Window blinds do two things: They soften sunlight to bring out a room's best qualities, and enhance the clean, modern look of the home itself. Wooden blinds are especially good at the latter, but they require slightly more maintenance. Learn how to clean wooden blinds to minimize the amount of dust in your home, boost indoor air quality and promote a clean look. With the right tools and strategy, you can get the job done in no time. If you still have the manufacturer's instructions, kudos to you! Get these out before you clean. Your manufacturer will have included tips for cleaning wooden blinds, as well as what cleaners and tools are safe to use on its product in particular. If you don't have the instructions, see if you can identify the kind of wood the manufacturer used during construction. Many wooden blinds are made from real wood like cherry, walnut, bamboo or oak, but faux wood is popular for its use of a finish that ensures the blinds are resistant to scratches, moisture and fading.

For most woods or faux woods, the key is in using tools and natural cleaners like Murphy® Oil Soap that don't scratch, leave streaks or remove the finish. Over time, blinds can harbor dirt and grime that's difficult to remove. Every so often, or at least once a year, you'll want to thoroughly wash your blinds to remove dirt buildup. Before washing, however, it's important to dust the blinds to remove loose dirt and other particles. Use a soft tool for this, such as a dry cloth or rag, a soft furniture wipe, a feather duster, a microfiber duster or a vacuum brush (be sure it's soft). Moving across the slats one at a time top to bottom sweep your dusting tool over the surface, picking up dust as you go. Good Housekeeping suggests angling the blinds to a near-closed position, exposing dust and debris that may sit hidden on slats that are above your line of sight. If you work with them flattened, corner dust can go untouched as you move from one end to the other. Now, you can wash them.

Keep in mind that excess moisture is bad for wooden and faux blinds. Every spot you clean should be left as dry as you found it. Fill a bucket with warm water and your natural cleaner. Dip a rag into your bucket and thoroughly squeeze it out. With the rag merely damp, use the same pattern for washing as you did cleaning: start from the top and work your way down, firmly rubbing the rag from one side of the slat to the other. Once you're done washing your blinds, go over the slats once again with a dry cloth to remove lingering moisture. By learning how to clean wooden blinds the right way, you can ensure that your window coverings can continue to add warmth and character to your home. This article was brought to you by Colgate-Palmolive Company, the makers of Murphy® Oil Soap. The views and opinions expressed by the author do not reflect the position of the Colgate-Palmolive Company.Most people will agree that venetian blinds make a great window covering to have in the home or office environment in terms of looks and functionality.

However many people are put off choosing them because of previous experiences with cleaning venetian blinds. With a lot more horizontal surface area than all other blinds, it is true that venetian window blinds seem to get much dirtier and require cleaning more often than all other blind types. In addition it is also true that venetian blinds are more difficult to clean than most other blind types due to the often large number of slats which have to be cleaned individually if you want to clean venetian blinds without taking them down. top upright vacuum cleaner reviewsEven then after cleaning, keeping a venetian blind clean seems impossible and many people feel they are quickly back to square one with the dust quickly starting to settle on the blinds slats as soon as they have finished cleaning.air duct cleaning california

We have put together some useful instructions on how to clean venetian blinds not only to help those who already have them installed, but also to help those who are thinking about buying venetian blinds make a decision by letting them know what needs to be done to keep your blinds looking great. In our guide we have detailed what we think are some of the best cleaning methods along with a few tips. air vent cleaning austinWe have split the guide into light cleaning of blinds to begin with followed by deep cleaning of blinds which you will find lower down the page.dryer vent cleaning blog Before discussing any cleaning methods we should make a special point of warning about how to clean wooden venetian blinds (and faux wooden blinds!). dryer vent duct cleaning kit

Most wooden venetian blinds are made from a type of wood that is very absorbent which means that any cleaning method which involves water or a liquid is unsuitable for wooden blinds, as the timber slats can absorb the water or liquid and then warp when drying. In addition many of the stains and varnishes used to colour and finish the slats of wooden blinds are not suitable to be put into contact with water and other liquids as they can cause the stain to streak and the finish layer to delaminate from the wood and peel. best vacuum cleaners sharkWe therefore recommend that if you plan to clean wooden (or faux wooden) blinds that you only use light cleaning and dusting methods without liquids before checking what your supplier or manufacturer recommends. By ‘light cleaning’ we are referring to relatively fast methods that can be undertaken regularly, easily and without too much effort, and also that can be undertaken without removing the blind.

In order to keep your window blinds as clean as possible and also to make the cleaning task as easy as it can be each time you get round to cleaning your blinds we recommend that you undertake a regular regime of light cleaning. Light cleaning venetian blinds regularly involves quite a bit of work but it does mean that you will need to give your venetian blind a deep clean less frequently. The simplest method that many people use is to lightly dust their blinds with the lightest feather or fluffy duster. However for a more effective clean you should physically dust each individual slat by wiping it with a dry cloth. Some people find alternatives to a dry cloth and prefer to use such things as old socks, white cotton gloves, antistatic cloths, or even tumble dryer wipes. There are also proprietary venetian blind slat cleaning products sold by many household stores. These often resemble cooking tongues with felt pads and can clean 3 slats at a time. If there are stains, marks or grease on any of the slats then you may need to introduce a small amount of water and maybe some cleaning solution to the process.

Many different types of cleaning solution such as window cleaner and washing up liquid have been used successfully and there are even special ‘venetian blind cleaning sprays’ on the market which claim to leave the blind slats in an antistatic state which will reduce the amount of dust that will be attracted to the slat afterwards. However before using any cleaning solution it is best to check with your blind manufacturer first whether the cleaning solution is suitable. It may also be worth testing the solution on a small sample spot first. If you are using water or a cleaning solution then we recommend applying a very small amount onto to one cloth (or sock!) and having another to quickly wipe off and dry. In this way dirt or grease will not be spread to the other slats during the cleaning process. Another method many people use is to use a vacuum cleaner to clean the slats of a venetian blind. This is best done with an upholstery attachment or one of the similar proprietary venetian blind cleaning attachments which are now on the market.

If you decide to use a vacuum cleaner make sure that the suction is not too strong as the vacuum may draw the slats down the nozzle folding and damaging them. The slats of pvc and aluminium venetian blinds are particularly liable to do this so be careful. If the suction is adjustable on your machine then start at the lowest level and increase the suction slowly until it is having the best effect without damaging the slats. Good luck in cleaning your venetian blind and remember to make sure to clean both sides of the slats whilst you are cleaning. However if your light cleaning of your venetian blind is not bring up the standard of cleanliness you desire then it may be time for a deep clean. Many people just don’t get round to ‘lightly cleaning’ their venetian window blinds very regularly and many people will inherit dirty, dusty or greasy blinds maybe in a home they move into. Even blinds that are lightly cleaned regularly will one day need a ‘deep clean’ as even if the slats seem fairly clean, dirt will have built up in on the tapes and cords and in hard to get places where a ‘light cleaning’ cannot reach.

Whatever the reason your venetian blind may need a deep clean read on to find out how you may be able to bring them up like new. As we mentioned above, if you have wooden or faux wooden venetian blinds then it is very likely that the cleaning methods we describe below will damage your blinds, so please don’t try them. We recommend you check with your blind manufacturer what they recommend as the best method to clean your blind. Firstly you will need to take down or remove your venetian blinds from the window. To deep clean the blind indoors the venetian blind can then be placed in a bathtub. We recommend using a towel to protect the sides and bottom of the tub from scratching. You can then fill the bath with enough water to cover the blind completely and apply a cleaning solution to the water. Many different types of cleaning solution have been used successfully however we recommend that you check with your blind manufacturer as to what they recommend. You can then leave the venetian blind to soak and the water and cleaning solution should lift a lot of the dirt, dust, grease and grime from the blind slats, headrail and cords.

You may need to use a soft brush to gently scrub to agitate any ingrained dirt on any grimy or greasy slats, making sure to do this on both sides of the slats. When the blinds look clean in the water you will need to rinse all the dirty water away. This may require rinsing the venetian blind in clean water and leaving it to soak shortly a number of times to make sure the blind does not pick up the dirt from the water again. A shower attachment is useful to help rinse off. You can also deep clean your venetian blind outdoors if you do not have a bath or you blind is too big for your bathtub. You can carry out the cleaning on a path, a driveway or a lawn using a garden hose. We always recommend laying out a clean tarpaulin or blanket to do this on so that your blind does not pick up dirt from outside. If you are cleaning your venetian blind in this way you will probably be unable to leave your blind to soak immersed in water so you will probably need to use a soft brush to gently scrub as mentioned earlier.

You will need to clean and rinse the blind a few times with your hose before your blind is completely clean. Whatever way you clean your blind make sure you hang your blind up after cleaning so that air can pass through all the vanes so it can dry properly, preventing mould from forming. There are many ways you could do this perhaps by hanging it from a sturdy shower rail over the bath or a garage beam if working outside. Make sure your blind is completely dry before fitting it back in its proper location. If having read this the thought of deep cleaning your venetian blind is sounding too onerous a task or if you are managing a commercial building and do not have the time, the facilities or even a member of staff who can do the job for you then it would be worth considering using the services of a professional venetian blind cleaning company. A professional blind cleaning company can offer different levels of service but will most often take down your blinds and take them away to clean and then replace the blinds for you.