We love our home.
We love keeping it clean and beautiful.
Every inch of it. Right?
But, when it comes to cleaning it, mmm, it feels like a punishment to all homemakers. Worst of all is cleaning the window blinds. Because blind cleaning is time-taking, laborious, and it is one of the most dreaded chores.
As the makers of one of the most loved best blinds brand in the UK, it’s on our daily chart of things to advise our customers on how to clean blinds with lesser effort and clean them really well too. And this time, we wanted to put all our experience in cleaning window blinds at one place and make your life easy with homemaking.
So, why wait? Let’s go!
There’s something to remember, first!
Not all window blinds are made equal. As they come in different shapes and made of different materials, we need to be careful about how we clean them (and what we clean them with.)
The first step in managing this issue cleverly and saving blinds from damage due to wrong cleaning is to consider all these factors beforehand.
We’ll also consider other critical things, such as why it is not advised to machine wash blinds as you would do for curtains.
So, let’s learn how to clean some of the most used window blinds.
Major Types of Window Blinds
Vertical blinds
Roman blinds
Roller blinds
Venetian blinds
Wooden blinds
Faux Wood blinds
Types of Material Used in Making Window Blinds
Aluminum
Fabric
Leather
Wood
Bamboo
Vinyl
Faux Wood
The General Type of Blinds and Material Used -- both need to be considered while cleaning the blinds.
How To Clean Vertical Blinds Most Efficiently
Vertical Blinds are, as the name suggests, are made up of vertical lengths of fabric (natural or synthetic), wood, plastic, or metal.
Of course, blinds are made up of synthetic polyester fabric. However, some blinds manufacturers avoid the fabric completely and use wood, aluminum or vinyl as well.
Firstly, how NOT TO clean vertical blinds:
Don’t machine wash
Don’t dry clean (unless they’re made of natural fabric)
Do not immerse in water
Note: If you had to put them in water due to heavy grease, insect debris or stains, dry them properly before you put them back to the window.
Types of Cleaning for Vertical Blinds made of Synthetic Polyester Fabric
1. Use a smooth, dry cloth - for a light cleaning
Tilt the slats to expose its both sides
Surround the slat with the dry cloth and hold it lightly on both surfaces
Apply light pressure on both surfaces (so that you don’t pull the slat from the window) and drag the cloth top down
Do the same with the strings
2. Vacuum Cleaning (cleans only dust) [alternatively, you can have this done after rough dusting as well)
Tilt the vertical blinds in to allow the maximum light
Add a brush to the vacuum
Clean top down on both sides of the slats
3. Wet-cleaning with a clean, moist cloth (cleans such as grease, insect debris, in case of kitchens)
Once you dust off the blinds using Vacuum Cleaner, take the antibacterial solution in half a gallon of water
Soak a dry cloth in the solution, wriggle it enough to lose dripping, and hold the slats with it
From top-down the slats, slide the damp cloth
Rinse the cloth every time you see it get soiled and clean the other slats
Let the slats dry
If the pull strings are discoloured
Add a little amount of bleach to a damp cloth
Keep all the slats at one place, so that you can clean the strings
Grip the strings with the damp cloth
Slide the full length of the strings from top to down a couple of times
Let the strings dry
Caution: DO NOT spill the antibacterial soap/solution directly on the slats, as it can damage the blinds material. Spill it on the damp cloth first and use the cloth to clean the blinds
Types of Cleaning for Vertical Blinds made of Natural Fabric:
Dry-cleaning (advised only for natural-fabric-made blinds)
How To Clean Roman Blinds Most Efficiently
Roman Blinds are, as Google defines it, “a window blind made of fabric that draws up into pleats.” So, they are made of fabrics that can pleat, such as faux silk, midweight cotton, linen, taffeta, damasks, synthetic fabrics like polyester, and Jacquard fabrics.
Now, let’s see how we can clean dingy roman blinds the right way, without damaging the fabric
Cleaning Methods for Roman Blinds
Vacuum Clean
Get a hose-attached vacuum cleaner (attach a brush to the hose),
To clean the dust and dirt on the surface of the blinds, lift the vacuum brush, keep support on the other side of the fabric and gently vacuum it
Spot Clean
Now, we use Spot Cleaning to remove the stains that are we couldn’t vacuum clean
Have a clean and dry microfiber cloth, warm water and mild dish soap
Mix a small amount of mild soap in warm water
Dip the microfiber cloth in the solution and blot the stain away from the fabric
Use a dry microfiber cloth to absorb the wetness from the cleaned surface (helps prevent water rings)
Machine Wash
Use this only when your roman blinds are too dirty and it’s been a long time they had a cleanup
Make sure the fabric used in your blinds is machine washable
Pick a sunny day
Remove the blinds from the window and take off all the delicate plastic and metal attachments
Use a mild detergent and wash them in the washing machine
Avoid spinning and do not tumble-dry the fabric
Hang the fabric for natural drying
Steam Clean
Use when you’re afraid that the blinds might have collected disease-causing bacteria or other organisms
Especially, soft fabrics are recommended to be steam-cleaned
How To Clean Roller Blinds Most Efficiently
Roller Blinds are made of a single piece of fabric which is wrapped around a casing. They are made of standard fabric, dimout fabric, blackout fabrics, waterproof fabrics, and pollergen fabrics.
We can use Roller Blinds for
Controlling the Sunlight
Thermal Insulation
Privacy Control
Retarding fire etc.
Cleaning Methods for Roller Blinds
Vacuuming and Wiping
Washing in Tub
Detach the roller blinds
Vacuum clean them for surface dust and dirt (use a hose attached vacuum cleaner with a soft brush)
Fill the tub with warm water and mild detergent (dishwasher)
Soak the roller blinds in the water for 2-3 hours
Later, use scrubbing to remove any hard stains
Change the tub with clean water and rinse the blinds a couple of times
Dry the fabrics naturally
Hang them back on
How To Clean Venetian Blinds
Venetian Blinds are “a window blind consisting of horizontal slats which can be pivoted to control the amount of light that passes through it.” They’re usually made of metal or plastic.
Cleaning Methods for Venetian Blinds:
Light cleaning by dusting off
Vacuuming with a hose-attached vacuum cleaner with a brush
A deep cleaning by washing in the tub
How To Clean Wooden Blinds
Wooden Blinds are basically Venetian Blinds, except for the fact that the slats of Venetial Blinds is less than a millimetre in thickness and that of wooden blinds is approx. 2.5mm in thickness -- and made of wood.
Cleaning Methods for Wooden Blinds:
Dusting
Manual dusting with a soft and clean microfiber cloth
Vacuum dusting (with a brush attachment)
Washing
Fill the tub with warm water and mild detergent (dishwasher)
Dab a microfiber cloth in the solution
Keep the slats in an almost-closed angle and tighten the string
Clean each slat individually
Then use a dry cloth and clean the wet surface of the slats
Repeat the same cleaning process by putting the slats in almost-closed angle on the other side
Bonus Tip: Use olive oil, lemon oil or a wood preservative to make the wood look shiny
How To Clean Faux Wood Blinds Most Efficiently
Faux means “made in imitation”. So, Faux Wood Blinds are made in imitation of Wooden Blinds.
They’re usually made of composite wood material or entirely of Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC). Sometimes, the slats of faux wood blinds are made by coating composite polymers on the surface of wooden slats.
Faux Wood Blinds are some of the easiest blinds to clean.
Cleaning Methods for Faux Wood Blinds:
If faux wood blinds are dusty, we can clean it well enough with a microfiber duster
To prevent future build-up of dust on blinds, use a dusting spray
Use soapy water and duster to clean sticky slats
To disinfect the blinds, dip the duster in a 1:1 solution of vinegar and water, and clean the slats
Conclusion
By now, you may understand that selecting the method to clean your window blinds efficiently and really well depends on the amount of 1) cleaning needed, 2) shape of the slats, 3) material of the slats and 4) when to clean them (don’t tub wash fabric slats when it’s rainy).
And we hope you’ve got the little tricks and tips such as using a brush with your vacuum cleaner, drying the tub-washed slats before hanging back to windows, using the right tools, and using olive oil to shine the wood blinds.
If you still have any queries about how to clean blinds, you can always contact blinds experts at Queen Blinds by dialing 0800 907 8631 or dropping an email to info@queenblinds.co.uk
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