For years, I spent so much time washing blinds while they stayed hung up. It was always annoying, back-breaking and arm-aching. I still never felt like I could get them clean enough!
Then I heard about this trick:
- Just pop them off the blind track at the top of your window
- Pull them down
- Soak them in a bathtub of soapy water (I just used dishsoap)
- Come back and wipe them down
- Set them on a towel to dry and then hang them back up!
If you have true wood blinds, this probably isn’t a good idea. But for the faux wood, plastic, and aluminum blinds, this is perfect!
Ours are the faux wood blinds that are 2″ wide and I LOVE them as we have had them forever (the faux wood blinds are “low maintenance”) and after washing, look brand new still! They are perfect for our house full of allergic people, and being able to clean them better also improves our allergies!
I mean, LOOK AT THAT DIRTY WATER!! That is after my weekly/monthly attempts to wipe them down! I feel much happier knowing my blinds are cleaner now and it was far less painful than before!
I also have a couple of sets that are longer than the bathtub. In this case, I stood them upright and just washed them down while I showered. This solved the problem of them not being able to soak in the water due to their long length!
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Pauline via Facebook
We take ours to the car wash and use the power wash hose 🙂
Alison via Facebook
Unless they’re a really large size, it’s easier to go buy new ones. They’re fairly cheap (ours are under $5!). I’ll never wash another one. I sliced my hand open the last time I did.
mildred lane
My plastic blinds had been hanging for 20 years and I had always taken them down , wash,rinse,dry and rehung. this year, went to Lowes, bought replacements for $5ea, hung and done.
Maria
Sounds like a good plan for the planet long-term. SMH
Lan via Facebook
I wonder if this effects the mechanisms that raise them up, down, and the tilt.
Chris via Facebook
I have been doing this for at least 10 years and have never ruined a blind lift or tilt. I use powered cascade!!
joyce stanley
This is a very good idea I may try this. I have also cleaned our blinds like this and I generally use detergent and bleach but I really like the Cascade idea. I have used Cascade for cleaner other things like our coffee thermos and many other things. Thanks for the idea
Joanna via Facebook
I have been going this for years because of my allergies.
Becky via Facebook
I have the 2″ wooden ones so they are too heavy to do this!
Cassie
Mine are 2″ Becky! They are heavier than aluminum, but not heavy enough to not do it!
Cindy via Facebook
The cheap plastic ones that aren’t expensive the best way to clean them is replace them!!!
Karen via Facebook
I have a better trick, rip them down. I hate those things.
Diane
My kids want curtains since they were raised with blinds. I wanted blinds since I was raised with curtains. Just curious what you were raised with?
I agree with the cheap ones, since you can’t control them. But I like mine since they are better made. I just ordered from Penney’s.
Cathleen via Facebook
My mom used to hang them out on the clothes line and wash them…in the 70’s…back then they were not plastic.
Robin via Facebook
I scratched my tub up doing that.
Lesa via Facebook
my husband put me a set of hangers on my back porch. Now I just take them down and re-hang them on the porch. Spray on the cleaner, wait a few minutes and use the hose to spray them off. Let them hang a couple hours and presto….clean and dry.
Kathleen via Facebook
That’s how I have always cleaned my blinds
Chris via Facebook
Now if someone could recommend a way to clean the dust off the inside of the oven glass door!!!
Marsha Gentry
http://www.mom4real.com/2012/10/how-to-clean-in-between-glass-on-your.html
Fran via Facebook
Been doing this for years!
Teresa via Facebook
Been doing this for 20 something years. I also have at times would take them outside and hang them over the clothes line pray them with a cleaner then hose them off. they dry in no time:)
Nicola via Facebook
Great idea. Thank you for sharing.
Fran via Facebook
I did this 30 yrs. ago…. Cut to the chase
Jennifer via Facebook
Be careful…I melted mine in too hot water this way. Lol
BreeAnna via Facebook
duh..
Erin via Facebook
Word of warning::: i’ve had it work for some in my home. however, i did some FILTHY ones from somehwere else and there was so much dirt that came out that the dirt seemed to absorb right back into the blinds and they was no way to clean them out! had to pitch them anyway.
Erin via Facebook
and thankfully, new blind are only $3 at walmart
Mippy via Facebook
Thank you sooo much for this tip! I am moving out and have to wash the blinds I think….this hopefully will work…if they fit in my tub…LOL
Chris via Facebook
omg. did that in the ’70s
Teri Su
WhAt?? O.o Now I have to clean my blinds? Ugh!
I want a housemaid, stat!
🙁
Jennifer
So for those of you that have wood blinds (its what I switched to) what do you do to clean them? The blind guy recommended one of those feather dusters at Bed Bath Beyond… anything better out there?
Ann Shirley
These are some really great tips. I have several faux wood blinds throughout my home and the tend to collect dirt and dust very quickly. I have been afraid of soaking them in water, but they will need to be cleaned soon so I’ll give them a try. Faux wood blinds are typically safer than real wood ones so I think I’ll probably be okay washing them this way.
charmaigne
Mine are light weight aluminum, They buckle and then stay buckled, as for replacing then for 3.00 in New Zealand they cost on sale 30.00 to 40.00 dollars each to replace. any ideas on how to wash and dry light weight blinds when you dont have a bath to do them in.
kathleen diegel
i have had the hunter douglas silhouette shades/blinds for over 15 years. I wash them twice a year in my tub. I fill it with warm water/oxyclean/dish soap. I let them soak about five minutes then rinse in clear water. Roll them in a thick towel and take them back downstairs and hang them immediately. They look brand new. This is certainly not recommended by Hunter Douglas but they are too expensive to replace and when they started looking dingy I figured i had nothing to lose. Fifteen years of washing has not harmed them in any way.
Jeannette
When I was young, my mother would take down the blinds and we would lay them flat on the front porch, scrub them with a broom or mop and rinse with the water hose. Hang them on the handrail until dry. That was about 50-55 yrs ago.
vini
I have washed my mini blinds for many many years they always seem to work fine afterwards plus with the little bit of work my inexpensive mini blinds hmmm lasted many years and I have saved lots of money because if you replace $5 a Piece a years you can’t always get them for that Low plus you can use that money and other fun things
Christine
Been cleaning blinds like this for years, I use sprayer in shower to rinse them off open them flat and wipe off with dry towel than spray them with lemon pledge and shine them up. I also spray wood blinds with wood cleaning spray and wipe them down.
Denise
Has anyone ever had problems with the cords or mechanism not working after washing the blinds this way? My aluminum blinds are DUSTY and I’m not looking forward to cleaning each slat individually. I like the idea of washing them in the tub, but afraid that the cords will get gross or ruined….
Pamela
I prefer the way my husband and I have been cleaning our mini blinds. I’ve been doing it for at least 20yrs on both the ‘cheap’ version mini blinds to the more expensive 2″ and up faux wood blinds.
You need to have something to hold the mini blinds to. I have used the backyard fence as well as the brick house with either: two nails or two screws – long ones – to hang the top part of the blind to. I leave the screws on the fence year round, but you could take them down each time I suppose.
Pull the blind completely ‘up’ to make it easier to carry outside and hang to the nails/screws – then pull the blinds ‘down’ and ‘close’ the blinds. Simply spray on ‘scrubbing bubbles’ starting at the top and literally watch all the icky stuff drip off!!! Rinse and flip/turn the blinds the opposite direction with the wand or cord and repeat!
I leave them outside until dry, pull the blinds all the way back up to carry back inside and put back in place! It’s so much easier to me than putting them in the bathtub! Plus, ALL the crevices on the blinds get clean and NO scrubbing required!
ps – ‘scrubbing bubbles’ will also remove nicotine/tar from cigarette smoke! I also use it on painted walls and cabinets in homes that have been smoked in!
wendy Himongala
I live in hawaii and with all the windows open 24/7 365 days a year our mini blinds get very dirty. I clean mine by taking them out on the back porch and laying them across a 6 foot utility table and spray them with only water and then scrub them down with a magic eraser and a bucket of water. I love magic erasers!
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