how to clean vertical blinds

Pair of hands in purple rubber gloves cleaning blinds with spray and cloth

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Whether your blinds have acquired a couple of specks of dust or have a larger layer of grime, it's important to keep them dirt-free.

Blinds Hut have come to the rescue with their ultimate guide for cleaning blinds full of top cleaning tips and hacks. But firstly, they have come up with a few golden rules to follow:

Never soak blinds in the bath: Some materials can be cleaned this way, but you run the risk of rusting the blind mechanism.
Never use a vacuum to clean blinds without an upholstery attachment: You can damage your blinds.
Avoid putting fabric blinds in the washing machine: Over time, this will wear the material down and they may bobble or fade. Instead, take them to a professional dry cleaner.

With these golden rules in mind, here are five cleaning tips for venetian, Roman, vertical and wooden blinds.

1. Sock it to those Venetian blinds

Venetian blinds made from PVC or aluminium can be quite the dust collectors. You can use a microfibre cloth, but a clean cotton sock can be turned into a grime-busting hand puppet that gets the job done in record time!

First, dip the sock into a bowl of warm water and cleaning solution (make sure it doesn't contain irritants), then wring the sock out until it is damp to dry.
Place your hand inside the sock, and then, starting at the top and working down to the bottom, clean each slat on both sides simultaneously, left to right. Please note, this method is not recommended for wooden Venetian blinds (see no.5).

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If you want to do it like the pros, you can go one step further.

'There are some specially designed devices for cleaning individual blind slats,' explains Blinds Hut ambassador Tudor Davies. 'These are essentially like pincers with sponge on the inside that grip slats. Sliding these along a slat ensures the top and bottom are cleaned at the same time, saving time.'

2. Moving house? Keep your blinds all wrapped up

Blinds can quickly get dirty if you're moving house; you have to take them down, walk them out of the house, put them in a perhaps grubby van, walk them into your new house, and get them up - all the while trying to keep them spotless.

Here's a hack: wrap them in cling film. It'll stop them unravelling and keep the dirt off. Less stress and less cleaning. Easy.

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3. Maintaining Roman blinds

The accordion-style folded fabric of Roman blinds is especially prone to dust and staining. Using a special upholstery attachment, get into the habit of regularly vacuuming them to keep them dust free.

When it comes to stubborn stains, you need to approach with a little more caution. If the care label agrees, you should be able to use a damp cloth and a little fabric stain remover to gently bring the stain out. Don't go too hard though – this may damage the fabric and/or leave you with an ultra-clean spot that makes the rest of your blinds look dirty.

If your Roman blinds have several stains, you may want to consider taking them to the dry cleaners. This will not only give you a more consistent finish but also lessen the chance of the fabric being damaged.

4. Keep your vertical blinds on a roll

Vertical blinds are blissfully low maintenance, as they don't tend to attract as much dirt and dust. An occasional wipe down with a damp cloth should do the trick, however the headrail and winding mechanism will need a little more TLC from time to time.

To do this:

Simply unclip each of the louvres (the vertical 'slats') from the headrail brackets and wipe the area with a damp cloth.
To prevent the winding mechanism becoming stiff, lubricate it twice a year with some silicon spray (not the same as WD 40). This will keep things well oiled, ensuring the mechanism runs smoothly with no annoying squeaks.

Hillarys

5. Refresh your wooden blinds

Removing stubborn grime on wooden blinds can be tricky. As wood is porous, be careful not to stain your blinds during the cleaning process. Our neat little trick will have them looking good as new in no time:

Add a couple of drops of washing up liquid to a bowl of warm water, along with a tablespoon of baking soda.
Dunk a microfibre cloth into the bowl, and then wring it to the point where it's almost dry.
Gently wipe each slat, ensuring you don't apply too much pressure, as this could stain the wood.
Once finished, keep your windows open so that any moisture quickly evaporates. When dry, your wooden blinds should be as good as new.

Prevention is always the best cure when it comes to maintaining your blinds. But should you need to remove a stain or stubborn dirt, these tips will make your life easier.

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