Cleaning blinds at home or the office, or the home office these days, is a chore that is often neglected because no one wants to take down the blinds to clean them! The answer is a simple, basic method for cleaning blinds that do not require the blinds to be taken down.
Cleaning blinds require a method that removes the dust rather than simply disturbing it, only to have it settle again on the blinds once you are done. Microfiber cloths are the best way to remove dust, but there are different ways you can use microfiber materials to clean your blinds.
Cleaning blinds does not need to be a time-consuming task or require sophisticated equipment. Using simple tools or tools you can make from items you already have available in your home will encourage you to clean your blinds more often and with minimal time and effort!
1. Clean Your Blinds with a Clever Inexpensive Tool (My Preferred Way)
With this nifty blinds cleaning kit, I'm able to quickly and easily clean all types of blinds.
This product offers two different tools which we show below.
Materials
- None
Instructions
1. Buy the blinds cleaning kit. You can buy both tools in a kit or individually. If buying one, get the green tool - it works better.
2. Spray water onto the blinds.
3. Choose the roller depending on the types of blinds you are cleaning.
Here's the roller for Venetian blinds.
OR
Here's the roller designed for mini-blinds but I found it a hassle to slide each blind between the rollers. The rollers are fairly snug together.
FYI, I prefer the first tool above (the green tool) because it's much easier to fit the blinds between the "blades". You need both hands to finagle the blinds in between the rollers:
4. Check the blinds looking for dust spots.
5. Wash the removable rollers.
FYI, this blinds tool kit can clean anything with slats - vents, etc.
Notes
Does this method work with vertical blinds?
Yes, these blinds cleaning tools work well with vertical blinds as well.
2. Clean Your Blinds with Tongs and Microfiber
One of the best methods of cleaning blinds with materials you likely have at home anyway is to use a combination of kitchen or BBQ tongs and a microfiber cloth.
The flatter the ends of the tongs are, the better this method will work. Flat tong-ends will allow the makeshift cleaning tool to slip easily between the blind slats to wipe the dust away.
Materials
- 1 pair of BBQ or kitchen tongs
- 2 microfiber cloths
- 4 rubber bands
Tools
- No tools are required.
Instructions
1. Wrap Tongs With a Microfiber Cloth
Wrap one microfiber cloth tightly around the end of one arm of the tongs. Use a rubber band to secure the microfiber cloth to the part of the tongs closest to the handle.
Use a second rubber band to secure the cloth to the end of the tongs furthest away from the handle.
Repeat this method to secure the second microfiber cloth to the other arm of the tongs. Your makeshift blind cleaner should look similar to the picture above.
2. Clean Each Blind Slat
To clean the blinds with your new blind cleaner, slip the two arms of the tongs in the gap between the blind slats.
Close the tongs with your hand to apply enough pressure so that one cloth on the tongs is in contact with the upper side of the blind slat and the other cloth is in contact with the bottom of the blind slat.
Do not apply too much pressure; the blind will move with the tongs as you clean rather than slide between the cloths.
Slide the tongs along the blinds length to wipe the dirt away. Repeat this process for each slat on the blind, including the ends of the blind slats on either side of the control stings.
If there are stubborn marks on the blinds, spray a little water on the microfiber cloths, and rub the cloth-covered tongs several times across the stubborn dirt on the blind slat.
The advantage of the microfiber/tong method is that the upper and lower surface of the blind slat is cleaned at the same time. It is also easier to fit the tongs in two gaps, allowing you to move quickly and clean your blinds in record time!
Tip: If you have multiple blinds to clean, keep several microfiber cloths at the ready and change to clean cloths on the tongs for each set of blinds. You can also reverse the same cloth on the tongs to use the clean side of the cloth for the next set of blinds!
Step 3: Remove the Microfiber Cloths and Wash Them to Clean.
Removing the microfiber cloths from the tongs is a simple task of removing the rubber bands holding the cloths in place.
If the rubber bands are too tight on the tongs, you may need to snip them with a pair of scissors. The final part of the process is to wash your used microfiber cloths in the washing machine, so they are ready for the next time the blinds need cleaning!
Notes
This simple blind cleaning method works with larger blind slats. If you have mini-blinds, check out the tutorial below.
3. Quick n' Easy Method: Wipe 'em with a Cloth (Microfiber is Best)
Human hands are our most dextrous tools and often work better than manufactured tools. Our ability to feel and manipulate our fingers allows us to follow contours and clean in small crevices and difficult angles.
It makes sense, therefore, that our hands would make ideal cleaning tools for blinds. It is easy to slip our fingers between the slats and run our hands along the length of the slat to remove the dust. But who wants to do this and end up with dirty, grimy hands?
This is where the microfiber glove comes in. The microfibers are designed to pick up dust and hold it in the fibers rather than spread it across the blind surface. Microfiber gloves give our hands the ideal covering to keep our hands clean while effectively removing the dirt from the blinds.
The type of microfiber gloves makes a difference in the cleaning process. I prefer the fingered-type gloves rather than the mitten-type gloves since the fingers on the gloves give me the ability to clean multiple blind slats at a time.
Materials
- None
Tools
- 1 pair of microfiber gloves with fingers.
Instructions
Step 1: Put on the Microfiber Glove.
Put the microfiber glove on your hand. I generally prefer keeping one hand ungloved to help manipulate the blinds while the gloved hand does the cleaning.
Step 2: Clean the Blinds With the Microfiber Glove.
You can use two methods to clean the blinds with the microfiber glove. The first method is to pinch the blind slat between the thumb and forefinger and run them across the top and bottom surfaces of the blind slat. This method will only clean a single blind slat at a time.
The second method, and my method of choice, is to place 3 blind slats between the 4 fingers of the glove. Then run your fingers across the blind slat surface. This method will clean two slats, top and bottom, and the upper surface of the lower slat in a single pass of your hand.
Step 3: Remove and Wash Your Microfiber Gloves.
Cleaning the microfiber gloves is as easy as taking them off and tossing them in your next load of laundry in your washing machine!
Can you use a vacuum cleaner to clean blinds? How?
Yes, you can. I’m not a fan of using a vacuum cleaner to clean blinds because, well, I prefer not having to get the vacuum out if it’s not necessary. However, a vacuum brush attachment works reasonably well for cleaning blinds. The problem is you’ll probably still need to wipe them down in some fashion to get all the dust off them so you might as well use some form of fabric cleaner (see above) from the get-go.
How often should you clean your blinds?
Every two to three months is adequate unless you abhor the site of any dust on surfaces in which case you might want to clean them monthly. If you have a lot of blinds in your house it’s a lot of work. If you use a cleaning service, you can easily incorporate blinds cleaning with each visit or every few visits.
It also depends on the color of your blinds. If you have white blinds, dust won’t show up as readily as darker blinds.
It boils down to your personal tolerance for how your blinds appear.
If you go a long time without cleaning your blinds, you may need to do a deep clean requiring you to take the blinds down and immerse them in a warm water with some cleaning solution and let them soak until the dust build-up dissolves. IMO, you’re better to clean blinds regularly to avoid this level of cleaning. That said, before going all out by taking your blinds down, try spot-cleaning any dust build up, dust bunnies or stains.
Does a regular duster work for cleaning blinds?
It can work especially if you dust blinds regularly but if there’s any sort of dust build-up you will need to apply more pressure including either a wet cloth or spray on water to remove the dust sufficiently.
Resources:
YouTube/QVCtv: 4 Piece Microfiber Dusting Gloves and Glass Cleaning Mitts on QVC
Good Housekeeping: The Best Way to Clean Your Blinds, According to Pros