- As part of regular house cleaning, plan on either vacuuming or wiping down vertical blinds to remove dust. For cloth blinds, an upholstery tool attached to a vacuum is the best choice. A simple dust cloth or feather duster will do the trick on hard materials.
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Whether cleaning a simple cloth slat or a cloth-covered slat, the best practice is to hand-shampoo with a store-bought upholstery shampoo (be sure the label states it can be used for hand-shampooing). Mix the solution as per the manufacturer's suggestion. Next, agitate the shampoo with a sponge, creating a lots of suds. Scoop up some foam and test the cleaner in an inconspicuous area of the fabric. Allow to dry to make sure the cleaner is compatible with the material.
With a towel in hand, stabilize a slat to be cleaned by holding it from the back. With the other hand, begin cleaning the blind with gentle, downward strokes. Move the stabilizing hand in unison with the sponge; this gives support from behind to apply pressure. Caution: Do not apply so much pressure that the slat is pulled from the curtain rod. -
Match a cleaning solution to the type of material. An all-purpose cleaner, such as Murphy's Oil Soap, Mr. Clean, Spic 'N Span and other well-known cleaners will work for most materials. Mirrored, metallic blinds will likely be cleaned best with a glass cleaner.
Before using any cleaner, test an inconspicuous area of the blind to be cleaned. Allow it to fully dry. If the blind did not react adversely to the cleaner, then continue by starting at the top of a slat and working down.
For best results, wet a rag with the cleaner of choice (as opposed to spraying the cleaning solution onto the blinds). With a wet rag in one hand, clean the surface of a blind from top to bottom. Dry the blind with a clean, dry rag. Repeat as necessary.
