How to Clean Your Vinyl, Aluminium and Wooden Window Blinds Properly

While cleaning house, the most overlooked and skipped over item to clean are window blinds. In actuality, most people do not ever bother to clean their window blinds at all until they become so dusty that it is piled visibly onto the blinds and can no longer be ignored.

Cleaning of window blinds, including the vinyl kind as well as the ones made out of aluminum really are rather simple to do and not as much of a hassle as one would assume that they might be. Only a few simple tools are needed. A duster, a cloth, a bit of soapy water and a hand vacuum is really all it takes.

In general, it is quite a lot easier to clean your blinds on a regular basis instead of allowing the dirt and dust to build up on the blinds, as in the long run it really does save time not to mention keeps the dust out of your house resulting in a much cleaner environment to live it. The blinds look nice all of the time as well with just a few simple weekly chores. It makes the task a lot easier as well because you will not have to remove and scrub them later on when keeping them maintained well all of the time.

For the first time in a long time of cleaning, it will require a bit more effort, however after the first intensive cleaning you can easily follow the instructions below for the once weekly cleaning methods to maintain them.

For that first deep cleaning, it may require removing your blinds and lay them in a warm tub of soapy water with a pad or towel at the bottom of the bathtub in order to avoid scratching and damaging the blinds. Gently wash over each slat with a soft non-abrasive cloth until clean, avoiding anything such as Brillo pads or anything made of metal that could possibly scratch it. Then rinse well with warm water and dry thoroughly. Before hanging the blinds up again, be sure that it is completely dry, as moisture will attract dust and dirt again.

Here is how I clean my blinds once weekly. It is enough to keep them looking nice and dust free all year long.

Using a damp sponge, wipe the blinds one rafter at a time and then follow with a dry sponge, until it is completely dry.

Cleaning your windows underneath the blinds as well will keep them clear of dirt and dust as well and prevent the blinds from picking up anything from the windows.

If you happen to have wood blinds then they are a bit different. As we all know, wood is damaged by water, so you would be wise to clean them only with a wood cleaning product and avoid water. I also recommend that for your wooden blinds using a dust mitt or dust cloth and wiping them down regularly in order to avoid having to use any kind of chemical on them at all. They will have a longer life span this way.

Fabric blinds attract quite a bit more dust than any other blinds so if you have the kind that are fabric then a hand vacuum with a brush attachment along with more frequent dusting; about 2 to 3 times per week is recommended.

One last trick that I love to use, and it makes the blinds smell fresh as a benefit. I always take a scented dryer sheet and rub it on the blinds after cleaning. It helps to repel dust as well and the scent being a nice addition to any room.

If you make dusting your blinds a weekly routine then you can avoid more difficult work and keep them nice for a long time to come.