The Best Way to Clean Venetian Blinds
Venetian blinds are one of the most popular window coverings and provide us with comfort and elegance in all types of environments, but they also need care and cleaning to help keep them looking nice, dust free and increase their longevity.
Purchasing window blinds for your home or office is an investment, especially window coverings that are custom made to your exact window dimensions, so keeping them in good condition is important.
When it comes to taking care of your venetian blinds, there are three main types of blinds to consider, and how you clean each type may differ. Timber Venetian Blinds, PVC Venetian Blinds and Aluminium Venetian Blinds are all made from different types of materials, so let’s look at the best way to clean Venetian blinds.
1. Don’t Let Dust Accumulate
The dirtier your blinds get, the harder it will be to clean them, so the easiest care for your blinds is regular care. You can do this using a feather duster or gentle cloth to dust them as needed or you can use a vacuum with a soft bristle attachment. These options can be used on all Venetian blind materials.
Approximately once a week is enough, however if you live in an area with a lot of dust or dirt, you may need to clean them more frequently.
To clean your blinds with a duster or cloth, lay the slats flat and use downward strokes to remove dust. Then turn the slats the other way to clean the other side. If your blinds are timber, make sure you go with the direction and grain of the slats to avoid damaging the shades.
If you are using a vacuum, you will need to close the blind to one side, vacuum, and repeat the process by turning the blades in the other direction. Make sure you don’t let the vacuum come into direct contact with the slats, to avoid possible damage to the material the blinds are made of.
If you have an old sock on hand, you can also put your hand inside the sock and wrap your hand around each individual slat and run your hand along the slat to clean the dust away, from both the front and back of the slat.
If your blinds are PVC or Aluminium, these materials are more durable, especially the PVC Venetian blinds, which are one of the few window coverings available that can withstand water, as well as hot temperatures and humidity, making them a great choice in hot climates around Australia including on the Gold Coast. With these blinds, once you have dusted them, fill a bucket with fresh water, dampen a clean cloth and repeat the process you used when dusting.
BLIND TIP: Purchase a Venetian Blind slat cleaner which has prongs wrapped in a microfibre cloth to help you clean the slats more easily.
2. Avoid using Harsh Products and Chemicals
Some products used for cleaning in general contain alcohol and chlorine, which cannot be used on blinds. Try to use only soap and water, or homemade products such as water and white vinegar in equal proportions, and spray all over the blinds. Vinegar has disinfectant and degreasing properties, which will facilitate cleaning it.
Timber Venetian blinds should never be cleaned with harsh detergents or chemicals, as this can damage the finish and cause discolouration of the wood. To prevent warping the wood, it is best to avoid excess water and liquid-based cleaning products and to use products specifically intended for use on wood.
3. Removing Stubborn Stains
For blinds that have built up grime and dust or have a stain and need a little more cleaning beyond the capabilities of dusting here are a couple of tips you can try.
a. For timber Venetian blinds try using a paper towel to gently scrape the stain off the slat with no added liquid and without using too much pressure, so you don't damage the blinds. If this doesn’t work, use a polish or cleaner specifically for wood. Simply, spray a small amount and let it set before using a damp cloth to wipe the stain away. Then follow with a dry cloth to remove any moisture and prevent damage to the blinds.
b. For a natural cleaning solution, juice a lemon and mix it with alcohol. This DIY cleaner is a great option that won’t discolour or otherwise damage your timber venetian blinds. Use a soft bristle paint brush to dab on a small amount of the mixture, then use a dry cloth to wipe the blinds down.
4. Professional Blind Cleaning Service
Cleaning your Venetian blinds can be a time consuming task and many of us would much rather spend our days and weekends doing anything else other than cleaning, especially the blinds. There are a lot of cost effective professional blind cleaning services that you can use to get your blinds cleaned and to be honest your blinds probably deserve better treatment than a simple wipe down, especially if it has been some time since they were lat cleaned.
For quality cleaning, a fully trained technician will carefully remove your blinds to give them proper care and attention at a workshop. Once they have been thoroughly cleaned and dried, the technician will then reattach them to your window.
Another popular professional cleaning option for blinds is Ultrasonics. By using a custom-made ultrasonic cleaning tank, a professional blinds technician can breathe new life into your old blinds. Transducers in the stainless steel tanks, produce sound waves that travel at high speeds throughout the tank, causing cavitation-forming microbubbles. These micro bubbles then penetrate all parts of the blinds and implode on contact, effectively removing dirt and grime without damaging the panels and slats.
For all your Venetian blinds Gold Coast cleaning needs, talk to Verticare Blinds. With a wealth of experience for over more than a couple of decades, there fully trained technicians have been taking care of Gold Coast homes and businesses for all their blind cleaning, repairs and installation needs. Give them a call on 0415 147 540 or email carol@verticare.com.au to organise a free in home consultation.