Spring is just around the corner, and you know what that means don't you? It's that time of the year most of us love to hate, and it's fastly approaching, it's spring cleaning time! Of course, you clean up here and there throughout the year, but now that the new year has been rung in, it's time to get into all those hard to reach and easy to forget about spots and make everything shine like new again. Something that collects dust continually that we often tend to overlook are window blinds! You might even have them in odd spots throughout your house, like a spare room you're not always in or possibly even a bathroom window. Wherever they are, here you will find the best way to clean them and have them looking good as new.
There are various types of blinds, but typically most people have plastic or wood style blinds. This keeps it simple when it comes to cleaning them. If your blinds have been left neglected for an extended period time, you may have a tough layer of dust film to break through before you see the actual color of your blinds again. Thankfully whether it's a little or a lot of grime to break through, it can be done.
For plastic and wood blinds with minimal dust/dirt to remove, the best way to clean these is with a good wipe down using a microfiber cloth. This breaks up any loose dust and particles cling to the cloth. Don't wet the cloth! This could make an even bigger mess. A dry microfiber cloth is best for the first wipe down. Start from the top down, this way you're not going back and re-wiping blinds you've already cleaned thanks to fallout from those blinds you saved for last. After all the dirt and dust is cleaned off, vacuum up any excess that fell beneath the window.
If you've forgotten about your blinds the last few spring cleanings, this section is for you.
Cleaning a deeply soiled set of blinds takes some elbow grease and patience, but it can be done. With plastic blinds, start off like you would a simple cleaning with a wipe down using a microfiber cloth. Then remove the blinds piece by piece and set them in the bathtub and fill it with warm water. Let them soak for at least an hour, then remove them, wipe them down with a microfiber towel again and let them hang or lay them flat to dry. With wood blinds, you don't need to take them down to deep clean them but use a vacuum attachment to dry clean and then use a cleaner and a microfiber cloth to wipe down the deep residue left over from months of not being cleaned.
And voila! Your blinds will look brand new again! In some cases, old plastic blinds may crack during cleaning if they've had prolonged exposure to sunlight and become brittle and bleached. It may be time to get yourself a new set of blinds installed by Brightline Custom Blinds and start a new habit of wiping them down more than just during spring cleaning!