8 Tips for Clean Blinds and Tidy Windows
Are your blinds and windows clean? You might be surprised by how dirty they can actually get. In fact, many of our clients don’t realize how dirty their windows are until they get new windows—and see how much brighter and clearer the world becomes.
Clean blinds and clean windows can make a major difference in both the look and health of your home, but many people don’t know how to properly clean blinds or windows. Certainly, keeping blinds clean is difficult for most, especially in dry, dusty places. Here are some tips for tidying up your blinds and windows without much fuss at all.
1. Add Window Cleaning to Your Regular Cleaning Schedule
Cleaning vertical blinds and horizontal blinds can be a pain, and the same goes for cleaning windows. If you clean them regularly, however, cleaning can become much easier. As dust, dirt, and grime builds up on blinds and windows, it gets a lot more difficult to remove, making the process tedious and physically demanding. But—if you clean them more often, the dirt won’t have a chance to get stuck to the surface, which means much less work for you in the long run.
2. Use the Vacuum
Keeping blinds and windows clean can be a simple and quick addition to your vacuuming routine. For this task you’ll need an upholstery brush attachment, one that’s gentle and won’t damage your blinds. To get started, close the blinds to maximize the surface area you’ll be able to clean at one time. If you can adjust the suction on your vacuum, adjust it to as low of a setting as possible and increase the suction until you get the results you want. If any dirt remains, a use a damp cloth with a cleaning solution to spot clean. Once you finish with the blinds, raise them or move them fully to the side, then use the vacuum on your window sill and track. For this step, you can use other tools, if needed—and you may find that your crevice tool works well.
3. Do NOT Soak Blinds in the Tub
While this is an often-repeated hack for clean blinds, it isn’t a good one. Yes, there are a few types of blinds that can withstand a short soak in water, but they’re few and far between. Most types of blinds are best left dry, so as to avoid water damage. Metal blinds can rust, wooden blinds can warp, and most cloth blinds are dry clean only. Even plastic blinds will be damaged if the pull mechanism gets wet. Ultimately, this shortcut can easily result in significant cost and time loss.
4. Repel the Dust
Repelling dust isn’t as much about cleaning blinds as it is about making future cleaning easier. Anti-static spray is designed to stop clothes from clinging, but it can also reduce the amount of dust that clings to your blinds. Lightly spray the surface of your blinds with anti-static spray and you’ll find that fewer dust particles will settle there. Regular cleaning will still be required, but less often. You ‘ll also need to reapply the spray after each cleaning to keep those dust particles at bay.
5. Maintain the Condition of Your Blinds
The better shape your blinds are in, the easier they’ll be to clean. Different materials require different forms of maintenance, and this should be taken into consideration before cleaning. Cloth blinds, for example, should be taken to the dry cleaners a few times a year. Wooden blinds should be polished. Vertical blinds should be replaced on a piece-by-piece basis if they become cracked or broken. Not only will you find that your blinds will become simpler to clean with routine maintenance, but they’ll also look significantly better.
6. Choose Morning or Late Afternoon to Clean Windows
When it comes to cleaning windows, most people think the best time is when the sun is highest in the sky because the direct sunlight will make it so easier to see dirt and smudges. This isn’t necessarily true, as it also means any cleaning solution will dry too quickly to be able to get your windows really clean. You’ll work twice as hard for poorer results. Instead, clean your windows in the morning or late afternoon for the best combination of visibility and results.
7. Clean Your Windows in Two Steps
No matter what cleaning method you choose, clean windows in two steps. The first step is to grab a cleaning cloth and dampen it with water. Using the damp cloth, wipe away any dirt on the surface of the windows. You may add a little dish soap, but you’ll need to wipe the soap and ddirt completely off the window before moving on to the next step. If you skip this step, step two will just end up pushing the dirt around on the window, rather than removing it.
8. Play Around With Different Cleaning Methods
Everyone who’s passionate about cleaning will have a specific “hack” for how to best clean windows. A classic tip is to use newspaper. Others swear by paper towels, often believing a specific brand to be better for the job than others. A more modern option is a microfiber cloth specifically designed for use on glass. Professional cleaners insist squeegees are best. In truth, all methods work, but you’ll end up preferring one over the others—whichever one works best for you. Grab your cleaning solution and your tool of choice, and you’ll quickly find out which window cleaning methods work best for you.
If you’ve been frustrated by cleaning your blinds and windows, you can kiss those difficult days goodbye when using these trusty tips. If you’re looking for new windows, check us out at The Window Depot. Not only do we have a wide variety of windows to choose from, but we also offer incredibly affordable products for other home improvement projects.