A person’s home is often an expression of their character, which is why we take time to look after them and ensure everything is spick and span. Blinds can be an essential accessory to any room—the finishing touch to turn a room from good to just right. A popular choice for many homes is venetian blinds, which come in many different styles, including aluminium and wooden venetian blinds. Let’s face it though, at times they can be slightly awkward to maintain in that pristine condition we all desire. So, here are five tips on how to keep your venetian blinds looking brand new.
The Vacuum is your new best friend
Regardless of the material, using a vacuum is a great way to clean your blinds. Venetian blinds are delicate, so when cleaning them you need to take great care to not bang them against each other. To make life easier, open the blinds fully and use the rotating bar to close the slates completely.
Use a dusting brush vacuum attachment to clean the slats from the middle to the right edge, back to the middle, then to the left edge. This will ensure that no dust or grub gets by you. Continue repeating this procedure from the top of the blind right to the bottom slate. Once again using the rotating bar twist it in the other direction so that the back of the slides are facing you.
Repeat the same process that you followed for the front of the blinds. Once you’re done, you’re then left with a glistening set of blinds, sure to impress any guests.
Dust, Dust, Dust!
What may seem like a tedious process, regular dusting is the best trick to maintaining your blinds. Keep on top of dust and dirt build-up by lightly cleaning your blinds with either a feather duster or soft cloth every few weeks.
If you stay diligent, you will find that there isn’t much work to do each week. Using the soft cloth or feather duster, lightly wipe each slate horizontally. A trick to easily get at all the edges is to use cotton gloves. These are a great way to get at all the nicks and crannies’, whilst carefully cleaning your delicate Venetian blinds. Make a habit of repeating this process once every two weeks, and you will be able to achieve that new glow without any unnecessary stress.
Use a damp cloth
This process will slightly differ between the type of material that your venetian blind is. Water is no friend to wooden venetian blinds, as it can leave stains or marks, which is not what you want. Instead, use a special wood cleaner or furniture polish. Lightly spray each of the slates and then wipe them using a soft dry cloth. Don’t worry if you don’t have a wood-specific cleaner. Most wooden blinds are treated with a protective finish that resists stains, so wiping them with a soft cloth often does the trick.
For any other materials, a damp cloth or sponge is all you need. Never scrub the blinds, you don’t want to chip away at any paint or polish. You will find that gently wiping them down with a damp cloth will get rid of any dirt or muck just fine.
In the bath! (Warning: Not for wooden venetian blinds)
Yes, you read correctly, using the bath can be a great way to give your aluminium venetian blinds a well-deserved clean. Sometimes life gets the better of us and we let little tasks slip, such as cleaning our blinds. Well, don’t worry, using the bath will get rid of any dust or dirt that has built up for the weeks, months or years that you haven’t cleaned them. The one thing to always keep in mind is to be extremely gentle, you don’t want to damage the blinds in any way by chipping or creasing them.
The first thing you will need to do is remove the blinds from the wall by undoing the brackets at the end of the headrail. Laying a towel on the base of your bath can be a great way to protect your blinds from getting any nicks in the process. When you’re ready, lay the blinds on top of the towel and make sure they are as flat as you can get them. Next, fill the bath with warm water, if you would like you can add a small amount of liquid detergent. Then the next part is easy, just let them soak there for about half an hour. Then lightly wipe them down with a soft cloth, to get rid of any visible stains. Rinse them with clean water to get rid of the soap and hang the blinds in a safe place to let them dry.
They will be looking clean as ever, and none will be the wiser that they’d been left uncleaned for so long!
Treat them with care
Cleaning the blinds from dust and dirt is a doable task. However, getting rid of chips and creases is a whole other story. Creases and chips can be made through people peeking through the blinds to look out the window. This sort of damage isn’t reversible, and you will need to get the damaged slates replaced.
An easy fix to this problem is to always use the rotating bar when dealing with your venetian blinds. Treat them with care, and they will maintain their perfect condition.
Get quality venetian blinds for your home at NZ Blinds
Whether your looking for faux wood venetian blinds, or one of the more traditional materials, NZ Blinds offers a range of quality venetian blinds made to measure for any space. Get in touch to find your ideal blinds today.