Archive for the 'Cleaning blinds' Category
How To Clean Your Wood Blinds
So you’ve had your wood blinds for a while now, and you’re enjoying them, but what’s the best way to clean them?
This is how we do it:
Dust is not our friend, ever, but especially when it comes to our precious wood blinds. We want our blinds to live as long as possible, so from the start you should get rid of that nasty dust. To clean the front side of the blinds, angle the slats completely downward – to clean the back side of the blinds angle the slats upward. For weekly, even monthly cleaning you can use a duster, so do this right from the start. Don’t use feather dusters as they just spread the dust around, use a wool or “magnetic” duster, which pulls the dust onto the duster and won’t scatter it. Using a vacuum is ok, as long as you use the brush extension and are gentle. We don’t ever want to our lovely wood blinds. No matter what your dusting or cleaning method of choice – go slat by slat at first, then give a good once over cleaning to make sure no spots were missed.
Wool Duster
But there are times when you might have not been so diligent in cleaning your blinds, and dust has built up. Or perhaps your wood blinds are in a room like the kitchen or bathroom where water, cooking residue or smoke has interacted with the blinds. In this case you will want to use a soft cloth and some kind of wood cleaning agent that is not wax-based. There are many different types of cleaners to choose from, so be careful. Any kind of wood furniture cleaner will do – but, please, please don’t use anything like Fantastic or anything meant for kitchens, bathrooms or floors. We want to maintain the life of our blinds, and these types heavy duty cleaners will do more damage in the long run.
Remember – regular cleaning will help maintain the life of your blinds, so dust them often.
If you still aren’t satisfied or have majorly slacked off in your cleaning, you may need to go the advanced route. That means dismounting the blinds completely. Find an old sheet, lay it down and place the blinds there. This way you have the ground as a supporting surface to put a little more pressure (but not too much) on the slats to scrub them clean with your soft cloth and a gentle wood cleaner. You can also use mitts or gloves made cotton to clean your blinds. Again don’t use wax-based wood cleaners, that will just seal in the dust. Never use water!
You can also use a soft-bristled paintbrush for really dirty blinds. Using a bit of fabric softner on the paintbrush will prevent the dirt from scattering – just make sure to wipe off the dust as you go, and then continue cleaning.
At some point your blinds may also get dried about, especially for those of you that live in desert climates. Oil soap is a great for both cleaning and bringing life back to your blinds if they are dry. Just remember to evenly wipe the oil into the blinds when done cleaning. Always be careful when cleaning your blinds, otherwise you might need to do a little DIY repair on them if you break something or knock it out of place.
So now you’re off to clean your wood blinds! Get to it!