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Cleaning and washing blinds is a painstaking job that should be done according to the rules so that the structure is clean and lasts a long time. In the article we will tell you how to wash the blinds in living rooms or in the office. If you follow our advice, washing will take a minimum of time with excellent results.
Why you need to clean your blinds
Blinds and similar window structures decorate the room only if they are not covered with a layer of dust, soot, grease and fingerprints. The accumulated dirt not only spoils the appearance of the window, but also provokes allergies in people with sensitive immunity. The surest way to prevent trouble is to regularly clean the blinds.
Should blinds be removed before washing?
If you have to clean the blinds in an office with high ceilings, where the technicians regularly carry out wet cleaning, it is not necessary to remove the products from the windows. It is not required to remove it even if the structure hangs in a living room with windows overlooking a park or forest, and not a highway. If the blinds are hanging in the kitchen, and there is no hood, then they will be heavily contaminated with a layer of dust, soot and grease. For high-quality washing, it is better to remove the blinds. Thin slats may not withstand washing and cleaning with force.
How to remove blinds
The method of removal depends on the type of construction – vertical or horizontal. Manufacturers provide for the possibility of easy dismantling of blinds and re-installation, without much difficulty.
How to remove vertical blinds
Consider the design. The slats are attached to the eaves, and there are plugs on the side. Before washing vertical blinds, you need to remove them. For this:
- Open them, it will be more convenient for you to shoot.
- Unfasten the lower chains from the plumb lines.
- Remove plumb lines.
Remove vertical blinds one at a time - Gather the lamellas to one side, but not tightly. You don’t have to move along the window.
- Lift the lamella and remove it from the hook.
- Move the fastener away from the hook and pull down.
- Remove the lamella.
- Do the same with the rest.
- To wash the entire vertical blinds, roll them up.
Important. Structures of many parts are difficult to disassemble. If you have not figured out how to remove and wash roller blinds yourself, such as day-night, call professional cleaners.
If the fastening to the hook on the eaves of the curtain is broken, it is difficult to fix it, since the dimensions are small. However, they are on sale.
How to remove horizontal blinds
Be careful with such products – the lamellae are thin and break with inaccurate impact. Wipe them with a microfiber cloth before dismantling to partially remove dust. Pull down the blinds and close. Prepare the surface to put them on.
Depending on how you mount the blinds, you will need a Phillips or flathead screwdriver. Usually fastening of horizontal blinds is standard. Fastening to the window is carried out by two brackets and it is not difficult to remove them. To do this, holding the body, you need to pull the latches. If the latches are tight, use a flathead screwdriver or knife.
Pay attention! If you have studied in detail how to remove the blinds from the window to wash, but have not coped with bending the tongues, remove the slats with them. Do not clean the blinds together with the latches, they will rust.
With the installed blinds “Isolight”, you need:
- Remove the decorative trims along the edges by prying them with a screwdriver.
- While holding the housing, unscrew the fastening screws.
- Carefully remove the blinds and lay on the surface.
Roller blinds
Before removing the roller blinds, open them and remove the dust with a vacuum cleaner or a cloth. Curtains can be fixed to the window with screws or double tape. But most often they are installed on brackets that do not need to be removed.
With this method, only the roller blind is removed. For this:
- Pry up and remove the decorative strip;
- Tighten the retainer;
- Pull the roll with the retainer out of the holder;
- Remove the roll by pulling it out of the second bracket.
How to wash blinds
For washing such structures, liquid soap without components for moisturizing the skin of the hands is well suited. Caring components leave streaks, so they are best avoided. Another option is dishwashing detergent. It lathers well and quickly eats away fat.
How to clean horizontal blinds
The first natural desire is to wet a rag that came to hand and wipe each lamella. If you do this, rag blinds will remain dusty, and aluminum and plastic ones will take several hours of free time and eventually turn out to be covered with stains. It is better to use tips on how to wash blinds and save time.
Sprayer + brush
You will need a spray bottle filled with water and a long bristle brush. Brush off dust with a brush and spray water at the same time so that the dust ends up on the floor, not on the slats and not in your lungs. Do not wet the slats.
Vacuums
Attach a nozzle to the hose for cleaning furniture or car interiors. Turn on the vacuum cleaner. Move along the lamellas from top to bottom. Start from the top, so as not to raise dust into the air again.
Rag or napkins + soap solution
This method is suitable for anyone who is interested in how to wash horizontal blinds in the kitchen. Close the blinds. Spray a small area with soap and water to moisturize. Wipe off moisture with a cloth. When you’re done, turn the slats over and do the same on the other side.
Sponge + dishwashing detergent
Have rubber gloves, a dish sponge, a lint-free cloth, liquid detergent, a bucket of water, and a clean rag ready. Close the blinds. Dip the sponge in the soap, wring it out hard and scrub all the lamellas. If there are streaks, get rid of them with a lint-free cloth. Finally, wipe the slats with a dry, clean cloth.
in the bath
The method is suitable for aluminum and plastic slats. Remove the blinds and take them to the bathroom. Turn the water tap to the maximum and substitute the slats. If they are covered in grease and soot, soak them in a bath with dishwashing detergent.
After an hour, rinse the structure in the shower and wipe it with a rag. You can dry it with warm air from a hair dryer. Return the blinds to the window.
Important. Do not forget to lubricate the turning mechanisms, for example, with silicone grease.
Gadgets
Blinds with horizontal slats can be cleaned with special tools from a hardware store, such as a trident brush. It will cope with the simultaneous wiping of several surfaces and significantly save time.
How to clean vertical blinds
Vertical structures are difficult to clean if they cannot be dismantled. Therefore, when choosing such blinds, it is worth giving preference not to fabric, but to plastic slats.
How to wash and clean blinds without dismantling
Open them – that is, put the ribs perpendicular to the window. Fill the spray bottle with soapy water, spray the slats, clean thoroughly with a dishwashing sponge, then wipe with a lint-free cloth.
Handwash
Before washing fabric blinds by hand, remove them. Remove parts that can be damaged by water and soap. Roll the strips into rolls, lower them into a basin with soapy water or diluted dishwashing detergent. If these are wide roller blinds, then use a bath. Wait 40-50 minutes, run a dish sponge over each plate. Wash them in the shower, let the water drain and return them to the window.
Can blinds be washed?
Lamellas made of synthetic fabrics are not afraid of machine washing. Textile blinds “like” vertical steam cleaners more than a washing machine. If you have such a unit, use it to remove dust and dirt. Wrap each lamella with a sheet before processing so as not to damage. The steam will remove dust from the fabric, and the heat will kill bacteria.
Roller blinds do not need to be washed in the washing machine, even if they are small or can be wrinkled. You will break their structure. Only slats of vertical curtains are suitable for washing. But if the dirt is minimal, refrain from machine washing. The fabric of vertical blinds is treated with a special compound that prevents it from fading. The composition creates an antistatic effect that repels dust, protects against moisture, which helps to maintain the shape of the lamellae. But if washing is necessary, then follow the tips below.
How to wash fabric blinds in the washing machine
Remove parts that water will harm. Roll the slats into rolls, set the gentle wash mode. If possible, fold the fabric strips into mesh bags for extra protection. Do not wring them out or set the minimum speed.
Remove items, hang to dry. If the blinds are left to dry in rolls, then the strips will turn out to be crooked.
How to wash day-night curtains at home
“Day-night” – a subspecies of roller blinds. Remove them from the window and disassemble the structure. Fill the tub with warm water and add dish soap or liquid soap. Clean the curtains from dirt with a brush or a hard dish sponge so as not to tear the mesh. Rinse in the shower, let the product dry and return to the window.
How to remove fat and soot with folk remedies
In the living rooms, the blinds are covered with dust, and in the kitchen – with grease. To get rid of such contaminants, use a concentrated dishwashing detergent. Rub the slats carefully, but gently so as not to bend them. If there is a lot of soot and grease, soak the lamellas in detergent.
How else can you wash the blinds in the kitchen from grease? Vinegar, hydrogen peroxide and soda are well suited to remove such contaminants. All these compounds must be diluted with water to avoid damage to the blinds and stains on their surface. Below are some recipes.
Soda and hydrogen peroxide
The method will give whiteness to white blinds that have lost color. The recipe is simple:
- glass of water;
- 1/2 cup soda;
- 1/2 teaspoon hydrogen peroxide.
Vinegar
Put on rubber gloves. Add two parts water to one part 9% vinegar. Immerse the sponge for dishes, wring out. Rub the slats until the fat has dissolved.
Ammonia with soda
It will cope with dried, old stains and even those as difficult as ink. Take 1 tablespoon of soda and add ammonia to bring the solution to a liquid slurry. Wipe the contaminated area until clean and rinse with water.
General Tips for Cleaning Blinds
Before you clean horizontal blinds in your home, carefully consider their design and material to find the best way to care for them. In general, follow these tips:
- wash fabric blinds in mesh bags on the “gentle wash” mode;
- straighten textile strips before drying;
- do not iron fabric strips with an iron – only with a vertical steamer;
The steamer can clean and smooth not only clothes and curtains, but fabric blinds - clean plastic and metal slats only with a lint-free soft cloth – for example, microfiber;
- try not to use a hair dryer, iron and heating radiators, even if the room is damp: let the slats dry naturally;
- dismantle the blinds as carefully as possible so as not to damage fragile parts;
- do not clean blinds with a photo print and photo blinds with a steam generator.
Life hacks
- To reduce the settling of dust on the slats of the blinds, you can treat them with antistatic agents.
- When cleaning plastic blinds, you can use furniture polish.
Conclusion
We told you how to wash horizontal aluminum and plastic blinds. Shared life hacks for the care of textile slats and roller blinds. If you follow our rules, all dust and stubborn stains of grease, soot and other contaminants will disappear from the surface of the blinds.