It’s easy to include a light dusting of your blinds in your weekly cleaning schedule, but we also know it’s just as easy to skip these less thought about areas of your home. Then, one day, you open your blinds to let some light into your room to find them covered with a layer of dust. Luckily, our experts in the Good Housekeeping Institute Cleaning Lab are here to share a few simple ways you can clean your blinds at home, depending on how dirty they are and how much effort you want to put in.
It’s always a good idea to check your blind manufacturer’s website for instructions and precautions before trying any cleaning method that may cause damage to your blinds.
What You’ll Need
- Microfiber cloths, duster or gloves
- Vacuum cleaner with attachments
- Warm water
- Dishwashing liquid
How to Clean Blinds Without Taking Them Down
While taking blinds down and laying them on a flat surface allows you to clean both sides and the top and bottom rails more thoroughly, it is possible to give them a good cleaning while they are still on the windows.
There are two easy ways to clean your blinds while they are still hanging: dusting with a microfiber cloth, glove or duster and vacuuming with a soft, dusting brush attachment. Cleaning your blinds with a canister vacuum, an upright vacuum with attachments or a handheld vacuum you already have at home is a quick and easy way to give your blinds a refresh.
Cleaning Your Blinds with a Microfiber Cloth, Glove or Duster
- Open the blind and wrap the microfiber cloth tightly around both sides of the slate or grab both sides with your glove. For horizontal blinds (sometimes called venetian blinds), start at the top-most slat and work your way down. Starting from top to bottom ensures that you won’t have to clean the same slat a second time when dust from a slat above settles on one below. Wipe the slat from left to right. For vertical blinds, wrap your microfiber cloth tightly around both sides of the blind and wipe from top to bottom. If you are using a double-sided duster, you’ll clean the topside of one slat and bottom side of the one above it as you pass the duster in between. It’s even faster to dust the blinds with the slats closed, but be aware you won’t be dusting the full slat. Be sure to Shake your cloth outside often as you start to notice it collecting dust to avoid depositing dust back on to your blinds as you clean.
- To remove stubborn stains and sticky residue from metal, vinyl or faux wood blinds while they are hanging, dip a microfiber cloth in a bowl of warm water mixed with a few drops of dishwashing liquid.
- Squeeze out the excess water and wipe the blinds from left to right (or top to bottom if they’re vertical blinds).
- Wipe again on both sides with a clean, dry microfiber cloth to buff away any water spots or streaks. Use water sparingly, if at all, on real wood blinds.
Cleaning Your Blinds With a Vacuum
- Attach your vacuum’s soft dusting brush attachment and if possible, turn down the suction to the lowest setting.
- Hold onto the bottom rail of the blind to keep it taut. With your slats closed, move horizontally along the blinds, cleaning slowly from left to right.
- Repeat along each slat in the opposite direction.
- When you finish, reverse the slats, closing them the other way and clean each slat again.