How to clean window blinds the right way, according to cleaning pros

We consulted with professional cleaners to provide you with a thorough blind-cleaning guide based on the type of treatment you have.

Key Takeaways

• Clean blinds weekly or biweekly to prevent dust buildup and maintain their appearance.
• Use tools like dusters, microfiber cloths, or vacuum attachments for quick and easy cleaning.
• Deep clean blinds by soaking vinyl or plastic ones or spot-cleaning fabric and wooden types.

Everyone has their own cleaning routine. But one area of your home that we can bet probably doesn’t get cleaned regularly is your window blinds. Even though, we look out our windows every day and put lots of time and effort into picking out our curtains, it’s pretty easy to forget that our blinds are dust magnets that can accumulate a lot of filth if not cleaned every so often.

Turns out, it is relatively straightforward. “There are cleaning tools designed to clean several slats at a time, which saves you time,” explains Sara San Angelo, a professional home cleaner and the founder of Confessions of a Cleaning Lady in Charleston, South Carolina. And despite what you might think, you can clean blinds without taking them down—you can wipe them down with a cleaner while they are hanging. But be aware of the cord that controls the blinds, especially if you have to get up on a ladder.

See below for the best tips from professional cleaners on how to clean your blinds at home easily and efficiently, without wasting your whole day wiping them down. 

What To Consider Before Getting Started

Before you begin cleaning your blinds, it’s important to determine which type of blinds you have in your home. “Are they Venetian (slat), vertical, or celluloid?” asks San Angelo. “What type of material are they? Do you need a cleaning solution or just a duster?”

Types of Window Blinds

• Venetian blinds are horizontal slats that can be rotated to different angles via a cord to control the amount of light coming through. They are generally made of wood, vinyl, aluminum, or plastic and can take water or all-purpose cleaners
• Celluloid blinds are generally made of fabric and accordion up and down the window. Also called cellular or honeycomb blinds, they are similar to Roman shades. But whereas Roman shades’ folds are prominent as the shade is raised, celluloid blind’s fabric folds on top of itself as you raise it. Because they are fabric, you should be careful of bleaches. 
• Vertical blinds, commonly used to cover sliding glass doors, feature wider slats that are hung up and down versus horizontally. They are generally easier to clean and block more light than horizontal options. 
• Roller shades are a single piece of material that rolls in and out of a tube when pulled up and down over a window. They can be made of various fabrics, vinyl, or even wood or metal.

How Often Should You Clean Blinds?

It is recommended to clean your blinds every week or two so that dust and particles don’t accumulate. This doesn’t necessarily mean a deep clean, but a quick dusting.

How To Dust Blinds

If your blinds look pretty dirty—perhaps stained or yellowing more than dusty—you will need to deep clean blinds (see below). If they just need a bit of dusting, follow these steps.

Materials Needed

For dusting your blinds you don’t need much: just a duster or a microfiber cloth. You might also need a ladder if your blinds are out of reach. Finally, you might also need a vacuum brush attachment if you plan to use a vacuum as your dust remover. 

What To Do

1. Dust between each slat of your blinds with your duster. If your slats don’t overlap too much, you can close the blind and dust across both sides of the surface. If you have celluloid blinds, make sure to dust up and down and side to side on the material.
2. You can use the same process if you are using a microfiber cloth. Be sure to do the top mechanism of the blinds as well.
3. You can use a vacuum brush attachment (or your vacuum nozzle if you don’t have an attachment) to dust all blinds. “This would be the preferred method, as dust will be sucked up and not land on the floor,” explains San Angelo. Vacuuming is also the best method for quickly removing dust from fabric blinds.

How To Deep Clean Blinds

To deep clean your blinds, San Angelo recommends taking them down and soaking them in a bathtub or spraying them with a hose outside. While soaking the blinds in the tub, mix in a little bit of dish soap or vinegar. However, this washing method “is only good for vinyl or plastic blinds, not wooden,” she warns.  For wooden blinds, try a furniture polish.

If your blinds are stained, try a spot cleaner while they’re still hanging. Or while they’re in the bathtub, pick your go-to all-purpose cleaner or dish soap if the blinds are plastic or vinyl, and gently scrub the dirt off with the soap and water. If there are stains, you can mix a paste of vinegar and baking soda and scrub the spot and then let the wet blind air-dry. This method works great for your fabric blinds. (If they can be detached, you may also be able to toss your fabric treatments in the washer or send them off to be dry-cleaned.)

Just be wary of the material of your blinds, and use the appropriate cleaner. For example, you can use Clorox wipes to clean your blinds, but not if they’re made of fabric or unsealed wood.

How To Whiten Yellowed Blinds

To whiten yellowing blinds that are vinyl or plastic, San Angelo suggests using a bleach spray.  “Be sure to spray on the cloth and not directly on blinds, as the spray may bleach carpet and other furnishes around them,” she says. 

What Types Of Cleaners Should You Avoid?

When cleaning Venetian blinds, never use any products that can bleach or corrode surfaces, be it wood or textile. “I always advise that less is more, and dusting with a powerful vacuum brush attachment and washing with a cloth dampened with mild soapy water is often all that’s needed,” explains Sabrina Fierman of high-end cleaning service New York’s Little Elves. “Diluted, gentle dish soap can be used on non-porous surfaces; remember to always wipe dry and never let it drip. Even a forgotten or unseen drop of water on a wood floor can stain it.”

When Should You Replace Your Blinds?

Some say to replace your blinds every five to 10 years. However, when your blinds deteriorate to the point where it would be cheaper to buy new ones versus replacing them, consider replacing them. Additionally, if they are really yellow and past the point of cleaning, you should replace them.

How To Clean Other Window Treatments

Dusting Drapes And Shades

Even though window drapes may not show dust as clearly as hard surfaces you find with slat blinds, dust does accumulate, and they will benefit from periodic dusting as well. Here’s what to do:

1. Starting from the top, vacuum any hardware that has accumulated dust with a brush attachment. “The most common culprits are curtain rods, but check valances or other horizontal surfaces holding up your curtains,” suggests Fierman. “After vacuuming, wipe down with a dry microfiber dusting cloth.”
2. Next, close the drapes or lower the Roman shades as fully as possible to minimize folds.
3. Again, using the brush attachment on your vacuum and starting at the top, vacuum down the shade or drape to the end. “Try to cover a 3- to 5-inch horizontal area from top to bottom,” says Fierman. “Return to the top, and start with the next portion.” For drapes, you can use a clothespin to mark off the area you just did, and move the pin over a few inches to indicate where to return to on the next go around.
4. Don’t forget to do the whole curtain. “Unfortunately, the back side of the drape (facing the window glass) should be vacuumed too,” says Fierman. 

Cleaning Roller Shades

Fierman and her team are often asked about cleaning white roller blinds, particularly once they have yellowed or have dirt built up on them. “These are actually the trickiest to clean because they need to be scrubbed with soapy water and a brush,” she says. “You can imagine how difficult this is when they are hanging—soapy water will drip and you have to protect your window sill, frame, floors, and any other area that can receive dripping water.”

Fierman doesn’t recommend doing that. Instead, she suggests pulling down the roller blinds and vacuuming them. But this will not remove rubbed-on, built-up dirt, or yellowing.

“For this, we recommend hiring a professional company that provides ultrasonic cleaning,” she explains. “The company will remove the shades and clean them in a special machine that uses high-frequency waves and biodegradable cleaning agents.” Compare the pricing of cleaning to what it will cost to replace the blinds—sometimes, it’s better to go with new blinds.

Read the original article on Southern Living