Just as any piece of furniture, carpets, or drapes in your home, vertical blinds need a bit of cleaning every now and then. It is true that cleaning vertical blinds is easier than sprucing up your horizontal blinds, but still, you will have to roll up your sleeves once in a while. All you need to do is find out what material they are made of and approach them in the right way. Just read the label or ask the vendor.

For instance, plastic or vinyl blinds allow for soaking and deeper cleaning. The same applies to many fabric ones. With some types of vertical blinds, you can even go a step further and wash them in the laundry. Whereas for some you can use a wet cloth or a vacuum cleaner. But what is the best way to clean vertical blinds depending on their type? Read our complete step-by-step guide to find out.

How to dust vertical blinds step by step?

Even if your blinds are washable it doesn’t mean that you will have to wash them all the time. Washing is great but you need to do it only once in a few months. In the meantime, though you will still need to do a bit of dusting. For best results and shiny blinds, specialists suggest you do the dusting once a week. Below is our step-by-step guide on how to dust vertical blinds.

  • Step 1: Close the blinds completely so that one of their sides faces you with the full surface;
  • Step 2: Using a tick duster start wiping each one of the vertical louvers from top to bottom and moving from left to right. Be gentle as some blinds hang on very delicate pins;
  • Step 3: Using the rod, turn the blinds the other way around and perform the same procedure once again;
  • Step 4: Perform the same procedure using a vacuum cleaner with an appropriate attachment. Be careful not to suck the blinds as this can damage them. If you can adjust the power of your hoover, use a lower suction power.

How to wash vertical blinds step by step?

vertical blinds for good home interiorAs you can imagine, washing your blinds takes a bit longer than dusting but the good news is that you don’t have to do it every week. Perhaps, once every few months is ideal, in order to keep your blinds fresh, shiny, and spotless.

Before you proceed, keep in mind that not all vertical blinds allow washing. Usually, plastic and vinyl blinds shouldn’t be a problem to wash. The same might be true for some fabric blinds too. In any case, just to be on the safe side, double-check the label to make sure your blinds are water-friendly. If yes, move on to step 1 of our guide on how to wash blinds.

  • Step 1: Close the blinds and start wiping each of the louvers with a wet cloth, moving from top to bottom and from left to right. For best results clean the cloth after each louver to avoid dust spreading;
  • Step 2: Rotate the vertical blinds using the rod and perform the same procedure as in step 1;
  • Step 3: Once you are done with the cloth, open your blinds and start detaching each louver one by one and lay it down on a flat surface, such as the table or the ground;
  • Step 4: Fill in the bathtub with warm water (but not hot), preferably around 30°C, and add a detergent that is suitable for washing blinds, such as dish wash;
  • Step 5: Place your blinds into the water and keep running the tap until the blinds are fully submerged. In case you don’t own a bathtub, you can use your bath sink or a large laver;
  • Step 6: Keep the louvers in the tub for about 60 minutes. After that drain the tub and take the blinds out. If you can’t soak the full length of the vertical blinds at once, you can submerge half of them for 60 minutes and then rotate and do the same with the other half;
  • Step 7: Wipe each louver individually and lay it down on a flat surface to dry – preferably for about 60 to 120 minutes. Cover the surface underneath the blinds with cotton towels to ease the drying;
  • Step 8: Hang the blinds back on the rail and keep them open to fully dry. Bear in mind that blinds made of fabric take longer to dry, compared to blinds made of plastic or vinyl.

Vertical blinds cleaning in washing machine step by step

If you are lucky enough, your blinds might be perfectly fine being washed in the laundry machine. If that’s the case, you can sit down with a cup of coffee and relax while the washing machine does the hard job for you.

Once again, before moving to step 1 of our guide below, make sure your blinds are washing machine-friendly. Otherwise, you might have to revisit the blinds shop sooner than planned. Usually, most fabric blinds allow that type of washing.

  • Step 1: Remove your blinds one by one by carefully unclipping the pin at the top;
  • Step 2: Have a pillowcase, laundry bag, or any similar fabric pouch with you and put each louver inside as you detach them from the rail;
  • Step 3: Place the bag inside the laundry machine, and add the liquid detergent – preferably a gentle one. Adjust the program to a delicate wash, and set the water temperature to 30°C;
  • Step 4: Take the blinds out of the washing machine and lay them down on a flat surface for about an hour or two to dry out. Place towels underneath to ease the drying and protect the surface from getting damp;
  • Step 5: Hang back the louvers on the rail and keep them open for another few hours to make sure they are fully dry.

Final thoughts

Vertical blinds offer an ideal way to add style and a sense of luxury to your home. They come in different shapes, colors, and materials, providing flexibility for every taste. Just as any other type of home decor or furniture, vertical blinds need a cleaning and a bit of care.

To keep your lovely blinds fresh and sparkling, you need to dust them once a week and wash them once every few months. Just read the safety label beforehand and proceed accordingly. And when the time comes to have them fully replaced, you can take advantage of our extensive range of vertical blinds.