Questions relating to the best way to clean your blinds depends on how they got dirty (and how dirty
they are) and what style of blind you have. These 2 thoughts will make a huge difference in how
you will approach the cleaning techniques offered here. This is just to share some tips and ideas for
spring cleaning while you are possibly stuck at home during this spring because of Covid19.
The first thing to do is determine what style of blinds you have; knowing this important information
will determine the correct approach to your cleaning techniques. If you have a manufactured vinyl or
plastic style shades you will clean this with more aggressive chemical cleaners or spot cleaners
in a bottle, and just soapy water, Vinyl rollers are the easiest style of blinds to clean as they are a
vulcanized rubber or PVC product and can withstand the harshest products. These single-layer products
can be cleaned with a vacuum or just washed down with a soapy cloth.
Slat style blinds are also relatively easy to clean as they are often aluminum or plastic and can be
cleaned with a standard duster or vacuum by running it over the slats. You’ll want to make sure you
track which slats you have and haven’t cleaned as it can be very confusing if you take a short break and
come back but have lost your spot. Depending on how dirty these shades are a microfibre cloth can really
help “scrub” more of the grime off them. You’ll want to use a vacuum with a duster attachment
and low setting to start with this to give the blinds a quick once over to see if you need to clean them
further. If they still need a wipe down after you have given them a once over to get more of the grim or
dirt, you can use a vinegar and water mixture on a cloth and then go individually slat by slat to wipe
them down (this is also where tracking your location can be helpful with a clothespin or hair elastic). Do
not use a Swiffer to dust them as this leaves an oily film on the slats which then causes dust to stick to
them.
For honeycomb or other sheer style blinds, you can use similar tips to clean the exterior of the shade
while avoiding more chemical-based cleaners, and just remembering to use low settings and be gentle.
However, these often have an internal area or pocket that gets ignored. If you want to get “inside” the
physical shade to remove dust and small debris (like aphids or small flies), we usually would recommend
using a telescopic pole with a sticky end, or you can use a blow dryer to push the dust out one end of
the blind. For a more comprehensive clean you can also use pressurized air canisters but need to be
extremely careful with these as they have a lot of force that can rip the blind material. This would only
be for cases where either a blow dryer cannot get something or there is no access to something long
enough for the blind width.
Many people ask if they can take their shade down and “wash it” or put it in the bathtub. While this
might work for exterior patio screens, we would recommend to NOT put the blind anywhere near
excessive water if possible. Often, blinds will have multiple moving parts and mechanisms and its
possible water can corrode or rust these locations, as well, excessive water might damage or discolor
strings and other parts of the blind. An experienced handyman might be able to remove and put the
blinds back up, but it would not be recommended for most people as some blind brackets might be
more complex than others for takedown and replacement. If possible, it’s always best to leave the blind
up in the window fully-extended when cleaning to ensure you can operate it after the cleaning has
occurred.
