Quick and Easy Tips on How to Clean Your Blinds

Window blinds are usually made of any of these five materials:

• Faux wood
• Wood
• Fabric
• Vinyl
• Aluminium

Each of these materials requires a different method of cleaning, and while it is tedious and time-consuming work, your blinds need to be cleaned regularly. So here are some ways you can make cleaning them a little easier.

Faux-wood blinds

Vacuuming is the easiest way to get dust off these blinds. You only need to attach a dust brush to the vacuum, close the blinds, hold the bottom rail and vacuum each side. Keep the suction at its lightest to avoid warping the slats.

If there is some grime on them, you can clean it off using white vinegar and a clean sock. Just dip the sock in the vinegar and wipe down the blinds on each side, one slat at a time. Your blinds will be looking as good as new once you are done.

Wood Blinds

What you need here is good quality furniture polish and a soft cloth or clean sock. Spray the sock or cloth with the polish and go through each slat individually without touching the cords. Once in a while, you can use plain water for a more thorough clean, but make sure not to saturate the wood with water to avoid spotting, discolouration or warping of the slats.

Fabric Blinds

These can be vacuumed just like the faux-wood blinds. You can also use your hair dryer set at 'cool' to blow away dirt or insects caught in the creases or openings of cellular fabric blinds.

To take care of stains or grime, get a microfiber cloth or sponge, dip in warm, soapy water, and blot the necessary areas. Make sure not to get them dripping wet. Leave them hanging until they are completely dry before raising the blinds. If the stains don't come off, you should call in a professional cleaning service.

Vinyl or Aluminium Blinds

You can clean these like faux-wood blinds, or go over them with a cloth. However, if you are in a bit of a hurry and your blinds have accumulated a lot of grime, you could take the blinds down one at a time and soak them in your bathtub with some dishwashing liquid. Go over both sides of the slats with a soft brush or sponge, drain the dirty water, then refill the tub with clean water to rinse. Lay the clean blinds on some towels to soak up the excess water then hang them up to dry completely.

Alternatively, you could lay your blinds out on the grass, pour some soap on them, and hose them down on both sides. You can use a brush to go over the stubborn stains, then rinse and hang them on the clothesline to dry.