How to clean blinds at home: cleaning horizontal and vertical blinds

Blinds made of fabric slats have become one of the main competitors of traditional curtains, not only in study rooms and offices, but also in our apartments. The fact is that with their help it is very convenient to regulate and dose natural light, and they look almost as cozy as fabric curtains. Many people do not purchase these ergonomic and stylish curtains just because they do not want to dry-clean them regularly. In fact, this is not necessary at all. You can wash fabric lamellas, get rid of stains and dirt yourself. How to wash vertical blinds in a washing machine and figure it out manually in this article.

General tips for the care of blinds with fabric slats

Before washing vertical fabric blinds at home, it is advisable to familiarize yourself with the general recommendations, usually specified by manufacturers in the instructions for their use. They are very simple, but they will help to avoid many troubles and keep the lamellas marketable for as long as possible:

Learn about the material composition of the lamellas and how to care for them.
Lamellas of vertical blinds are treated with a dirt-repellent impregnation, which allows them to stay clean for a very long time, but washes off with frequent washing. Therefore, it is advisable to wash such blinds no more than once a year.
Blinds with jacquard fabric lamellas are the most common in residential premises. They are only allowed to be washed by hand in a mild soap solution at a temperature not exceeding 40 ° C.
Polyester sun shades are both hand and machine washable.
Venetian blinds made of fiberglass fabric deform when exposed to water. To clean them, only dry cleaning is allowed.

In order for the blinds to remain clean, it is enough to vacuum their surface on both sides from time to time, and if stains appear, carefully remove them with a soft sponge dipped in soapy water.

Which blinds cannot be washed?

Fabric blinds are practical and easy to use, they are increasingly replacing the classic fabric curtains that have been popular in use over the years.

Fabric blinds require special care, because any fold will inevitably lead to the loss of the product's appearance. Below is a list of fabric blinds that you should be especially careful when cleaning:

Caring for roller blinds does not involve washing, as any wrong action will ruin them.
Jacquard curtains should only be hand washed, using the washing machine may damage them.
Venetian blinds containing fiberglass can only be cleaned dry.

So, products that are afraid of folds should never be washed. In this situation, you will have to resort to alternative methods of cleaning from contamination, described below.

How to remove vertical wash blinds

Before you start washing the vertical blinds, they must be removed from the curtain rod. To do this, you will need to perform a certain sequence of actions, consisting of several steps:

Rotate the lamellas using the control chain to the open position.
Remove the guide chain from both sides of the lower weight of each lamella.
Pull out the weight plates (weights).
Remove each strip from the eaves.To do this, you need to take the upper part of the lamella near the fastening clip (slider), and slightly bending to the side, at the same time raise it until it clicks up by 3-5 mm. After that, bend the lamella away from the longer part of the runner, increasing the gap between the inner hook and the short wall, and pull it down sharply.

To return the lamellas to the cornice, all of the above steps must be performed in reverse order, starting with the last one.

In order to better understand how to remove vertical fabric blinds from the eaves and not damage them, we recommend watching the video published below.

Dry cleaning

If you are not sure about the effectiveness of cleaning the blinds at home, it is better to take them to dry cleaning. In specialized salons, all types are accepted - they clean both horizontal and roll ones. They use appropriate materials that do not break the structure. The modern equipment, the latest cleaning products achieve good results.

You need to contact the dry cleaner:

in case of contamination that cannot be removed on its own;
when the type of material is unfamiliar;

it is necessary to remove the stain, but washing is contraindicated for the product;
if the blinds are expensive with a complex coating, and even have decorated elements.

Cleaning is done by means of ultrasound, contact with water is excluded, plus the removal of the lamellas is not required.

Manual processing

How to wash fabric slats in an automatic machine

As mentioned above, automatic washing is not suitable for all types of slats, and before washing the blinds in the washing machine, check what fabric they are made of. For products made of synthetics, machine wash will not bring harm, but it is better to wash lamellas made of natural fabrics by hand. After being in the machine, they can stretch or, on the contrary, shrink and lose their attractive appearance.

The sequence of actions when washing fabric slats in an automatic machine is as follows:

Before sending to the drum, you need to prepare the blinds for washing: after removing the canvases from the eaves, roll them one at a time (or 3-5 pieces each) into loose rolls (so that the rolls do not unwind, you can pull elastic bands for money on them), put them in a bag for washing or in a pillowcase. It is not necessary to remove the weighting materials.
The bag with the prepared lamellas is loaded into the drum. Delicate wash gel is poured into the detergent compartment. Powder is not used when washing blinds in a typewriter, as it leaves whitish stains on the lamellas.
We use the hand wash program. We turn off the modes "drying", "spinning" and "rinsing".
After completing the wash, the lamellas are carefully unfolded one by one and rinsed in water at room temperature one by one. You cannot twist and wring them out.
The slats are dried over the bathtub or outdoors, but in the shade, gently picking up the top with clothespins. The ideal option is to let the water drain off the canvases and immediately attach them to the cornice, remembering to close the window first.

In order for the strips to quickly take on their original shape, additional weights can be suspended from their bottom with clothespins.

Drying of textile blinds

The washed product is fixed over the bathtub while the water drains. Later, the fabric strips are inserted into the mountings. The strips, slightly damp, are straightened and so hung on the frame, attaching weights from below. Thus, the previous appearance will be restored.

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Irina. Housewife.

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Dry horizontally on a flat surface such as a long dryer or a clean floor. It is necessary to avoid the sun, hot air, deforming blinds. Small folds are smoothed out (do not press down with weight).

After drying, the visible wrinkled areas are ironed with an iron, covered with gauze, at a minimum temperature. Under no circumstances should the strips be pulled and the iron should not be pressed into them.

Dirty and clean slats

How to hand wash fabric slats

Hand wash is more gentle than automatic and is suitable for all types of lamellas. But for her, you need to adhere to a few simple rules.

The sequence of actions for hand washing is as follows:

The lamellas are removed from the cornice, rolled up one at a time into non-tight rolls and placed in a container with warm (35-40 ° C) water with a liquid gentle detergent previously dissolved in it, soaked. When soaking, rolls must be completely covered with water.
After 30-40 minutes, the rolls are unrolled and see if the dirt has left them. Unwashed cloths are soaked again in fresh soapy water.
Clean lamellas are alternately rinsed under running cool water, but in no case wrung out. The most convenient way to do this is using a hose and shower head.
The canvases are dried in the same way as after an automatic wash: they allow the water to drain and attach it to the cornice while still wet. Until the blinds are completely dry, the window should be closed.

Stubborn stains on the lamellas can be rubbed gently (without enthusiasm) with a soft sponge. Do not rub the fabric with a brush or washcloth. Otherwise, you will ruin it.

How to hand wash vertical fabric blinds

Afraid that even a delicate machine wash will ruin your new blinds? Or does the type of fabric not allow washing them in an automatic machine? In this case, you can clean them manually. This is not at all so difficult to do, you should not be intimidated.

Preparation. Everything happens in the same way as in preparation for washing the blinds in an automatic machine. First, all the fittings are disconnected, then the lamellas are rolled up - remember that they should not be tight. The rolls are placed in a bag, after which the bag is also loosely tied.
Soak. The bag is lowered into a basin with warm soapy water, straightened and left for a while. Half an hour will be enough.
After that, the slats are removed, straightened and rinsed out in the shower. Soapy foam should not remain; a soft sponge is used for convenience. In no case should you brush the lamellas with a brush - then they will surely lose their original appearance. Movements should be strictly vertical; you cannot rub the lamellas horizontally or in a circle.

If, after rinsing in the shower, unclean stains are found on the lamellas, you can walk over them with a sponge and soapy water again, and then rinse again in the shower. After the water has drained well, wet lamellas are hung on the cornice.

How to clean vertical blinds without removing from the eaves

You can wash fabric blinds without removing them from the curtain rod or window. This method is the most gentle. It does not deform the lamellas and allows you to keep the dirt-repellent coating on their surface to the maximum.

The procedure is as follows:

Before washing the blinds, clean the slats from dust: vacuum thoroughly on both sides using a soft bristled brush.
Gently clean the dust-free canvases along the entire length on both sides with soapy water applied to a soft sponge or cloth. Particularly polluted areas need to be walked several times, but you do not need to rub them diligently. Otherwise, you will damage the fabric.
Then the blinds washed in this way are rinsed without removing from the eaves - they are washed several times with a sponge dipped in clean cool water.
That's all. It remains to wait until the canvases are dry and until then do not open the windows.

Keeping your blinds clean is not difficult. Vacuum them once a month, wash them once a year, adhering to the above rules, and they will not lose their attractiveness and functionality for a very long time. Well, if washing vertical blinds at home seems too troublesome for you, contact your nearest dry cleaner.

Washing technology

To prevent the fabric slats from losing their shape during processing and not getting creases, they are rolled up.You can do this for each part, or fold five or six in a neat stack, but no more, and roll them all together. The resulting roller is fixed with a clerical elastic band or simply tied with a thread. They can be washed as such. This is done in an automatic washing machine or manually. Let's consider both options.

Handwash

The most convenient way to wash is in the bath. If this is not possible, you need to prepare a large enough container in which all the rolls will fit at once. A washing solution is prepared. Collect cool water in the bath, measure out the product, completely dissolve it in the liquid. The rolls are lowered into a container so that each of them is covered with soapy water. Leave in this form for about half an hour. During this time, the dirt will get wet.

Straighten each strip in turn. Gently rub it with a soft sponge, washing away the dirt. If spots remain on the surface, they are removed. The remover is selected depending on the type of contamination. So, fat dissolves well a high-quality dish gel like "Fairy", the mark from a felt-tip pen or a pen is removed with an alcohol solution. The washed lamella must be rinsed well so that no soap remains on its surface.

This can be done in two ways. It is convenient to rinse the strip under the shower at home. The fabric is taken into the hand, a shower head is directed at it and rinsed abundantly. You can also rinse the planks in the basin. Each in turn is lowered into a container, then taken out. Do this several times until there is no foam left. It is impossible to squeeze, even very lightly. Material impregnated with polymers is prone to creasing. Roller blinds are washed in the same way. Their main difference is in the size of the canvas. It covers the entire window, so it is large enough. Such a panel does not need to be rolled up. It is carefully lowered into the bath, left for a while, then washed. An important point: it is not recommended to crumple the canvas, all the folds must be straightened immediately.

Soak

If vertical fabric blinds were in the kitchen, grease and dirt constantly accumulated on them, which means that they are significantly dirty. To wash them as best as possible, place them in a container of water before placing them in the drum and soak them for several hours. The choice of detergent must be approached with caution.

To soak the lamellas, you need to take a few drops of liquid baby soap. If the solution contains a lot of foam, streaks will appear on the lamellas, which will be very difficult to remove.

Choosing a detergent

Roller blinds can be washed with liquid detergent. The use of detergents, various bleaches or other substances can damage the lamellas.

When washing colored vertical blinds, it is recommended to use a detergent of the same color. This will prevent fading or discoloration of the lamellas after washing.

Wet cleaning

Washing is often required by a folding curtain in the bathroom or kitchen. Here, the degree of pollution is higher than in the living room or bedroom. It should be remembered that this type of cleaning is only suitable for aluminum and plastic slats. If there is no desire or time to take off from the window to wash, you can organize cleaning right on the spot.

Position the structure so that the lamellas line up in one sheet.
Use a special cleaner with a spray dispenser.
Spray it over the surface and swipe it with a sponge.
Spray clean water to rinse away the product.
Remove residue with a sponge or absorbent cloth.
Repeat the procedure with the back of the lamellas.

How to get rid of grease and dirt using folk methods

Contaminants are so persistent that it is impossible to remove them with store-bought chemicals. Fortunately, for such purposes, there are a lot of useful tools from the home collection. They are well known to every housewife, were often used in work and did not "let down".

Vinegar

A water solution of vinegar (1 to 2) will help quickly wash any artificial surface, get rid of dirt on aluminum and plastic blinds. Vinegar costs a penny, and the effect of it is like an expensive detergent.

It easily removes food stains, grease stains, stagnant dirt. For a clean result, you need to put on waterproof gloves, moisten a napkin in the solution and wipe both sides of the lamellas.

Ammonia

Ammonia is called a solution of 10% ammonia, which has a characteristic, pungent odor. Its main purpose is to neutralize acids, which is why it removes all stubborn dirt so easily.

For quick cleaning, 10 ml of such a product in 5 liters of water is enough, and the blinds will sparkle like new. The ammonia can be used to wipe down fabric, plastic slats. Do not under any circumstances mix with chloride agents.

Detergent

Most detergents contain a formula that breaks down dietary fats. Dishwashing chemicals are not corrosive to the skin, so you can use them without hand protection. High-quality varieties have a thick consistency and form foam when applied.

Such products can be used for any kind of blinds except wooden ones. With home remedies, you can remove localized greasy spots. They are unlikely to cope with dried, ingrained dirt.

Bath remedy

Household bathtub cleaning concentrates can also work for blinds. But only in the form of a gel or solution. Powders can damage plastic, aluminum objects. From rubbing in abrasive particles, they are scratched, fade. And not always bath products can remove stubborn dirt, so it is important to choose them, focusing on the composition, purpose.

Hydrogen peroxide

This drug is sold in a pharmacy, has a pronounced antiseptic, whitening properties. When they clean the blinds, in addition, they remove harmful bacteria, lighten the darkened surfaces. For safe use, you can make a 50/50 solution from it. A prerequisite for effectiveness is to use the solution within 30-40 minutes.

Soda and soap

Soda is a cleaning agent that is allowed to be added to food. Soap is used for washing and washing, contains glycerin (sodium alkali). Together, baking soda and soap leave no chance for dirt.

It is enough to make a thick solution with them - stubborn stains will be removed in a couple of minutes. The only negative is that impressive stains remain from such a mixture. But they can be easily removed with a clean, damp cloth.

Stationery eraser

It is convenient to use an eraser to remove pencil inscriptions, dried paints left by children. In the fight against ingrained dirt, it will not help.

Alcohol

A sponge dipped in a solution of alcohol or vodka will well remove stagnant fat, food stains. The correct composition for a good result is at least 20%.

Do I need to shoot from the window and how to do it

Whether or not the collecting curtains need to be removed for washing is determined by the owner. Sometimes it is really difficult to clean stubborn dirt from them, especially in the kitchen or nursery. Soot, grease, spilled drink, felt-tip pens, paints make this task sometimes impossible.

I just want to take them off, soak them in water. If you do not know how to remove the blinds from the window, partially disassemble, or are afraid to damage the mounts due to the complexity of the design, then it is better to ask an experienced person or call an installer. Remember the parsing scheme, and next time you will not have to resort to someone else's services.

How to clean blinds manually

If you have doubts about whether the blinds are washed in the washing machine, you should not carry out risky experiments, but take them to a dry cleaner, where they will be carefully and efficiently put in order.

It is sometimes possible to clean the lamellas by hand in the following ways:

Vacuum the blinds thoroughly, then mix water and ammonia in a 1: 1 ratio, dampen a soft cloth and dry thoroughly on both sides of the slats.
If you add soda to water and ammonia in a ratio of 1: 1: 0.5, then even traces of ink can be easily removed with this tool.
A mixture of squeezed lemon juice and soda in a 1: 1 ratio also effectively removes dirt on light-colored blinds. It is necessary to carefully rub the stains with this composition, and after 15-20 minutes, remove the remnants of the product.
Acetone-free nail polish remover removes the marks of a marker or felt-tip pen efficiently. You need to soak cotton or cloth in the product and wipe off the stains.
It is best to use a vacuum cleaner or soft bristled brush to remove dust. Coarse pile is not allowed.

Maintenance of horizontal blinds

A horizontal set of blinds does not only consist of slats. They also include other alloy, plastic and fabric parts. For example, bottom bar, cane, caps, plugs, control mechanism. Therefore, when cleaning the strips, you need to pay attention to them. Otherwise, you will soon find that the details differ from the lamellas in color and brightness.

Basically, the structure can be wet cleaned, since even metal blinds are always reliable powder coated or made of aluminum.