One of the most aggravating but necessary jobs in keeping your house spick and span is cleaning your vertical blinds. Blinds represent your house both inside and out, and your house represents you.
Table of Contents:
Fabric Blind Considerations
- Soaking fabric vanes will cause them to lose their sizing, fire retardant and soil repellent additives
- Never use hot water to clean fabric vanes
- To dry fabric vanes, never put them inside a clothes dryer, wring or crush them, hang them, or fold them over a clothesline. Instead, use a towel to remove excess moisture, then re-hang them.
Cleaning your Vertical Blinds
Tools you will need:
- Vacuum cleaner with a brush attachment.
- Lamb’s wool duster. (NOT a plastic duster.)
- A rubber dry sponge. (NOT a cellulose wet sponge.)
- All-purpose cleaner in a spray bottle.
- Cleaning cloths.
Process:
Clean the blinds right where they hang, no matter what the type of verticals – vinyl, aluminum, fabric, or wood; don’t take them down
- Vacuum the blinds in a downward direction only (slats may get unhooked if you brush upward); do this at least weekly using a brush attachment
- Follow up with the lamb’s wool duster, again working down the slats only, starting from the top.
- Wipe firmly down both fabric and vinyl blind slats using the rubber dry sponge to remove stubborn dust and residue the vacuum or duster misses.
- For spot cleaning soiled areas, spray an all-purpose cleaner onto a clean, dry cloth and rub it on the spot. Never spray a cleaner directly onto a slat
- If fabric blinds become very dirty, take them to a professional cleaner.
Cleaning Vinyl Blinds
Tools you will need:
- A vertical vinyl blind cleaning tool. You can find them at most janitorial-supply stores. If not, you can make one: Take a pair of barbeque tongues. Cut a cellulose sponge to fit into the ends of the tongs and glue the pieces securely using waterproof glue. Clamp and allow the glue to set overnight.
- A container of soapy water
- A container of rinse water
Process:
- Dip the tool in soapy water, allowing the sponges to become saturated and, starting at the top of your blinds, push them onto each slat and slide it down from top to bottom.
- Clean the sponges in the rinse water and repeat.
Dusting Your Blinds
Tools you will need:
- A duster
- Dust or enzyme spray
- Mild soap and water solution
- Upholstery cleaning solution
Process:
Dusting vertical blinds regularly as you do the rest of your home will keep them clean. Use a duster that lifts the dust right off the blinds rather than just moving it around, as a rag might. The Fuller Ostrich Feather Duster is a good choice here.
- Use a dusting detergent spray or enzyme spray on the slats to loosen and remove dust.
- Every month or two, take the blinds down to vacuum them and/or wash them in the bathtub.
- Depending on what the blinds are made of, you may need to do no more than vacuum them. You can also soak, scrub and rinse non-fabric blinds to remove stains. Rinse them outside with a hose after cleaning them using your preferred cleaner.
- You may spot clean any stains on fabric blinds by applying a mild soap and water solution with a sponge or cloth. For heavy stains, an upholstery cleaning solution may be used. (Always start by cleaning a small area in an inconspicuous location to test for color fastness.)
Repairing Vertical Blinds
While cleaning, you may notice that one of the slats or vanes is damaged and needs replacing. To remove a vane for replacement or cleaning:
- Open the blind
- In turn, lift each vane up off the hook on the holder or carrier.
- Bend the vane outward to open the holder and bend it down to pull it out
- For vinyl or aluminum vanes with a spacer chain, remove the screw or clip that secures the end of the chain; feed the chain out through the vane you’re removing and as many others as necessary to get to the damaged vane
- For fabric vanes, disconnect the spacer-chain connector from one side of the vane weight and pull the weight out of its pocket in the bottom of the vane
- Obtain a replacement vane at the place where you purchased the blinds
- To install a vane, orient it the same way as the other vanes; grasp the vane near the top and gently push it up into the holder, then down to lock it into place.
- For vinyl or aluminum vanes, thread the chain through the holes in the replacement vane and then through all other vanes up to the chain-anchor point; be sure to maintain the proper spacing
- For fabric vanes, reinsert the vane weight (clip side up) into the pocket of the vane and clip the spacer-chain connector to it.
