Everyone loves to have vertical blinds at their windows to adorn the space. Not only do they beautify the place, but they’re also effortless to maintain.
However, this does not mean that you’ll never have to bother about the blinds. There will be times when cleaning them becomes necessary, especially when they accumulate dust or get moldy. In that case, you’d have to include some chore to your schedule for that day. If this is your first time and you’re wondering how to clean vertical blinds, this article is for you.
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Determine the Vertical Blinds Material First
There are different ways available for cleaning the vertical blinds, such as:
- Cleaning by hand
- Cleaning in a washing machine
- Cleaning using a steam cleaner
- Professional cleaning service
To choose between the above cleaning methods, you’d have to determine the type of material first.
There can be four types of materials used in vertical blinds. Those are fabric, metal, vinyl, and wood. If you’re unaware of which type of material your vertical blinds are made up of, you can determine that by sensation. Just look at the blinds and touch them by hand. You’d get a better idea. Otherwise, look at the product manual for confirmation.
Clean by a Damp Cloth
The easiest way to clean your vertical blinds is to wipe the slats with a wet cloth. This would remove any dirt and grime settled on the blinds over time. It’s recommended that you clean with a damp cloth fortnightly or so to keep the vertical blinds in good condition.
If there are tough stains that have hardened, you can use a mild detergent to eliminate them. Follow this up with wiping to complete the cleaning process. But be gentle on the slats which could otherwise break.
Wiping with a damp cloth is ideal for:
- Vinyl vertical blinds
- Metal vertical blinds
Clean By Hand
To clean the vertical blinds by hand, you’d need more than just a damp cloth. You’d use them in those cases where the vertical blinds are long, or you need to get the job done quickly. The tools you’d need are:
- Bucked filled with warm water mixed with mild detergent
- Cloth or towel
- Vacuum cleaner
First, vacuum clean the entire vertical blinds section, which would remove all the dust particles. For best results, it’s recommended to use a vacuum cleaner with a soft dusting brush. Then clean the slats one by one with the damp cloth. Leave them to dry at room temperature.
This is ideal for:
- Vinyl vertical blinds
- Metal vertical blinds
For fabric and wool blinds, you should skip the wiping part and stick to vacuum cleaning.
Clean in a Washing Machine
You can also clean your vertical blinds in a washing machine. This would save a tremendous amount of time with zero effort.
But you can only clean the fabric blinds with this method. Also, ensure that the fabric is washing machine compatible otherwise, you could end up ruining them. To get started, remove the fabric from the blinds and vacuum clean them. Then, roll up the fabric slats and place them inside of a pillowcase. Wash gently at 30°C with no spin dry. Spinning can result in blinds getting damaged.
Once completed, leave the fabrics to dry naturally. Throughout the process, you should ensure that the glue holding binding the material together doesn’t melt. Therefore, don’t exceed 30°C or use a heat dryer to dry the blinds.
This method is ideal for:
- Fabric vertical blinds
- Wool vertical blinds
Hire a Professional Service
If you’re asking yourself how to clean vertical blinds and don’t want to do it yourself or don’t have time, you can hire a professional service. These services will come with specialized cleaning equipment and clean the blinds within a few minutes. So if you’re short on time, you should call a professional dry cleaning service.
Clean Using a Steam Cleaner
You can clean vertical blinds with a steam cleaner. It is a great way to get rid of sticky or glue stains, paints, molds, etc., from the slats. But fabrics cannot be used with steam cleaners since the excessive heat will melt the glue, thus damaging the fabrics. But it’s ideal for wood and steel vertical blinds.
You do not have to steam the entire blinds, but just the affected area. Once the stain is removed, you can vacuum clean the other areas. For this method, all you’d need is a steam cleaner.
This is ideal for:
- Metal vertical blinds
- Vinyl vertical blinds
When determining how to clean vertical blinds, you also need to check if they’re lightly soiled or heavily soiled. If they’re heavily soiled, then you’d have to use more abrasive methods. Either way, it’s best to consult with a local dry cleaner in your area.
