Tips to Keep Those Window Blinds Fabulous
If there's one chore that most people forget, even if it only takes 30 minutes a month, a safe bet would be cleaning the blinds. Window shades and blinds collect an enormous amount of dust and debris, and sure enough, they aren’t the easiest to clean.
Before we get to the basics, you have to understand what your blinds are made of. Whether it’s wood, fabric, composite or fabric based shades, you have to use a different technique for each type. Sometimes a quick wipe will do, but truth is, there is more to it than that. Here’s how you can clean your blinds and window shade on your own.
Wood Blinds
Most blinds are polished with a special finish to resist dust and stains, and they should be treated like wood furniture. Dust with a Microfiber Cleaning Cloth to capture the heavy dust, then spray a good quality furniture polish on the cloth and wipe each blind.
To remove stains, you may dampen your cleaning cloth with warm water, but make sure you wipe it right away with a dry towel, so as to not saturate the wood and prevent discoloration and warping.
Faux Wood Blinds
They are one of the most popular type of window coverings and when they get too dusty, you can easily clean them with a dust brush attachment, slat by slat. Just lower the blinds to full length, close the blinds all the way, vacuum one side, then turn the blinds the other way and vacuum the opposite side.
Or if you prefer a gentler approach, you can use a handheld duster like a Turkey Feather Duster - the natural oils in it’s feathers attract dust like a magnet.
Vinyl and Aluminum Blinds
One way to clean vinyl is to treat them like a regular wood or faux blinds. Use a microfiber cloth and wipe the dust away. For aluminum blinds you can use a vacuum, attached with a soft dusting brush tool and vacuum each slat from side-to-side or top-to-bottom. To remove that heavy grime, take each set of blinds down and soak them in a tub with hot water and a liquid dish washing soap.
Use a soft brush or sponge to clean each set of slats. After cleaning, remove the dirty water and refill the tub with clean water to rinse away the soap and prevent spotting. Pat dry with a few bath towels to absorb excess water and hang them to air dry.
Vertical Blinds
Vertical blinds are great for doors and cleaning it will be much the same as cleaning wood and faux blinds. For quick and easy cleaning, you can use a Lola Rola Sticky Mop, which easily rolls over vertical blinds to pick up dust and cobwebs.
To keep those window coverings fabulous, you must be proactive in cleaning your blinds regularly!!
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