It’s essential to keep your blinds clean. Not only do clean blinds contribute to your family’s good health and well-being by removing allergens, pet dander, and dust, but they also make your blinds last longer. You may not think that dust and other pollutants weigh very much, but your blinds are not made to support any extra weight; over time, it can contribute to the total weight. Dust can also get into the lifting mechanism and cause it to wear out prematurely, and it may not allow your blinds to open and close properly. Some hacks for cleaning blinds can keep them looking new and make them last longer.
Horizontal blinds are dust magnets because the dust gets on the vanes and needs to be removed from each one. In addition, the different parts of your blinds require different cleaning methods, and on top of that, it depends on what materials your blinds are made of as to the correct cleaning method.
Learn some tips and tricks about the easiest way to clean your window blinds for quick and effortless steps to pristine window treatments for your home.
What is the Easiest Way to Clean Blinds?
The quickest and easiest way to clean blinds is by using a vacuum cleaner with a brush attachment. Hand-held vacuums will work, but they usually have less suction than a full-sized vacuum. It’s best to have a canister-style vacuum that you can lift off the ground so that you can reach the top of the window treatments easily. It should also be equipped with a HEPA filter so excess dust and debris in very fine particles won’t be kicked back into the room and placed elsewhere.
Close all the vanes in one direction so they lie flat. Vacuum them, starting at the top and working your way down in horizontal strokes. Open the blind’s vanes, turn them in the opposite direction, and repeat the vacuuming process.
Rotate the vanes open and wipe each of the horizontal vanes with a microfiber cloth to catch all the small dust particles.
What is The Best Way to Clean Blinds Without Taking Them Down?
Another way to clean your blinds routinely is to vacuum them and then put an old, clean sock on your hand and wipe it across each of the vanes of your blinds to remove dust. You can also find horizontal blinds cleaning tools with several little microfiber “fingers” on them, so you can clean multiple vanes simultaneously. There are usually about seven cleaning fingers to make your job much quicker.
How Often Should You Clean Window Blinds?
You should do routine cleaning of your blinds whenever you are cleaning your house. Most homeowners clean their blinds every one to two weeks to avoid a buildup and need to deep clean them.
5 Hacks for Cleaning Blinds of Each Type
Depending on the material that your blinds are made from, you may need to take a different approach in the manner that you deep clean them. Keep in mind that you never want to soak wood blinds in a lot of water when you clean them. Doing so will cause them to warp and lose their integrity over time because wood is not waterproof. Some cleaning hacks below can make your job much quicker and effective.
Hack 1: Vacuuming Blinds with a Brush Attachment
You can vacuum all types of horizontal blinds with a brush attachment in the method above. If you have vertical blinds, you will need to close them and vacuum them from the top to the bottom of each vane. This keeps them from falling off their attachment hooks at the top of the window.
Hack 2: Using a Micro Fiber Cloth or Duster
All types of blinds can be cleaned by wiping the vanes down with a micro fiber cloth or duster. Microfiber products trap the dust in them, but feather dusters actually spread the dust around into the air.
Hack 3: Cleaning Blinds with a Vinegar-Water Solution
If you have stains or particularly dirty blinds of any type, you can deep clean them yourself easily. Mix equal parts of water and white vinegar together, dip a microfiber cloth in the solution and wring it out, so it is barely damp. Then wipe each vane of the blinds with this solution to remove sticky or caked on stuff.
Hack 4: Using a Sock or Glove for Thorough Cleaning
Instead of a microfiber cloth for routine cleaning, you can slip your hand into a clean sock or a winter glove and wipe the vanes of your blinds to remove dust and debris. Keep in mind that some of the tiny dust particles may fly in the air and not stick to the sock or glove.
Hack 5: Dishwashing Liquid and Warm Water Mixture
Pour some warm water into a container and add a few drops of mild dish soap to it. Mix it up and dip a cloth into the solution, then wring it out. You can use this method to remove built up dust and debris and sticky items as well as greasy items from the vanes on your blinds.
Conclusion
Giving your blinds a quick vacuum to clean them every one or two weeks will make your annual job of deep cleaning them much easier. It also helps to keep your blinds in perfect working order, so they will last you much longer and look fantastic for years to come.
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