Wood, Aluminum, Vinyl, Oh My! We’ll
Teach You How To Keep ‘Em Clean
Getting new blinds in Tempe? If your old blinds are looking a little worse for wear, it might be a good idea to learn how to take care of the next set. With these tips from Southwest Blinds and Shutters, you can keep your blinds looking beautiful for years.
Regular Cleaning For Your Tempe Blinds
The easiest way to keep your blinds in great condition is to clean them regularly. In climates like ours, the dust is unrelenting.
Choose Your Tools
First, decide on your tool of choice for dusting your blinds. There are plenty of great options, such as:
- Feather Dusters
- Microfiber cloths
- Handheld Vacuums
- Handled Dusting Tools
- Specialized Blind Dusters
- Vacuum Brush Attachments
All of these options are perfectly effective for regular maintenance. Our favorite is the brush attachments that come with most vacuums. They’re a versatile tool that works on all types of blinds. Additionally, this method ensures the dust doesn’t end up somewhere else in your home.
Take A Top-Down Approach
Any time you dust, start at the top of your blinds and work your way down. Even the most powerful vacuum can’t capture every speck of dust. If you start at the bottom, falling dust is likely to ruin all of your hard work!
This goes for the rest of your home, too. Dusting your blinds before vacuuming the floor can help keep things clean.
Staying On Top Of Things
The best way to keep up on cleaning your blinds is to work it into your regular cleaning schedule. If you vacuum your floors once a week, using the brush attachment to dust your blinds beforehand is a simple addition – you already have the vacuum out.
If you regularly dust your shelves and other parts of your home, you can add your blinds to the list as well. Busting the dust here in the Southwest can be a major undertaking, but staying on top of things means that you may never have to worry about deep cleaning.
Deep Cleaning Your Custom Blinds
Sometimes, the dust gets the better of us. It’s hard to keep up with it in the desert. If the grime on your blinds has been sitting for a while, it can be hard to remove. Don’t worry, it happens to the best of us.
With all the beautiful types of blinds, though, it’s important to know how best to care for yours. Here are the best ways to deal with various materials:
Aluminum Binds
Aluminum blinds are easy to clean with a damp cloth. For stubborn messes, feel free to use some soapy water and a sponge, just be careful not to scratch your blinds with harsh scrubbing.
You’ll also want to let metal blinds thoroughly air dry.
Avoid bending your aluminum blinds. You should always be gentle with aluminum blinds, as bending even one slat can impact their ability to open and close properly.
Wood Blinds
While wooden blinds are a gorgeous addition to any home, they require a little extra consideration when it comes to maintenance and cleaning. Wood will absorb water and can be easily ruined in wet conditions. A damp cloth won’t do any harm, but there are better ways.
For wooden blinds, use wood-specific furniture dusting sprays to help with stubborn messes, instead of using soap and water like with other types. To keep your wooden blinds looking their best, you can apply a wood polish with a soft cloth from time to time.
Vinyl & Faux Wood Blinds
Vinyl mini blinds and faux wood blinds are easier to care for than other types of blinds. They aren’t bothered by water, and they can withstand some pretty intense scrubbing when things get messy.
Soap and water are great for most messes, but a gentle vinegar solution or all-purpose cleaner won’t harm vinyl materials. Like any other type, avoid excessive pressure. You don’t want your blinds bent out of shape.
Vertical Fabric Blinds
While washing fabric with water can seem natural to most of us, it’s not the best choice when it comes to fabric blinds. Instead, treat your fabric blinds like you might a fabric couch. Use a brush or vacuum attachment to keep things clean.
For more stubborn messes, blot the area with a damp cloth and allow it to air dry. Specialized fabric or upholstery sprays can also help. Always be sure to spot-test a small area before using any new chemicals on your blinds.
To Soak Or Not To Soak?
Some will tell you to soak especially dirty blinds in a tub of soapy water for deep cleaning. While it can work in limited situations, we don’t recommend it.
For one, this trick really only works on vinyl blinds. These blinds are some of the most budget-friendly to replace. If your blinds have become dirty enough to need a soak, they’re likely past their prime anyway.
Also, you have to be very careful when soaking blinds. If water gets into their headrail, it can cause a whole host of problems. It’s hard for water to get out of this area once it gets in, and it will quietly rust away metal components.
While careful soaking is an effective way to clean particularly grimy mini blinds, it’s a lot of work for a situation that’s likely to end with replacing your blinds anyway.
Overall, keeping up on regular maintenance eliminates the need to submerge blinds in water.
Tips & Tricks For Blinds In Dusty Climates
With these care instructions, your blinds will look great for years to come. However, we’d like to share a few more tips to help keep them clean.
Keep Those Windows Closed
While it’s tempting to open up your windows and doors while you’re cleaning, it might not be the best idea. Here in the greater Phoenix area, opening your windows is likely to let more dust into your home than it lets out.
You should especially avoid opening your windows after cleaning your blinds with water or cleaners. If your blinds are still wet, dust and dirt from outside will stick to the wet areas, leaving them dirtier than when you started.
Kitchen Challenges
Blinds in the kitchen can collect grease from cooking, making the slats into sticky dust magnets. This can be especially obvious on aluminum blinds, which tend to show greasy streaks if you try to dust these areas.
To manage grease, a degreasing spray can help keep things looking neat and clean. For wood blinds, your usual wood furniture dusting spray is the ideal alternative.
HVAC Considerations
One more consideration in dusty environments like ours starts a little farther from your blinds. If you find that you’re dealing with a lot of dust, it may be time to change your HVAC filter.
Your air filter captures dust from the air, and you’ll likely notice your home stays clean for longer after you change the filter. In dusty climates like ours, many people change their filters more often than recommended.
Now that you know how to care for them, you’re ready to get new blinds for your Tempe home! Call Southwest Blinds and Shutters at 480-415-8542 to schedule your free consultation today.
