Blinds are one of the few items that really make a house feel like a home. Not only can blinds enhance the aesthetic of your home, but they can also affect how you feel. When your blinds get dusty or otherwise dirty, it subtracts from the beauty of your space.
Most people dread the thought of cleaning their blinds; they think they’ll have to take them down, and it will be a whole arduous process, but in reality, the opposite is true. There is a quick, easy method for cleaning blinds without taking them down at all.
Keep reading to learn how you can clean your blinds in under 10 minutes without taking them down.
The most common types of blinds
Before we go over how to clean your blinds step-by-step, it’s important to note that there are different types of blinds, and not all of them are created equally. The method we will teach for cleaning your blinds will work for most blinds but not all blinds; there are some exceptions to be aware of, so let’s briefly look at the most common types of blinds so that you’ll know exactly how to clean your specific blinds properly.
Wood
Wooden blinds are generally speaking the most expensive type of blinds. Natural wood blinds are unlike most other blinds in that you do not want to clean them with water. Water can warp and discolor natural wood blinds, so if you have wooden blinds, you need to clean them a bit differently. The best way to clean real wood blinds is to simply dust them or wipe them down with a dry microfiber cloth. Dusting wooded blinds regularly will help keep them in the best possible condition so that they never need a deep clean.
Faux-wood
The great thing about faux-wood blinds is that they look and feel like real wood blinds, but you can clean them much more easily as they typically don’t warp or deteriorate when you clean them with soap and water. Of course, you should always read any cleaning instructions provided by the manufacturer, but in most cases, faux-wood blinds can be cleaned with the method we’ll talk about.
Fabric
Roller shades, pleated shades, roman shades, and other such fabric shades have become trendy and can indeed add a touch of sophistication to any room; fortunately, cleaning them is pretty easy as well. Like with real wood blinds, you don’t want to use water on fabric blinds. The trick is to dust them first and then gently vacuum the blinds with a hand vacuum, or alternatively go over them with a hairdryer set on a cool setting.
Plastic
Plastic, Vinyl, or PVC blinds are the most common type of blinds. Plastic blinds can look great, are usually the cheapest, and are the easiest to clean and maintain. The method we will teach works great with plastic blinds, including those made from vinyl or PVC.
Metal
Metal blinds, usually made from aluminum, can be a great option as they are long-lasting and relatively easy to maintain. Typically, you will want to clean your metal blinds with a dry rag or microfiber cloth, but if they need a deep clean, you can absolutely wash them down with some soap and water.
How to clean blinds without taking them down
So, as mentioned above, this method works great for most blinds but is not the best option for real wood or fabric blinds, as those types of blinds should not be cleaned with water. When you’re ready to clean your real wood or fabric blinds, just refer back to the appropriate section above, but if you’re ready to clean your faux-wood, plastic, vinyl, PVC, or metal blinds, then here’s how to do it without taking them down.
Step 1 – Gather your supplies
For this method, you will need a few things such as:
- Some old towels or rags
- A pot or bucket
- Some soap or dish soap
- A duster
- A cloth
- A vacuum
Step 2 – Prepare the cleaning solution
For faux-wood or plastic blinds, being the most common types of blinds, you want to mix some warm water with a bit of dish soap in a pot or bucket. Soaps without chemicals work best for this. For metal blinds, just some lukewarm water should suffice, as the chemicals found in dish soap may affect the longevity of the blinds.
Step 3 – Place towels
Place some old towels under the blinds. In case you don’t have any old towels around, you can also use some rags or old clothes; this is just to catch the water, dust, and debris that drips off so that it doesn’t dirty your floor.
Step 4 – Dust
Next, you want to close your blinds and dust them from top to bottom so that any dust or dirt lands on the towels below. Once you have dusted them, then flip the blinds and dust the backside as well. Once both sides have been dusted, you can move on to the next step.
Step 5 – Apply the cleaning solution
Now you can wet the cloth with the cleaning solution you prepared (dish soap and water), or just the warm water in the case of metal blinds, and gently wipe the blinds down. You should go over them again with a dry cloth to dry them in most cases because letting them air dry may leave streaks.
Step 6 – Vacuum
All that’s left to do is vacuum up any additional dust, dirt. or debris that may have ended up on the floor, and you’re all set.
How to maintain blinds
It generally isn’t necessary to deep clean your blinds with this method. Dusting once a week can prevent your blinds from getting to the point that they need a deeper cleaning, but the good news is that with the method above, you can always clean your blinds and restore them to looking like new again in under 10 minutes.
Now, depending on the size of your blinds and how many blinds you have, it can take more than 10 minutes per set of blinds. But, generally, you should allocate 10 minutes per set of blinds if you’re washing them.
