Best Way to Clean Blinds

As we all know, blinds serve both, aesthetic as well as utilitarian purposes. However, they require regular cleaning, as accumulation of dust can make them look dirty. Such dirty blinds are also a health concern for the inhabitants. Cleaning blinds is often considered as a tedious task, and so is put off by many. In fact, this task is not that difficult, if you know the best way to clean blinds.

Cleaning Blinds ~ An Overview

So, cleaning blinds may look like a Herculean task, but, you can do it in a jiffy, if you have a basic idea about the right methods. If you have installed blinds at your home, make sure that they are cleaned regularly. Dust accumulated for months on end, can be more difficult to remove. Regular cleaning involves dusting both sides of the blinds (whether it be vertical or horizontal) with a lambswool duster, paintbrush or vacuum cleaner (with the soft brush attachment). Once a week dusting will be sufficient to maintain your blinds clean. Wash the blinds once, in every three to six weeks. This can be done personally or with the help of professionals. If you choose to wash the blinds on your own, you must take into consideration, factors like material of the blinds, method of washing, etc. If there is any direction from the manufacturer's side, regarding washing or cleaning of blinds, then, you must follow that.

What is the Best Way to Clean Blinds

As mentioned above, cleaning blinds can be done easily, if you have a fair understanding about the task. There are certain basic factors that have to be taken care of while cleaning blinds. The most important among them is the type of material used for making the blinds. Blinds can be made with different materials, like, plastic, fabric, metal, wood, etc. If you have wooden blinds, it is not advisable to soak them in water, while cleaning. At the same time, you may soak plastic ones, so as to remove dirt. The following guidelines may prove useful for you in cleaning blinds.

• Let us start with real wood blinds, that are not usually washed. The best way to clean blinds, in this case, is regular dusting. At the most, you may use a damp rag for cleaning every single slat. If the slats are stain-finished, then, you may wipe them with lemon oil. This is not applicable to faux wood, that can be cleaned with water.
• If you have aluminum blinds, handle them carefully, while cleaning, as they are highly flexible and are prone to develop bends. You may either wipe each slat with a damp rag, after spraying them lightly with a mild detergent solution. Hot water should not be used for this purpose. If the slats are too dirty, then, remove them and immerse in lukewarm water mixed with a mild detergent. Use a soft brush or damp cloth to clean each of them. Rinse with plain water and hang out to dry, before fixing them again. The same methods can be used for vinyl and PVC blinds too.
• In case of aluminum, PVC and vinyl ones, the easiest way to clean blinds is to remove them and wash them outdoors. You may either hang them and spray with a hose, so as to remove dirt. You may also lay them on an old rug and clean both sides of the slats with a soft brush and mild detergent solution. Allow them to dry, before fixing again.
• Cellular shades can be cleaned with regular vacuuming. You may also wipe them with a damp cloth, but, it is not advisable to immerse them in water. You may remove dirt and grime by spot cleaning with a mild detergent. Make sure to handle them carefully, while cleaning, so as to avoid formation of creases.
• In case of fabric blinds, the best way to clean them is regular dusting or vacuuming. You may also go for spot cleaning with a damp sponge, after spraying a mild detergent solution. It is not a good idea to soak fabric blinds for cleaning. If they are too dirty, opt for dry cleaning.

The above said, is a brief overview about easy ways to clean blinds. To summarize, it is always preferable to vacuum or dust blinds on a regular basis, so that they don't get dirty. If they get dirty, you may adopt any of the above said methods, as per the type of blinds, you have. However, go through the manufacturer's instructions(if any). If the manufacturer has provided some specific methods for cleaning the blinds, you have to follow those instructions.