Is there a way of cleaning vertical blinds yourself without ruining them?
Question:I have several sets which are a bit grubby now, not heavily stained or marked, and would be interested to know if anyone has tried a do-it-yourself cleaning job.
Answers:
Hi
I have 10 vertical blinds all 7 foot drops and they have been up for 11 years.
At one stage I washed each strip individually (tedious).
The next thing I tried was washing them in the bath tub (back breaking) with detergent and the latest and best idea is ...
I went to a plumbing supply factory and purchased a white pipe about 10" round and longer than the length of the drop (7'6") and got them to glue an end cap on one end (it cost approx $40.)
I went home filled the tube with water and detergent and gave it a shake to mix it and then took the verticals down.
I leave the weights on the verticals and remove them from the top of the window and thread a wire non corrosive rod through the top of all the strips, then insert them in the tube suspended by the rod, the tube should be vertical, top up the tube, we bent the rod down each side of the tube and taped it to each side, then every now and gave the tube a shake sideways to clean the verticals.
Emptied the dirty water and refilled the tube with clean water (the rinse cycle) and emptied it a gain and what did we have clean verticals in about 15 minutes each and no saw backs.
Dry on the rod in the sun.
TIP If you use Phosphorus FREE & LOW sodium detergent you can use it on the grass - we did and now its GREEN GREEN GREEN.
Buy some Simple Green (most Dollar Stores sell it) pour some in ur tub along with water, and put ur blinds in the simple green/ water soultion and let them sit for about a hour, You may have to wipe them off with a cloth if they've got some bad dirt spots that don't want to come off
If they are plastic take them down and hang them outside, hose the dirt off, let dry, do another one and hang em. My husband does mine this way. Very clean.
use 2 socks on each hand running downward on each side. use your choice of cleaning agent.
You can take them down and put them in the bath tub with a little detergent and a small amt of bleach added to the water. if you have a whirl -pool tub then you are in luck just swish them for a few minutes in the tub with the detergent--hang back and let dry. if your tub is not large enough take out side lie flat on ground --take a brush and detergent water and hose them after brushing them.
It's a bit of a chore, but the way I do it is by removing each one, laying it flat on my kitchen counter (it's important to lay it flat and not bend it), wiping it down on both sides, then reaffixing it, exactly as it was.
One set in my house is the standard vinyl, so those I just use Mr. Clean--slightly diluted; it doesn't require rinsing--and one of those two sided sponges with a more scratchy side on one side. (Most, I just wipe down, but I use the scratchy side for any stubborn gunk.)
I have a nicer, fabric, set in my house as well. Those I use a Tide stain-remover stick (or you can use a Shout stain remover wipe) to get specific stains out with, and then lightly wipe down using the same kind of sponge (but not the same one, so I don't get the Mr. Clean on the fabric) using only water and a tiny bit of Woolite mixed in. I then wipe down once more with only water, but again, only lightly to pick up dust and dirt, not to soak the fabric, which really isn't meant to get really, really wet.
The main problem comes when you try to wipe them while they're hanging, they can get bent, twist out of alignment, or fall off. It's better to remove one, one at a time, GENTLY, clean it laying flat, and then reattach it as it was.
Hope this helps!
Yes I've cleaned mine several times. I take them down and gently swish them about in a bath of warm soepy water with some washing soda thrown in ... I leave them for an hour.rinse them with the shower head and let them drain ...gently wipe with a dry cloth & put them back up...good as new!
ever heard of swiffer dusters?
BUY CURTAINS PMSL
I have just bought new blinds and i asked about cleaning them, they told me to put them in the bath, then when most water was out to hang them bag up try it should work as he was an expert
How can you ruin something that would have looked awful from day one, or do you live in an office?
i put mine in the washing machine on a delecaite setting inside a pillow case about 5 strips at a time and hang them up while they are still wet
I have put mine in the washing machine before , on a delicate wash . Take all the bits off first and wrap them in a pillowcase . Works for me but I suppose it will depend on what the blinds are actually made of . Good luck
I always clean mine in the bath with a little soap powder find it works ok,then re-hang them to drip dry (with something underneath to catch the drips) hope this helps.
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