Tips for Cleaning Blinds

Cleaning guru Don Aslett shares his secrets for cleaning window blinds quickly and easily.

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Cleaning Metal or Vinyl Blinds

Materials and Tools:

small rug or piece of carpet
dishwashing soap
bucket of water
car-washing brush
garden hose

Steps:

Take the blinds outside to your patio or driveway and lay them on the rug.
Put a few drops of soap in the bucket of water.
Wet the brush and brush the blinds from side to side.
Turn the blinds over and brush the other side.
Rinse the blinds gently with the garden hose while tilting the blinds so that the water will run off.
To prevent water spots, quickly run your finger down the slats a couple of times to remove excess water.
Drape the blinds over a fence or couch to dry.

Clean Vinyl Vertical Blinds

There is a cleaning tool available for this at most janitorial-supply stores. Simply dip the tool in soapy water, and, starting at the top, squeeze it around a slat and slide it down. Rinse in water and repeat.

There are basically three types of window blinds — wooden, fabric and vertical. Some general tips for cleaning and maintaining them:

Vacuum blinds often with the brush attachment. Vacuum across the slats, not up and down.
Use a lamb's wool duster, again working across the slats and starting at the top. Do not use plastic dusters.
When dusting or vacuuming vertical blinds, brush downward only, as the slats often become unhooked if you brush upward.
Use a rubber sponge, also known as a dry sponge (found at hardware or paint stores), to remove dust and residue from both fabric and vinyl blinds. Simply wipe the dry sponge firmly across the blinds.
For spot cleaning, spray an all-purpose cleaner onto a clean, dry cloth and wipe the soiled area on the blind. Never spray the cleaner directly onto the blind.
You can wet wooden blinds when cleaning, but don't soak them. Clean them in place instead of removing them, as you would for other types of blinds.
If fabric blinds become very dirty, take them to a dry cleaner.
Do not try cleaning blinds by spraying them with a car-wash hose, dunking them in the tub or one slat at a time.