How to care for your blinds

For a healthy, sustainable home

If your blinds are not cleaned or cared for properly it could make your room look untidily finished, and they will need replacing much sooner than ones that were treated well.

But just how is the right way to clean each different style and type of blinds?

Your blinds need to be cleaned once a week in the following manner, with a deeper clean and attention to detail once a month in order to keep them at their prime condition.

Whether you have fabric blinds, wooden blinds, PVC blinds or aluminium blinds the beginning processes for cleaning are the same.

• Begin by using a soft cloth or a vacuum with a brush head attachment (if you don’t have either, use a hair tie to secure a fabric softener sheet over the nozzle) to remove the loose dirt from the blinds. If your blinds have slats, start with them tilted upwards first.
• If you have plastic, vinyl or aluminium blinds they can be removed from the window for washing once a month – if you have wooden blinds you should never get them wet. If you have fabric blinds a different cleaning process is needed.
• Take your blinds outside or place them in a bathtub if you have one, but don’t submerge them in water.
• Wash each individual slat with a sponge or brush and remember to wash the cords well too.
• Rinse the blinds and hang them over a clothesline or the shower curtain rail.
• When they are completely dry, wipe them down with a fabric softener sheet to ensure all dust has been removed and to prevent more from accumulating.

If you have fabric blinds use a duster or cloth to regularly remove dust and prevent build-ups.

Dabbing a damn sponge on marks will help draw any stains out of the fabric.