Cleaning blinds is often one of the most overlooked tasks during your household cleaning. Dirty blinds can sneak up on you quite easily and you can suddenly find yourself blindsided with dusty and grimy window coverings. They can quickly turn into a haven for dust, fur, dander and all kinds of bacteria that you never really want festering in nooks of your home.
Luckily, clean blinds are not as hard to maintain as you may initially think. They are typically made from plastic or wood and cleaning them can be really quite simple. In this article, we will be highlighting a few of the best clean window treatments to keep your blinds clean and sanitary. All without the risk of damaging them or wasting your time.
Cleaning Dust Blinds
When dealing with relatively clean blinds or blinds that are just a little dusty, the worst thing you can do is attempt to clean them using soap and water. This will more than likely leave dark streaks all over your blinds and window and can even drip onto the floor causing more mess than you had before you started.
To avoid any unnecessary mess simply use a duster or cloth, and a vacuum.
If you are using a duster, open the blinds up and clean them from the top to the bottom until the dust is off. Then use the vacuum to clean up any dust that may have drifted onto the floor below. If you’re cleaning multiple sets of blinds at once it is a good idea to shake the duster off between each set. This is in order to avoid spreading the dust around your house.
If you are using a cloth, close the blinds and wipe them again from the top to the bottom. The cloth should gather most of the dust, but it is always a good idea to have the vacuum ready in case it is needed.
Just like before, if you are cleaning multiple sets of blinds at once, be sure to shake off the cloth outside between sets. It may be useful to wear a face mask if particularly dusty.
Cleaning Especially Dirty Blinds
If your blinds are past the point where a simple duster will suffice then you may have to take another approach. For example, if they are greasy or have had something spilled on them, then you will need to put a little more effort into the cleaning and properly wash your blinds.
For plastic blinds, if possible remove them from the window and place them in a bathtub full of warm water to soak for roughly an hour. When you come back you should be able to gently wipe any dirt off the blinds using a cloth leaving them nice and clean. Be sure you wipe your blinds with a clean towel or leave them to air dry before putting them back up.
If you cannot remove your blinds from the window, fill a bowl with a solution of 50% warm water and 50% white vinegar, before adding in a little dish soap. Use a sponge to dip in the solution and wipe down the blinds from top to bottom.
If you are using the latter method, it is a good idea to place a towel or some newspaper underneath the blinds. This will catch any drips that could land on your floor or carpet.
When washing wooden blinds, begin by dusting them off before using the same solution of 50% water and 50% white vinegar with a little dish soap mixed in. Wipe the blinds off one by one beginning at the top, but this time once you have cleaned each blind, wipe it with a dry cloth to avoid damaging the wood.
Whatever you do, do NOT soak wooden blinds in a bathtub. This will ruin them beyond repair, and you will need to completely replace them.
Brightening Up Yellow Blinds
If your blinds aren’t particularly dirty but instead are old and have been sitting in the sun, they may have gained a yellowish tint. In this case, you can still absolutely treat them. However, much like before the process is different depending on whether they are plastic or made of wood.
For plastic blinds, remove them from your window and place them in a bathtub you have filled with cold water as well as 2 or 3 cups of bleach. Using gloves soak them in the bathtub for roughly 10 minutes before removing and gently wipe them down with a sponge. When you have wiped every blind, drain the bathtub and rinse them all off with cold water. Finally, wipe the blinds off with a dry towel or leave them to air dry before putting them back up.
For wooden blinds, if they are only a little discolored, you can leave them on the window. Dust them off thoroughly using a wood cleaner or polish to remove any yellow spots you see.
If they are particularly old and yellowed, the best option is to take them down and put on a fresh coat of paint.
Hiring Someone to Help with Cleaning Blinds and Other Tasks
There we have three different methods to wash blinds in order to keep them clean without causing any damage to them or spreading the dirt around your house. It is important to remember that different types of blinds and different materials need to be treated differently. Otherwise, cleaning them can result in more trouble and dirt than when you started. Using the methods included in this article will result in clean, hygienic and dazzlingly white blinds that are easy to maintain. They will also guarantee your home remains as dust-free as possible. Follow this simple guide to get your blinds looking great again in no time.
Unfortunately, cleaning blinds can be rather time consuming and many people decide to hire a cleaning service to handle this and other tasks. MaidLuxe is one such service that can help you keep your home clean. Call today to speak with one of our specialists and to get a quote based on your cleaning needs.
