak them for ten minutes. After rinsing and drying your blinds, they should appear white again.

For wooden blinds, make sure your cloth isn’t oversaturated with cleaner or water. You’ll also need to wipe them dry before applying a wood conditioner so the sun doesn’t damage the wood.

Step Four: Wipe away leftover dust

Once your blinds are clean, check the floor and window sills for dust that could’ve fallen during cleaning. If so, simply wipe or vacuum the leftover dust.

Cleaning your blinds doesn’t have to be a dreaded chore. With this step-by-step guide, you’ll be able to clean your blinds with ease. If you’re looking to install new blinds, Shutter Up is a quality Brisbane blinds company. Visit their website for more information.

Autobiography

Jim Pulman has extensive knowledge and experience in Home Building, Construction, and Design. He writes articles in his free time and partners with content creators to share his expertise with the online community