How To Clean Window Blinds

Window blinds play a significant role in your home décor. They are a covering for the windows and can be made from slats of fabric, wood, metal or plastic. They come in two versions, namely, horizontal and vertical. Window blinds tend to collect dust and grime from both outdoor and indoor causes. But they can be kept cleaned with a little preventive maintenance. They could be the hardest area to clean in your household, but with the following tips, you can clean and maintain different kinds of window blinds with less effort.

Tips For Cleaning Window Blinds

Firstly, consider the amount of dust that needs to be removed from the blinds. If the blinds aren't very dirty, the slats of the blinds can be dusted with a soft cloth or feather. Also, you can place a glove or an old sock on your hand to clean both the sides of the slats. Repeat on other slats with dusting the glove or sock periodically to rinse out the dust.

For heavier cleaning, use brush attachments to vacuum your blinds. First, turn the slats up and vacuum them in an upward stroke and then turn the slats down to vacuum them in a downward stroke. In case of extra dirty blinds, then the following tips can be of help to clean the different kinds of blinds.

Aluminum, Vinyl or PVC Blinds

Moisten a cloth or a sponge in lukewarm water to clean the spots on these blinds. You can add a little mild detergent, if required.
Immerse your blinds in lukewarm water with a mild detergent and use a soft cloth to clean them. Rinse them well and re-install the slats to let them dry.
Do not use metal materials like brill-o-pad to clean your blinds as they may damage the surface of the slats.

Wood and Faux Wood Blinds

Wood and faux wood blinds are more difficult to clean as compared to the aluminum ones, since, water and chemical cleaners are just not recommended for them.
Lemon oil or wood preservatives can be used to clean stain-finished wood blinds. Clean every slat carefully.
You can also use dusting mitts, dust cloths and vacuum cleaners with round brush attachments to clean wood blinds.
Use a dry dusting cloth to focus on a particular spot when cleaning wood blinds.
Do not over saturate the wood blinds. Use only a damp cloth.
You can clean faux wood slats with a mild detergent treated cloth or a sponge. Be sure to consult your blind vendor or manufacturer before immersing these blinds in water.

Fabric Blinds

Fabrics attract more dust as compared to other materials discussed above. Thus, regular cleaning is necessary in case of fabric blinds.
Use a light brush and vacuum your fabric blinds to remove dust.
Use a soft, damp cloth to clean the spots on the blinds.
The blinds can also be soaked in water in case they do not face the problem of fading and discoloration. Alternately, they can be taken to the dry cleaners in case you're not willing to take any risk.
Wipe your blinds with a sheet of fabric softener after cleaning, so as to keep the dust away for a longer period of time.

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