How to Clean Venetian Blinds: Solutions for Different Blind Materials
Venetian blinds are a popular window treatment, so it is useful to know how to clean these window treatments to keep your space tidy and dust free. Cleaning Venetian blinds is difficult because they have small slats that attract dust over time. Light-colored finishes make it difficult to spot dust, but these get just as dirty as dark finishes.
One of the most important steps in how best to clean your Venetian blinds is to understand the material of the blinds you are cleaning. Knowing this will help you to avoid damaging them while you are cleaning. Throughout this article, we will detail which methods will work with certain types of window blinds to help give you guidance in this area.
How To Clean Venetian Blinds: Light Cleaning Methods
Light methods of cleaning may be all you ever need, if you are someone who includes cleaning your Venetian blinds on a regular basis. This method will work for every type of Venetian blind including synthetic materials like aluminum and PVC and natural materials like wood Venetian blinds. These are all methods for how to clean Venetian blinds without taking them down.
Manual Dusting
- In order to achieve the best results use a duster that is manufactured for dusting. You can use different types of dusters depending on your preference. Consider specific Venetian blind dusters like this microfiber duster from HIWARE. This has three arms that fit into the Venetian blinds to dust each side on the top and bottom of the slat. If you don’t want to purchase a specific tool, you can also just use a feather duster, a microfiber cloth, or even an old sock.
- Dust each slat from end to end without neglecting the underside of the slat.
- If you require more intensive dusting, dampen the cloth with a slight amount of water. Avoid excessive water if you have wood Venetian blinds as these will swell if they soak in water. If you want to avoid all water for your Venetian wood blinds, try a product like Fuller Brush Duster Spray that attracts dust without the use of water.
Vacuuming
- If you decide to vacuum the dust from your Venetian blinds, do so with care as the plastic tube and intense power can damage or disarrange your blinds. Instead, use a brush attachment that has soft bristles and place your vacuum on a low setting.
- Close the blinds and work your way across each area with the vacuum being careful to not miss sections.
- Tilt the blind slats in the opposite direction and then repeat with the vacuum.
Spot Clean with Water
Sometimes your blinds will develop spots and stains that need to be removed without intensive cleaning of the entire blind. This method works for all types of blinds, but with wood blinds, you need to be sure not to use too much water.
- Combine equal parts warm water and vinegar.
- Use this to dampen a cloth to remove stains from your blinds.
*Pro Tip – Don’t neglect the other parts of the blind and the windows if you want to enhance the clean slats on your window blinds. Clean around the headrail, the corded system, and the window molding. Use a cotton swab or cotton ball to clean these areas if you have stains that are persistent. Proceed in a careful fashion so as not to damage the intricate cording around the blind.
How to Clean Venetian Blinds: Deep Cleaning Methods
You will need to remove your blinds from the window, if your blinds need a deep cleaning. This method involves a significant amount of water so it is not suitable for wood Venetian blinds.
How to Clean Synthetic Venetian Blinds
- Remove your blinds from the headrail being careful to not tangle the cords or rearrange the slats.
- Place the blinds in a bathtub or some other large receptacle for water. Make sure to lay them on a towel to prevent damage such as scratching or chipping.
- Run warm water over the blinds and mix in a solution of soap. Run until the water covers the blinds.
- Allow the blinds to soak for a period of time until the dirt has been loosened.
- Take a soft bristle cleaner and run along the slats to dislodge any stubborn dirt.
- Check along each slat on the top and the bottom to make sure they are clear from dirt.
- Rinse the blinds with clear water.
- Dry the blinds, damping first with a towel and then hanging to dry.
- Make sure that the blinds are dry before you hang them back up.
*Pro Tip – Use a hair dryer if you need to dry your blinds faster. This is more effective than allowing them to air dry.
How to Clean Wooden Venetian Blinds
Wood Venetian blinds are not suitable candidates for deep water cleaning as the wood will swell with water. This includes composite wood Venetian blinds but not faux wood blinds which are plastic and can be deep cleaned in water. This is another method for how to clean Venetian blinds without removing them.
- Wipe down your wood blinds to make sure they are free from dust.
- Create a cleaning solution using a soap product like Murphy’s Oil Soap which is formulated for wood products. Dilute this product with warm water according to the instructions.
- Use this soap mixture to wet a cloth. Wring out the cloth until the cloth is damp rather than wet.
- Wipe down each slat making sure to cover the bottom and the top of each slat.
- Dry each slat as you proceed to make sure that there is not standing water left on them.
- Finish the process by applying a wood conditioner like Howard Orange Oil.
How Can I Clean Venetian Blinds Easily?
You can clean your Venetian blinds easily by dusting them on a regular basis. Try to dust at least once each week. This will keep the dust from building up into grime so that you will never need to deep clean them.