Window cleaning is a procedure in which most homeowners engage in on the regular. But what about doing the same thing for your blinds and window covers?
Many people don’t know this but in order for your window treatments to maintain their stylishness and to age well, cleaning and taking care of them is very important. This applies to all blinds, regardless of whether they are made from vinyl, wood, aluminium or any other type of material.
Obviously, the main function of window treatments is to give your room some privacy and to block out unwanted sun rays on a sunny day. However, things like dust or dirt can gather on them quite easily and thus lead to need for a clean up.
In this article, we will talk about just that – a few essential tips for cleaning and taking care of your blinds.
For starters, you will need to have the right cleaning equipment to do the job. Consider the following things:
And that is pretty much it. Cleaning blinds can be done using simple household items, so no special preparation is necessary.
Lower the blinds as much as possible before starting cleaning. Wooden blinds can typically be closed completely, while aluminium or vinyl slats are best tilted in a downward trajectory and not closed fully.
This way you will cover more ground, making the cleaning process that much easier.
If you have vertical blinds, clean with one hand, while the other holds the blind in place. Start off by wiping the blinds with the cloth from the top and work your way down.
It is best to do so with a slow, downward motion in order to clean them most effectively. Alternatively, you can go with vacuuming the blinds with a soft brush in a low-suction mode designed for dust removal.
The process is pretty much the same with horizontal blinds, except instead of going downwards, except the dusting is done from side to side, instead of up and down. Starting from the top is the best way since there is no risk of dust falling on to the blind that you have just cleaned.
After you are done, simply flip the blinds to the other side and repeat the whole process using your dry cloth or vacuum cleaner with a soft brush and low-suction setting.
While a dry cloth is enough for taking care of the dust, sometimes it might not be enough to take care of the stains. Damp your other cloth in warm water, but make sure that it is not soaking wet, as too much humidity can have a negative effect on those that have wooden blinds.
In areas like the kitchen or bathroom, where window treatments are more affected by environmental factors, deep cleaning might be necessary to clean them properly.
If you own a set of aluminium or vinyl blinds, you might want to consider removing them completely and dumping them in a pool of hot water, mixed with soda and some liquid soap or dishwashing material.
Let them sit for about an hour in the water, rinse them and let them properly dry out before putting them back on.
All in all
In this article, we have briefly talked about how to clean and care for your blinds. It is fair to say that the preparation process is rather easy, however, careful methods are still needed for a job well done. We hope you found this article useful.
