I hate cleaning the blinds. Seriously, hate. I don’t know what the greasy dust that builds up on them is exactly, but it drives me to drink {tea}, I tell ya. Eventually, after dusting with mediocre results at best, you have to bite the bullet and clean those suckers {unless you can talk the HH into just replacing them–but be forewarned, it’s a tough sell.}
If you decide to break down and give your blinds a deep clean, here are some tips to make the job a little more bearable:
- Start with the vacuum. No need to put in elbow grease unnecessarily. Put the brush attachment on the hose and gently swipe each individual blind. Fair warning: it will be painstakingly boring.
- If a vacuum is not an option, grab a pair of kitchen tongs and securely tape an old sock to each side of the tongs. Now, you can pinch each individual blind and gently run the socked tongs along them. This will pull of quite a bit.
- For a homemade cleaner, add a couple of drops of kitchen soap into a bucket of warm water. If you have greasy build-up {no judgement} add a tablespoon of baking soda to the mix. Now dip a clean cloth into the mixture, wring it out, and scrub away the dirt.
- When you have vacuumed, dusted, and de-greased, make sure to run a dry cloth along the blinds to dry them thoroughly. Otherwise, you’ll get weird dust streaks and drips.
- Hire a professional. Okay, I’m kidding. Kind of.
How often do you clean your blinds? {You’re in a safe place if you answer never.}
~Mavis
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Brandie says
Oh man! I just decided I really need to do this…we have lived in out house for five years and have never cleaned them. (smh)
Kathy says
Since I got my microfiber glove, they get duated monthly. BG [before glove], next to never.
also use a distilled white vinegar/water mix when I think of deep cleaning them, like when I wash windows in spring and fall.
They clean up very well woth just that.
Ginger says
I seriously HATE cleaning blinds. Worst.Job.Ever.
amy says
you can also take them down and give them a bath in your jetted tub! I just add some dish soap to the water and turn on the jets, then come back in 20 minutes and hang them in the shower to drip dry.
KAte says
I do this! I learned it from my mom. Once a year I take them all down and soak them in the tub with a little hot water and dish soap. They sit for a bit and then I scrub and rinse them off. Then I take them outside and spread them out on the lawn to dry in the sun.
Carla Moschetti says
Me too, that’s what I do. Or, rather my HH does it every 5 years or so. I pretend like I don’t know how to take them down and put them back up. Shhh.
JP says
I replaced the glass doors with new doors that have blinds built inside and replaced the curtains with large wood blinds for my ridiculously large windows. No more doing crazy long cleaning on blinds
Sue V says
You can put them in the dishwasher if they are small enough.
Laura says
I take down the vinyl blinds and wash in bathtub in warm water with some lavender Lysol. Then drain
tub and rinse with hand sprayer and stand up in tub to dry or outside on deck. For wooden blinds,
lay an old sheet out on living room floor and use a good furniture polish to clean them – one side at a time.
A good furniture polish repels dust better than just wiping them off. Good luck!
Heather says
Once or twice a year I dunk the blinds in the bathtub. I use the cheap miniblinds so I also replace them as needed due to pet damage. What I found recently are these wipes by Clorax for dusting, they almost remind me of a “tack cloth” used in refinishing furniture and cost me 2.49 for 20 wipes. They are dry, with a slightly sticky feel. They really got the dirt off quick and easy!
SilverIzzy says
Couple times a year I take them down and clean them in the shower. I start with a rinse, then warm water and dish soap, then a rinse, then bleach, then another rinse. I let them drip for a bit, then hang them back up and make sure all the slats are separated so they can air dry. It makes the house smell fantastic.
[I have to say, even though this is my first post, I’ve been reading on and off for a few years and your stuff is always incredibly inspiring. Thank you for doing this blog!]
Brenda says
I deep clean the blinds outside twice a year with soap, bleach, and the hose, but I wipe down the blinds at least once a week because I have two dogs and friends with allergies to pet dander and dust mites and I don’t want them suffering when they come over. The blinds drive me crazy.
Teckla says
Eeeek! I HATE cleaning blinds! Guess who only does hers once or twice a decade! Seriously, I need to clean them as I am trying to sell my place. These are great tips. Now I just have to figure out how to take them down so i can put them in the tub. I’m a widow and a real dud when it comes to things like that, so it’s easier to just skip it. LOL!
Mavis says
That’s when you ask for blind cleaning for Christmas or your birthday. Ha!
Angela says
I used to take down my blinds and swish them in the bathtub, but in our new (old, very old) house the tub is so short that the blinds don’t fit! My new technique is to take the blinds outside on a nice day and spread them out on the driveway. I have found this way to be less messy than the bathtub…. I just use a soft brush and bucket of soapy water and then spray them with the garden hose. Then I leave them spread out to dry
Laura Reinhart says
I take all my blinds (11) down to the driveway in April ( I’m in Western NY), lay them on a sheet and using a big sponge, wash both sides with soapy water, then hang them on a long pole suspended between two step ladders and hose them down. They dry in the sun while I get to the next blind. This makes them sparkly, pretty, clean until I have to do all @#$% blinds again at the end of summer. I only have blinds in bedrooms for privacy, my neighbors can observe all other activities thru my other windows. *Waving* to neighbors.