How To Clean Blinds Easily With Everyday Supplies
Even if you do clean your windows on a regular basis, have you ever paid any extra attention to your shades and blinds? They require some special care and maintenance too. And if your windows still look a little untidy and unkempt even after a thorough cleaning session and vigorous scrubbing of the windows, its probably because your blinds and shades have gone without a clean. In this article, we’re going to cover the best way on how to clean blinds, regardless of the material/type.
Regardless of which material they are made of wooden or plastic, fabric or vinyl, there are countless ways to keep your blinds clean and shiny, thus bringing your windows to life. And don’t fret over how long it would take to clean each blind, you don’t necessarily need to clean each slot individually. In fact, you don’t even have to take your blinds off the windows either. As long as you have the right tools and, you can have both your windows and your blinds cleaned and ready and enjoy amazing views in no time.
The cleaning can be made much easier when broken down into steps and that is precisely what we have done to make it easier and quicker for you. Follow the below-mentioned steps and get cleaning:
1. Collect All Your Tools and Materials
The first thing that you need to do is get yourself organised and prepared for the cleaning. Start by gathering all the required dusting and cleaning equipment and materials. Your cleaning supplies include a dusting microfiber cloth (If you don’t have one, believe it or not just a sock will do. A clean one mind!), a vacuum cleaner with both narrow and wide brush attachments, Dishwashing soap, Lukewarm water, a few slices of lemon and some baking soda and that’s about it really. The best bit of cleaning your windows using our suggested method is that you don’t necessarily have to dish out a lot of money on any particular cleaning supplies or liquids, you can actually have your windows squeaky clean using items that can be easily found in your home at all times.
Note: If you don’t have a microfibre cloth pretty much any cloth will do, I’ve even cleaned blinds with a sock before now!
2. Draw the Blinds
Next, start lowering the blinds but be mindful of the material your blinds are made of as not all blinds close completely. For instance, faux wood blinds can be lowered to a complete closure whereas vinyl slats and aluminium shades mostly overlap each other instead of closing complete and therefore need to be tilted slightly downwards in order to clean them.
3. Dust the Slats
Once you have closed your blinds, stat by dusting off any excess dust particles or residue. This step is of significant importance since if the binds aren’t dusted properly before applying any soap solution, not only do they get dirtier but can often even have streaks of dust left on top of them even after they are wiped down with a damp cloth. So, to avoid your blinds from getting any dirtier or your cleaning becoming more time consuming, dust your blinds properly. If you have vertically aligned blinds, start by holding your shades from the bottom for firmer support, wipe the blinds with a microfiber cloth piece and then use using a wide-toothed soft brush attachment vacuum the blinds to get rid of any residual dust particles.
As for horizontally aligned blinds, you follow the exact same procedure apart from holding the blinds from the bottom. In these blinds, you should always hold your blinds from the sides for a firmer and more stable grip.
4. Flip the Blinds and Repeat Step 3
Next, you need to carefully flip your blinds and repeat step number 3 in the exact same order. This is so that the blinds are clean on both sides and appear tidy once they are opened again, otherwise, the dust from the backside can easily peek through the open slats and make all your efforts go down the drain by making your blinds look dusty.
5. Wipe the Blinds with A Damp Cloth
Once you have dusted and vacuumed both sides of your blinds, give them a good wipe with a clean damp cloth in order to avoid any dusty streaks from appearing on your blinds. But be careful when using a damp cloth, a cloth too wet can damage the exterior of your blind slats.
6. Apply Your Cleaning Solution
This is the most important step in the entire cleaning process, applying a strong cleaning solution will deep clean your blinds and help get rid of any stubborn stains that you might see on your blinds. For the solution squeeze some dishwashing soap in a tub of warm water, add one cup of baking soda and squeeze the lemon slices into the tub and soak your blinds in it. Allow your blinds to soak in this solution for about ana hour and finish by rinsing them off with more warm water. The baking soda and lemon in the solution act as natural stain removers and after the final rinse, your blinds should come out spick and span.
We are sure that once you try this cleaning method and out cleaning solution, your blinds will never be dirty or stained again. But to ensure your blinds have a long life and do not get pale too quick try and clean them regularly and avoid using strong bleaches when cleaning them as they would only cause more yellowing after being rinsed off. Once you put your freshly cleaned blinds back up on your freshly wiped windows, you will enjoy views like never before.
