What Is The Best Way To Clean Mini Blinds?
Mini blinds are notorious for collecting dust. Their horizontal position creates a flat surface for dust to land on. In addition, they’re almost always next to an open window, bringing in more dust with the breezes. What is the best way to clean all that dust off your blinds?
If your blinds are simply dusty, it’s easy to dust them. Be sure to close the slats so that the tops face the inside of the room and then vacuum them with the brush attachment. This will suck up the loose dust and leave your blinds looking nice and clean. (It’s much easier to close the blinds and make a flat surface than vacuum the blinds while open and horizontal.)
You can also use a lamb’s wool duster, as lamb’s wool naturally attracts dust and can help prevent buildup as well. For fabric blinds, vacuuming up the dust is the best method so you don’t rub the dust and dirt into the fabric.
You can also purchase special vacuum cleaner attachments with four prongs covered with fuzzy material that picks up dust. Some attachments even suck up the dust.
Don’t use a feather duster, as this just shakes the dust onto nearby furniture. Try an electrostatic dusters that picks up the dust and holds it long enough to get all the dust off, then shake the duster out in a bag or outside.
For extra dusty wood, aluminum or faux window blinds, try using a soft paintbrush to brush away the dust particles. It helps to place newspapers or a sheet underneath the blinds in order to catch the falling particles. Windex wipes are also great for non-porous surfaces.
If your blinds need more than a dusting, you’ll have to be more aggressive. Vinyl or aluminum blinds may need a good soak to remove grime. If they are wood, do not get them wet (or they will warp).
Take them down and soak them in a tub of either strong dishsoap, lysol or ammonia. Scrub them gently with a soft sponge after they soak for 20 – 30 minutes, being careful not to bend them. Don’t use a kitchen scrubber, as this will mar the surface. Use only a soft sponge, dishrag, or microfiber cloth.
Rinse well and dry outdoors or hang over the tub until dry.
If you don’t want to take your blinds down, try wiping them with a soft sponge dipped into a solution of 1 tablespoon ammonia per 1 quart water.
For wood blinds, wipe with a soft damp sponge or use lemon oil on a soft cloth. For lipstick, crayon marks or stickers or any kind of gummy residue, try “Goo Gone,” a biodegradable citrus cleaner that easily removes grease, gum, tar, crayon, tape and label residue and much more from most surfaces.
After the blinds are clean and dry, lightly rub a dryer sheet over the blinds to remove static. This insures that dust will no longer be attracted to the blinds.
That’s all it takes to clean mini blinds!