Easy Tips for Keeping Window Treatments Clean

Window treatments always add to the decor of a room. Sometimes they are the finishing touch, and sometimes they may even set the tone. However, they can detract from the room if they are dingy, dirty, or dusty. Following are some simple tips for keeping your window treatments looking as great as the rest of your house.

Blinds. If you have plastic mini blinds, you can just use a duster for regular maintenance. If they need a more thorough cleaning, it is much easier to take them down and place them in a bathtub filled with soapy water. (Any kind of soap will do. I just use some dishwashing liquid.) You can also clean them while they are still hanging -- one slat at a time. I, however, find that it is so much easier to just take them down.

Spot-cleaning individual slats, though, is okay. You can use any kind of spray cleaner for this, including window cleaner, or even disinfecting wipes. By the way, if you have wooden blinds, do not use water on them. Instead you should use a good wood cleaner or furniture polish. Also, if you have the paper-like blinds, vacuuming them is very effective. (Be sure to use the correct attachment on your vacuum cleaner; e.g., the brush attachment.) You can also wash them in the bathtub just like your plastic blinds.

Tip: If you cannot get the pull cords nice and clean, which can be the case if they are white, try rubbing some shoe polish on them to give them a new life.

Curtains and Sheers. Curtains and sheers can just be washed in the machine. Since I am not very fond of ironing, I hang my curtains and sheers right out of the washing machine instead of putting them in the dryer. They dry nicely on their curtain rods, and there is no need for ironing.

Drapes. Drapes usually need to be dry cleaned; however, you can avoid frequent trips to the dry cleaners by vacuuming them regularly. Be sure to use the brush attachment on your vacuum cleaner. You can use a carpet cleaner to draw out more dirt and make them smell fresh if you want. You can also spot-clean them using a mild dishwashing soap. (A soap that is clear will be less likely to spot than one that has a color added to it. Do test a small spot that will not be seen -- around the hem, for example -- before applying to the area to be cleaned.)

If vacuuming does not clean them as well as you would like, and spot-cleaning does not do the trick but you do not want to take them to the dry cleaners, you can usually wash them at home. Use a mild laundry detergent and wash them on the gentle cycle in the washing machine. (If they do not have a liner, you can hand wash them if they are particularly delicate. I do this with some taffeta drapes that I have.) Once again, I hang mine back on the curtain rods to dry rather than putting them through the dryer. (If your drapes are particularly heavy and/or have liners, you can put them in the dryer just long enough to take out most of the dampness. You do not want to completely dry them in the dryer, because they could shrink.)

Regular maintenance will keep your window treatments looking cleaning and fresh. It will also eliminate the need for having to take them down to wash them or have the dry cleaned often, which can save you time and money.

References:

Improving Your World: Keeping your window treatments dust free and clean.

Real Simple. Maria Shollenbarger, Window Treatments.