Cleaning Blinds

Cleaning Blinds

Cleaning blinds can be a tedious task. When your metal or vinyl blinds become overly dirty and challenging to clean while still affixed to the window, you have two choices: to detach them and give them a comprehensive cleaning yourself, or hire an expert to execute ultrasonic cleaning (a professional can be found by a Google search for “Window treatments-Cleaning and Repair”). Ultrasonic cleaning can restore blinds’ slats, cords, and fabric ladders, making them look as good as new. Regrettably, fabric blinds cannot be cleaned manually, though professional dry ultrasonic techniques can be used as a treatment. Wood blinds, which have a similar finish to wood furniture, can neither be scrubbed nor cleaned ultrasonically. Therefore, they should be gently cleaned with a damp, soft cloth.

Ultrasonic machine to clean blinds

Cleaning Plastic Blinds

Wash ’em Clean! Add 3 drops of dish liquid into a bowl or bucket and fill with warm water. Take a microfibre cloth and dunk it in the mixture, wring well to the point of the cloth being damp-dry. Now, twist the blind slats so they lie completely flat, tilting slightly towards you (so that you can slip your hand in)

  • Dusting. To maintain a like-new appearance, dust lightly and regularly with a feather duster.
  • Vacuuming. For deeper cleaning, lightly vacuum with the upholstery attachment of any vacuum cleaner.
  • Spot Cleaning. Spot clean with a soft cloth or sponge, a mild detergent and warm water. Blot gently and allow to dry completely

Plastic blinds after cleaning

Clean Grime from Faux Wood Blinds

 

  • Fill a bucket with warm water and add a teaspoon of mild detergent. …
  • Close the blinds, and starting in the top left corner, run the wet cloth along one slat at a time. …
  • Work your way across and down the blinds until you’ve cleaned every slat

Tips & Tricks:

  1. No microfiber cloths on hand? Use an old (but clean!) sock, preferably acrylic or polyester.
  2. If your vinyl or aluminum blinds are in the kitchen where they are exposed to grease, they may need a deep clean. Take the blinds off the window and place in a bathtub with warm water and dish soap. Let the blinds soak for about an hour. Rise with warm water and wipe away any excess dirt or dust. Let the blinds dry completely before reinstalling.
  3. If your fabric blinds need more than dusting or spot cleaning, you can take them to the dry cleaner for a thorough refresh.
  4. It’s important to start at the top of the blinds when you clean, otherwise, dust will fall on areas you’ve already cleaned.
  5. Vertical blinds can be cleaned using the same method described above. Wipe vertical blinds in a downward motion or they could come unhooked.