I remember when I was a child being fascinated by a funny little dusting tool my mother had for her mini blinds. It had little fluffy fingers and you would run the fingers along the slats of the mini blinds to dust them. I also remember wondering what exactly the point was, weren't we just tossing the dust back up into the air?
Every once in a while I will take a damp cloth and wipe down my mini blinds to catch some of the dust, and then remember oh yeah...that doesn't work. The cloth just pushes the dust around so that it clumps and looks even worse than it did before!
Here is how to clean you mini blinds so that they are actually clean!
1. Take them down and place them in your bathtub.
2. Run warm water and add a couple big squeezes of dish soap and about a cup of vinegar.
3. Fill just until the water level comes up over the mini blinds.
4. Give blinds a swish around the sudsy tub and then let soak for one hour.
5. Come back, swish some more, and drain tub. Rinse with clean water to remove soap residue.
6. Give the blinds a gentle shake to remove some water, hang them back up and let them dry.
7. Wasn't that easy?
Happy Cleaning!
This job is my to-do list this weekend ... thanks for the great tips!
ReplyDeleteJo @ Squeaky Clean!
www.squeakycleanlife.blogspot.com
I have been contemplating this task all winter, thank you for the gentle nudge =)
ReplyDeleteI do the same thing with the screens in my windows every year.
ReplyDeleteMy blinds have been driving me nuts. But I have a problem. All of them are about 6-8 inches longer than my tub. :( I tried it anyway and found that it at least dampened the screen and made it more apparent where the dirt was so I could wipe it off once I hung them back up. Any thoughts on blinds that are too wide or even long vertical blinds?
ReplyDeleteI hang them on the clothes line with many clothespins. spray with 409 and wipe. Then spray with the hose. Wipe with a soft towel (so they don't spot) and let them finish air drying.
DeleteWe lay them on a couple old towels on the driveway. Use a bit of dishsoap and a soft broom, spray with the hose, and hang to dry.
DeleteWhat about wooden blinds? Putting them in a tub of water is NOT an option...suggestions?
ReplyDeleteI realize I'm late to your question, but I can't put my new blinds in water either. I used to do that with my aluminum blinds (outside with the garden hose on fan spray and 409), but not my new ones. I use my vacuum cleaner with the brush tool. This gets a lot of the dust, but if you want them even more perfect than that, use the dampened microfiber rag and rinse it frequently. Eliminating a lot of the dust with the vacuum will eliminate pushing the dirt into clumps.
DeleteDon't recall where I found this AWESOME tip, but for anyone w/large blinds (mine are 72"wide) that need serious cleaning, disregard all other advice! Purchase vinyl gutter and 2 end caps (Home Depot for $10-$12 total) and cut gutter to size in-store to a few inches wider. Snap on end caps and take outside to prevent any possible leaks (I had none.) Fill w/warm water, dish detergent -and I added a few ounces of Greased Lightning cleaner (also available @ Home Depot for $4.) Place folded blinds in the gutter with header on top, swiping w/rubber gloves back & forth across slats and also pull blinds gently up & down (only a couple of inches) to ensure solution penetrates all the way through. Let blinds soak for a couple of hours, rinse w/hose (or b/c I'm in a condo w/no outside water source, I placed vertically in shower to rinse) and VOILA! Blinds will be super clean, like new!!!
DeleteCan you put more than one set of blinds in the tub?
ReplyDeleteI like to vacuum them once a month with the brush attatchment. I have the faux wood ones....this way I do not have to take them down.
ReplyDeleteI'd also add a splash of bleach to keep the cords from taking on any discoloration from the dirt.
ReplyDeleteI realize this was a long time ago, but never add bleach to vinegar. It can create a lethal gas.
DeleteYeah, I read this after blending the two, not 15min ago. :>/ I can smell the scent from the upstairs bathroom wafting downstairs.
DeleteWow, found your blog today and I am in awe of your cleaning knowledge! Does this work on wood blinds??
ReplyDeleteThanks! x
Hmm....Good question! I don't know for sure, but I don't think it would work on wood blinds because the wood might not dry out fast enough and then it would rot. Sorry!
DeleteHi - I can't get my blinds wet either so I vacuum them with the brush attachment and then give them the wet microfiber wipe down. With most of the dust removed, you don't just push the dirt into clumps. And if you have so much dust that you do, just vacuum those up. But I usually don't have to do the 2nd vacuuming....
DeleteThank you so much for this, just googled "spring cleaning" and found your fantastic spring cleaning checklist.
ReplyDeleteWe have a houseful of pleated fabric shades and would appreciate tips on how to clean them.
ReplyDeleteHow about aluminum blinds? Would they rust?
ReplyDeleteAluminum blinds won't rust....I used to have them and took them outside and hung them from a tree with bent wire hangers and sprayed them with the fan setting on my garden hose. I would then spray them with 409, then gave them a scrub with a soft brush or rag, then hose them down again. Left them out for the afternoon to finish dripping and drying. I wiped them down with a cloth before they were completely dry to eliminate spotting. Then hung them back up - they looked like new.
DeleteHas anyone tried both the bath tub with vinegar and dish soap method and the hanging on clothes line with 409 method? Wondered which one you felt cleaned the best. And without any scrubbing either!
ReplyDeleteOMG!!! I have been doing this since I could clean..lol..My mother was a crazy cleaner and now, so am I. I love seeing clean blinds. My husband thinks I am crazy sometimes when I go all out cleaning. I tell him all I need is a toothbrush and some cleaner.I now clean my SIL house. I enjoy cleaning. It's my therapy. Thank you for posting an awesome list :)
ReplyDeleteWe took ours down 1-by-1 and put them in the shower... used the shower head at full strength, no soap needed. Drying them takes a little long but if you have an air compressor that works best!
ReplyDeleteAlso, baby wipes work nicely if you can't wet them and need to clean them each piece at a time. Baby wipes work for everything ;)
Look up your local Ultrasonic Blind and Shade Cleaning business. We come out to your home and take all the hassle dirt/dust out of cleaning blinds or shades. Most of us do it on-site at your home or business. One hour or less
ReplyDeleteThis blog post was absolutely fantastic. Thanks for taking the time to debate this, I feel strongly about it and love learning extra on this topic.
ReplyDeleteNot to complicate things, but I live in a tiny apartment and have no bathtub or access to a garden hose. I have a stand up shower, but I'd have to get in to wash them in there. Are there any other alternatives?
ReplyDeleteI hang them on an extra tension shower rod near the back of my tub/shower.(attach each end w/ strong rubber bands like the ones you get on broccoli) Spray with vinegar & Dawn mixture.....twist them the opposite way....spray the other side....rinse with hand held shower head. I even do this in the winter.
ReplyDeleteThanks for a great post and for sharing with us the problem # 1 occurred by blinds : how to clean them ! I do love blinds. I think it enriches the apartment a great deal... but the cleaning ! Wow, just hate it !
ReplyDeleteSilly question, but what type of vinegar do you use? Apple cider? White? Does it matter?
ReplyDeleteWhite. :)
DeleteThanks for sharing the post for easily cleaning mini blinds.
ReplyDelete