There’s nothing more refreshing in your home than sparkling clean windows. The fresh air and light beaming through can get your day off to a good start. But there’s one thing that always gets forgotten when giving your windows a good clean, your blinds!
Having dirty blinds and curtains can be a real turn-off in the home, making even the most well-kept house feel grubby. You’d be amazed how much dust and dirt lingers in your blinds, even when you think they are neatly tucked away.
Different window blinds require different types of cleaning, in terms of home & office cleaning solutions and techniques. You wouldn’t want to use a plastic or metal cleaner on fabric, would you?
As blinds can be pretty pricey, it’s a good idea to take a moment to find out a little bit more about the best way to clean your blinds effectively without causing them any unnecessary damage.
Aluminium blinds can be a little tricky as if you put too much pressure on them whilst cleaning, you can really cause them a lot of unsightly damage, which can be difficult to repair once inflicted.
So be careful when handling them to ensure you keep them looking in tip-top condition and not in a worse state than before!
What Will I Need to Clean My Aluminium Blinds?
First things first, you’ll need to gather together all of your cleaning supplies before you start.
What you’ll need:
- Vacuum Cleaner and soft bristle brush attachment
- Clean and dry microfiber cloth
- A small drop of dishwashing liquid
- Warm water that you can change once dirty
- Baking soda for tough stains and marks
How Dirty Are My Aluminium Blinds?
There are two ways you can clean your aluminium blinds, and they all depend on how dirty they are. If you have a small amount of dirt, or mainly dust on your blinds you can follow straight on to the Light Clean section of the below tutorial for a good clean and you should get stunning results.
If you have blinds that are covered in dirt and grime, as many can be especially in older homes, you may want to follow the Deep Clean tutorial first to ensure you are getting rid of any unwanted build-up and debris, before following up with the Light Clean tutorial.
Aluminium blinds are incredibly delicate and do not respond well to high pressure, so be extra gentle when giving them a clean as they struggle to fall back into place once bent out of shape.
Step 1- Deep Clean
This part can be pretty frustrating when cleaning Venetian blinds, especially aluminium ones, but will yield the best results if you handle them with care.
What you’ll need:
- A bathtub large enough to hold your blinds in, or an outdoor space with protective plastic sheeting to lay your blinds on
- A towel or rubber mat in the bath to prevent scratches
- A drop of dishwasher soap or detergent
- A bucket filled with warm water
- A soft, non-abrasive sponge
If you have a lot of build-up or grease on your blinds, it’s worth doing this deep clean to get them looking sparkling new before dusting them.
Outdoors:
- Firstly, lay your blinds on the groundsheet or other plastic coating to protect your blinds from scratches or damage.
- Fill a bucket with warm water and a drop of detergent and lay your blinds, open, gently on the ground sheet.
- Using your soft sponge, dip it into the warm water and gently rub any dirt or grime off of your blinds, slat by slat, cleaning your sponge often. This can be tedious but will make sure you don’t miss any stains or marks.
- Rinse with a garden hose to clear the grime away.
- If you have stubborn stains like grease, you may want to repeat the process, going from top to bottom to ensure you get every slat cleaned.
- Once cleaned, find a suitable place to hang out your blinds to dry to stop any mould or mildew from building up.
- You can use a hairdryer to speed this process up, but be sure not to use too hot a setting as this can warp your blinds.
- Indoors:
- If doing this indoors, place them gently in the bath on top of your towel or rubber mat to prevent scratches to your bath or damage to your blinds.
- Fill your bath with enough warm water to completely submerge your blinds.
- Add a drop of detergent to your water, and gently place it in your open blinds.
- Using your soft brush, clean in between every slat, being sure to not bend your blinds whilst in the bath.
- If the staining is heavy, you may want to leave your blinds to soak overnight in the bath before cleaning the slats as this will do some of the hard work for you.
- Drain your bath and rinse with your shower head, and repeat the process if necessary.
- Again, hang up to dry to prevent mould or mildew build-up.
Step 2- Light Clean
- You can move straight to this step if your blinds are not in need of a thorough deep clean.
- Secure your blinds in place once fully dry.
- As aluminium blinds overlap when you close them, tilt them downwards but not completely closed.
- Working from the top slat to the bottom slat to avoid dust and debris falling onto your clean work, dust your blinds from slat to slat. Wipe them with a microfibre cloth being sure to wipe carefully in a downward motion to avoid your blinds becoming unhooked.
- If you don’t have a soft brush or cloth to work with, you can always use an old sock to collect dust! Just make sure it’s clean before you get started!
- If you have a vacuum cleaner with a brush attachment, you can use a low suction to remove dust slat by slat.
- Flip your blinds over and repeat this process on the other side to remove any lingering dust and debris.
Final Thoughts
It may be time-consuming, but getting your aluminium blinds cleaned thoroughly will add brightness to your home and will save you from having to needlessly replace them.
You’ll be amazed at how much of a difference you can make to the look of your blinds with a little hard work and perseverance. Remember to be gentle with your blinds and care for them properly, and they’ll be sure to last you a long time. Happy cleaning!
