Get in touch
555-555-5555
info@justblindsinc.com
(334) 361-2994
Guidelines for Cleaning Window Blinds, Drapes and Shades
BWS Design • Aug 19, 2016
Window blinds are used for more than just controlling sunlight and providing privacy. They also can add beauty to a room. But to keep your window blinds looking new and serving you as long as possible, it’s critical that they be properly cleaned and maintained. Here are some basic guidelines for cleaning window blinds.
Wood Blinds
- After first tightly closing your wood blinds, lightly remove dust, using a feather duster, old paint brush or a vacuum cleaner brush attachment.
- Use an old sheet to catch dirt and grime that will fall on the floor.
- Dust, brush or vacuum all dirt and dust off each slat, one at a time.
- Then, close your blinds the other way and repeat the process.
- Never use water on wood blinds because this can destroy them.
- Also, do not expose wood blinds to sprinkler systems, rain, steam or high moisture. This means that you should not spray a window cleaning product directly onto a glass window. Instead, moisten the cleaning cloth with the window cleaner and then clean your windows.
Vertical Blinds
Vertical blinds tend to get even dirtier than horizontal ones, probably because they’re usually used for covering glass doors leading outdoors. Cleaning vertical blinds entails cleaning each individual slat, starting from the top and working down. Be sure you use an old towel or sheet to protect your floor from drips.
Some people even clean vertical blinds by unclipping the slats, laying them down on towels and cleaning each one individually. But this can be risky as it can be easy to break the plastic clips used to secure the slats.
Cleaning Drapes
- Vacuum drapes regularly by using a vacuum cleaner upholstery attachment. Because the folds and the top portions of the drapes tend to draw dust, it’s important to start at the top and finish at the bottom, cleaning all the surface.
- It’s best to have drapes dry-cleaned, rather than washing them.
- Always check the manufacturer’s guidelines, and you do wash your drapes at home, test a small inconspicuous spot. Use a mild detergent and warm water, noting if a color starts to bleed. If this happens, take your drapes directly to a professional dry cleaning service.
Cleaning Cellular Shades
- To avoid dust bunnies and shades on cellular shades, also known as honeycomb shades, you’ll need to vacuum your shades on a regular basis.
- The first step is rubbing off exceptionally dirty spots, using a brush extension of your vacuum cleaner. Be sure the shades are closed.
- All dirt and dust should be removed.
- Consider that shortening shades can help in preventing them from developing excess dirt and grime.
- You can immerse some types of cellular shades in water, but first check with the manufacturer. Wash your cellular shades by using warm water and just a small amount of mild detergent.
- Finally, hang your shades out to dry. Do not use a hairdryer, but if you do use one, apply the cool setting.
Cleaning Roman Shades
Spills and stains should be cleaned as soon as you notice them. You can use soda water or spray-on stain removers. Wash your shades before using spray-and-wash cleaning products.
For moderate dust buildup on decorative or embroidered shades, dust them, rather than vacuuming so that you don’t loosen threading. Use a duster that’s static-free. After you’ve cleaned the shades, it helps to apply a dust repellent, so dust won’t cling to your shades.
If your shades don’t have embroidered patterns, you can vacuum your shades, using a low setting.
Considerations and Warnings
- A feather duster is generally sufficient for cleaning blinds if there’s only a thin layer of dust on them. This is done by opening the blinds and dusting between each of the blinds so that dust can be removed from both sides.
- However, gentle vacuuming, using a vacuum cleaner attachment, may be needed for deeper cleaning. Use vertical strokes when vacuuming your blinds.
- To spot-clean your blinds, use a moistened sponge, using warm water and a soft cloth. If needed, you could add a small amount of mild detergent.
- Over-the-counter blind cleaners and a soft cloth are recommended for cleaning aluminum blinds.
- An old glove or sock can help in cleaning hard-to-access corners. It’s important to give your blinds regular cleaning. Consider that it can be harder to clean them and take more time when you allow too much dust and grime to accumulate.
- Be careful to avoid getting stained wooden blinds wet as water can easily compromise the finish. Rather than water, use a wood furniture cleaning product or lemon oil.
- Never scrub blinds too aggressively as this can remove color or damage a design.
Is it time to replace your window blinds? Let the window covering professionals at Just Blinds help you make the right choice. We provide onsite consultation, expert measuring and professional installation. Please contact us and learn more about our huge selection of blinds, drapes, Plantation shutters, shades and other window coverings.
Expert Advice by Just Blinds
Each year, styles in window treatments come and go. Trends that were hot last year may carry over to the new interior decor season or may be replaced by something new. In 2024, we are looking at a delightful set of trends in blinds, shades, and curtains that embrace the developing attitudes and popular colors that are already giving the year a unique stylistic personality. At Just Blinds, we are delighted to keep up with the trends, helping homeowners, designers, and property managers to create stunning spaces that align with the latest in window treatment trends. The Hot Trends of 2023 Blinds and Shades Last year in 2023, we saw a great collection of trends, many of which have evolved and strengthened with the new year. 2023 explored the innovations of cell shades and honeycomb shades for the benefits of insulation and light control. Motorization gained a prominant place in both home and office design, and decorators discovered the dynamic possibilities of shades that operate from both the bottom and the top on floor-to-ceiling tracks. Texture saw a real debut with natural colors like wood finishes, linen, dusty rose, and moss green. Though bold patterns also had their day in the sun. The Trending 2024 Window Treatments In 2024, you may recognize a few trends still going strong from the year before, which is good news for those who decorated last year because your style is likely still right on-trend. But we are also seeing new trends developing with elegant enthusiasm. Smart Home Blinds The trend for motorized shades has naturally evolved to favor smart home controls. With a simple voice command, you can take control of all the motorized shades in a room, in your entire home, or set each shade to exactly the height and opacity you desire. Warm Neutrals and Bold Natural Colors Color trends favor a more natural palette. Neutral colors are warmer, even the grays and charcoals have a honey undertone, while natural colors like mossy and forest green are growing stronger in hue paired with a jewelbox of flower petal colors. If you're following the Colors of the Year, you may have also noticed an adoration of ocean blues, and you can match those blues with slightly darker or lighter blinds for beautiful effect. Eco-Friendly and Sustainable Materials Natural materials and textures were popular in 2023, and 2024 takes this trend even further. Blinds made out of recycled materials are now on the rise alongside the growing popularity of blinds made from super-sustainable plants like bamboo, hemp, jute, and grass cloth. These offer natural colors, dynamic textures, and the delight of eco-friendly design. Gauzy Sheer Elegance Sheer curtains and semi-sheer blinds are also in fashion; a classic style that has been floating near the top of popularity for literal centuries. Sheer curtains and blinds maintain privacy while allowing sunlight into the room in a gently diffused glow. They also layer excellently with more robust window treatments. Creative Window Treatment Layering Speaking of layering, we are seeing an enthusiastic embrace of creatively layered styles. Wooden shutters, gauzy curtains, and black-out blinds are among the most popular layers, but decorators are getting creative with how they choose to to layer their window treatments, using both multiple fabrics and structures at the same time. Find the Blinds that Best Suit Your Needs How can you choose fantastic and on-trend blinds that perfectly suit your design needs? Fortunately, the diversity of this year's trends leave room for almost any personal sense of style and the individual needs of each room's windows. Start with the size of your windows and your room's existing color palette. Decide if you want to match, accent, or contrast the colors of the room. Then choose the opacity, privacy, and level of motorized control you desire. This should guide you toward a specific selection that will work well for your room. From there, it's a matter of specific features and your personal sense of style. Reach Out for Expert and On-Trend Advice If you are getting ready to decorate a room and want the perfect window treatments for 2024, we are only a phonecall or a visit away. Give us a call for expert advice in the right blinds or shades for each window in your home. Our on-trend window treatment experts will be glad to help tailor your window treatment design to your personal tastes, the latest trends, and the style of each of your rooms.
Is your AC bill keeping you down this summer? Is your home too hot? Window treatments can help cool your home, but you need to choose the right ones and use them correctly. Not all window coverings are made equal. Here are some of the best options to help keep your home comfortable and reduce costs this summer: Cellular or honeycomb shades. These are specifically designed to provide a high level of insulation that keeps the heat out of your home. They also don't block the view when completely drawn. As a bonus, you can get them in a wide variety of colors and patterns to match your home and in both top-down and bottom-up configurations. Drapery. Old-fashioned curtains can be surprisingly effective. Choose a medium color and have us add a white plastic backing to reflect heat out of your home. You can also use drapes to block some of the heat without excluding much light, allowing you to enjoy natural light flowing through your drapes. Fabric Roman shades. These are a distinctive option that really dresses up a room, and if you choose the kind with several layers they will definitely help keep the heat out. We have light filtering and blackout options and everything in between. Why Should You Use These Types of Shades or Blinds? The two reasons are to save money and help protect the environment. Good shades keep your home cooler and this means your air conditioning systems don't have to work as hard and use as much energy. In the northern hemisphere, it's most important to have heat-reducing treatments on your southern windows and you can allow more light in through windows that face north. Both cellular and Roman shades can also be motorized and even put on timers to close the shades when you are not there and then let light in when you return. The small amount of energy used by motorized shades is much less than that lost through naked windows. All of these shades can also add to the aesthetics of your room. Cellular shades are great to add a pop of color or a subtle pattern. Both drapery and Roman shades give a soft feel to your windows that then spreads to the rest of your room. What is the Best Choice? The best choice of the three depends on your personal aesthetics. Our designers can help you make the right choice. If you want motorized shades, cellular shades are the lightest and thus use the least energy, and can roll all the way up and down, leaving your windows completely unrestricted. Roman shades are more visible, but can be used to add fabric and color to a room. Many people still love the look of traditional window drapes. Note that you can also combine shades and drapes for the effect you want, both in terms of reducing heat loss and in terms of aesthetics. How Much Can I Actually Save? The amount you save depends on the kind of window covering you use and how much thermal gain your house typically experiences. The larger your windows, in general, the larger the benefit, especially south-facing windows. For example, medium-colored draperies with a white plastic backing can reduce heat gain by as much as 33% for that window. Most window treatments, though, reduce overall heat gain by about 10%. This can significantly reduce your bills, by $100 to $200 a month during the summer. Using the right window treatment can make your home more comfortable in the summer and save money while preserving the environment. For advise on which window treatments to choose for your home and to see our selection of blinds and shades, contact Just Blinds today.