The Ultimate Guide to Cleaning and Maintaining Your Window Blinds

Vertical or horizontal window blinds make a beautiful addition to any room and any window. They are practical, functional, and beautiful to behold. As you enjoy the blinds throughout your home, you may notice that dirt, dust, and grime can accumulate on the slats and crevices of your blinds in as quickly as a few weeks.

Once dirt accumulates, your blinds no longer look quite as clean and modern. They start to look dingy, worn, and possibly even discoloured. This is why it’s so important to take good care to maintain your window blinds and keep them clean and dust-free.

In this guide, we will explore all there is to know about properly cleaning your blinds. Keep on reading below to find out more about the do’s and don’ts of blind maintenance.

Read the Manufacturer’s Guidelines

Window treatments usually come with cleaning guidelines from the manufacturer. As with most materials, it’s best to refer to these guidelines when cleaning or taking care of the item. Always read any labels or care instructions before attempting to clean your blinds.

While most plastic and vinyl blinds can be cleaned the same way, other materials, such as wood, may require special guidelines. Never assume that all blinds are the same, and never use harsh chemicals on your blinds or window treatments, regardless of the fabric or material they are made from.

Spot Test Before Cleaning

It’s important to try out a spot test before fully cleaning your blinds, shades, or window treatments. Spot testing is always recommended, even if you’re just using typical dish soap.

Take a few minutes to do a spot test, and then wait to see how the material of your blinds reacts. In the end, a spot test could save you from a huge headache you never expected.

Dust Before Cleaning

Wiping or dusting your blinds with a clean microfiber cloth is an important first step in achieving clean, beautiful blinds. If you don’t have a microfiber cloth, you can easily turn an old sock or towel rag into a cleaning cloth. Always clean your blinds in their open position so that you can access all the crevices and areas where dust may have settled over time.

Dusting before cleaning is an essential step, as things can get messy if you decide to wipe down your blinds without dusting to remove the top layer of dirt first. You can also invest in a microfiber duster (that comes with a pole), which is designed for this very purpose. The good thing is that these dusters can be easily reused and come in handy while cleaning the rest of your home.

Use Dish Soap and Water

The next step in attaining dirt-free blinds is to use a mixture of dish soap and water to gently wipe down and spot clean your blinds. Dampen a cloth with your mixture and work your way down each slat of your blinds.

Keep the soapy water handy as your cloth will slowly accumulate more dirt and grime, so you want to keep washing it out. After you have finished this step and cleaned every slat, let your blinds air dry. You may want to crack open a window if necessary.

Keep Your Vacuum Handy

A vacuum can come in handy during your cleaning process, as the dirt from your blinds and dusting may fall to the floor or nearby surfaces. You will want to vacuum carpets and flooring after you’re done to keep the dust from settling.

Additionally, vacuum attachments can come in handy when cleaning fabric shades or curtains. They can also be used on blinds, but make sure to be careful and not to apply too much pressure, as some blinds may warp or break when dealt with harshly.

Deep Clean Occasionally

About once a month or every couple of months, you should consider giving your plastic and non-wooden blinds a deeper clean. This means filling up a bathtub with some soapy water and immersing them fully. You will need to remove your blinds from your window and place them in the tub for approximately one hour.

Wash your blinds while they are in the tub with an old cloth, sock, or rag. Once finished, you can hang your blinds outside to dry completely. Sun and fresh air will be the best bet to fully dry your blinds, so it’s best to leave them outside if you can. If not, open up your windows, place a towel under the wet blinds, and leave them to dry in an open space.

Take Extra Care for Wood Blinds

With wood blinds, you will need to take some extra precautions to ensure that the methods you are using for cleaning are safe. For example, you should never immerse wooden blinds in a tub of water. Instead, you can clean them by dusting them off with a microfiber cloth or vacuum attachment.

You can use wood polish to give your blinds a shine and keep them looking brand new. If they are very dirty, you may wipe them down with some water; however, make sure that the cloth you are using is just damp and not soaking wet. Make sure to completely blot any excess moisture afterwards with some paper towels.

Don’t Forget the Cords

Last, but certainly not least, don’t forget to clean the cords of your blinds with some soapy water as well. Cords can become dirty, dingy, and yellowish in colour. Prevent this by giving them a good clean whenever you clean your blinds.

Contact the Window Blinds Experts

All in all, while blinds are certainly beautiful and meant to be easy to care for, they do require some monthly maintenance at the least. If you are looking for an option that requires less cleaning, opt for vertical blinds as opposed to horizontal. This is because vertical blinds lack a flat surface to really hold dust and dirt onto them.

For more information on window blinds and shades in Toronto and the GTA, please call Window Blinds Direct at 647-360-7026 or contact us here. We are your premier destination for custom window treatments in all of Toronto. For more information, reach out to use today and get a quote on our high-quality, premium blinds.