How To Clean Venetian Blinds
Venetian blinds are a window covering that allows sunlight to filter in and yet keep out most of the harmful UV rays. The thin horizontal slats let natural light filter through, helping shield the room from the sun. They work very well in areas where you want some light, but not too much, and places that are heavily exposed to strong sunlight.
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Can Venetian Blinds Be Cleaned?
The easiest and most effective method of cleaning Venetian blinds is simply to vacuum them. Be careful with vacuum cleaners, though, since you have to keep a sharp eye for broken glass and other debris that might get stuck in the vacuum hose.
What Are Venetian Blinds?
Venetian blinds are a type of window blind that has thin horizontal slats. The thin slats allow light to be filtered in but prevent the light from coming in too harshly. They are an affordable, stylish, and easy-to-clean alternative to roller blinds with heavy vertical pleats, or Roman blinds with thin, closely spaced horizontal pleats.
The Venetian blind’s thin slats allow natural light to filter through, making them an excellent choice for rooms where you want the natural lighting to shine through during the day. Venetian blinds are window coverings that can be drawn up and down manually or by motorised operation.
It consists of a slatted material, typically wood, plastic, or metal, suspended in a frame by cords attached at the top and bottom. A typical Venetian blinds design uses three horizontal cords at the top and two vertical cables at the bottom. These are designed to hold one slat in place near the junction of top and bottom, which is adjustable vertically.
Advantages of Venetian Blinds
Venetian blinds are an excellent choice for homeowners searching for a window treatment that is both attractive and functional. More importantly, they allow the control of the amount of natural light entering your home, which makes these blinds the perfect choice for rooms where you want the natural lighting to shine through during the day.
Venetian blinds are one of the best kinds of window treatments on the market because they allow you to control incoming light levels, reduce heat gain in your home, and create privacy when desired. They are easy to clean as it is with cleaning vertical blinds.
You can choose to either roll or fold these Venetian blinds when not in use. The Venetian blinds have no catches or fasteners that require attention. You will find them easy to hang in most indoor and outdoor situations. They do not obstruct your view of the world or make it feel more claustrophobic than it is.
It is important to point out that Venetian blinds can maximise the beauty of your view by acting as a frame with different colours and patterns. Venetian blinds also come with many advantages that make them an excellent choice for most homeowners looking for a functional yet attractive solution.
Disadvantages of Venetian Blinds
For many people, the benefits of the Venetian blind outweigh the drawbacks. If your Venetian blind is acting up, consider these potential problems and possible solutions.
Faulty or broken Venetian blinds
Perhaps you have a Venetian blind that has begun to fray around the slats. You can trim your Venetian blind’s nail, which is located on each slat. If you do not have this small tool, it may be easier to remove the broken slats and replace them. However, it is not a common practice. Therefore, it is not a viable solution.
Unzipped or out of rotation
The out-of-rotation problem occurs when the slats are jammed out of position because the slats and the Venetian frame are assembled improperly.
Removing Venetian Blinds
- Gently take the Venetian blinds down from their rod and hold the backing for the blinds open—slide one or two fingers beneath the Venetian blinds to lift the support away from the rod. Removing the blinds takes a few seconds. You don’t want the backing to come off too quickly, or the Venetian blinds will be pulled off.
- Roll the Venetian blinds back to the rod after lifting the Venetian blinds free of the backing. Repeat the process many times till you have pulled the Venetian blinds completely off the rod.
- Replace the rod and support on the Venetian blinds and gently fold the blinds over to the rod. They should slide in without pushing them off.
Vacuuming The Blinds
There’s nothing worse than finding a dirty blind, especially when you just cleaned the window. So you’re probably wondering how to clean Venetian blinds.
This step-by-step guide is the best way to get the job done:
- Remove all the blinds from the rails.
- Carefully separate each slat.
- Wipe the rod first to ensure that you are not getting stuck by any hang-ups on the rod.
- Vacuum all the dust and particles from the slats by the rod with the motorised vacuum.
- Take your regular vacuum cleaner and bend it over the rod. This will collect the dust and particles on the backside of the rod.
- Rinse off your vacuum and return to the top of the rods to remove the extra dust.
- Hang up the slats and return the rods to their original position.
Using A Damp Cloth
First of all, Venetian blinds don’t need to be thoroughly cleaned every day. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t lightly clean your Venetian blinds on occasion. The trick is to ensure that your cloth or swab is wet enough to do the required cleaning. That means you should wet it only slightly and not let it soak up all of the water. Instead, dampen your cloth and wipe over the slats.
Remember that when you don’t wipe your Venetian blinds occasionally, they can get clogged up with dust and grime. Doing this could lead to the fabric becoming discoloured and leaving a residue on the slats.
Using A Dry Sponge And Dry Cloth
To clean Venetian blinds, there are several methods you can use. You can use the dry sponge method, a quick and effective way to remove dirt and stains from the slats.
Follow these instructions for how to clean Venetian blinds using the dry cloth method:
- Lightly soak the bottom of a clean white dish towel with a thin layer of mineral oil.
- Put the towel into the washer on the gentle cycle for 1-2 minutes. When you remove the towels from the washer, make sure that the dish towels are wet.
- Place one damp towel and rub it through the Venetian blinds until the blinds are saturated. Redo this process on the other side of the blinds.
- Place another damp towel over the saturated area and rub the edges together for a few seconds to remove any dirt and germs.
Other Ways To Clean Venetian Blinds
The nature of the Venetian blinds’ thin slats is that the window can only be completely closed for a short period before the Venetian blinds start to overlap slightly.
For this reason, cleaning a Venetian blind involves carefully working to remove as much of the excess tape as possible. In this way, you can remove the tape without applying too much pressure or risk damaging the Venetian blind’s metallic frame.
Mild soap and water
When deep cleaning Venetian blinds, using simple, everyday household items to wash them is a great idea. Note that regular blind cleaning, like washing and wiping, is a must. However, Venetian blinds require some extra attention. These blinds can be stained from food, dirt, and germs and must be thoroughly cleaned to prevent them from becoming stained.
If you use a product like ivory dish soap, bleach, or other cleaners, you must be careful. The products contain harsh chemicals that damage the thin slats of your Venetian blinds. Rinse thoroughly before using the machine.
Baking soda and vinegar
Venetian blinds are also susceptible to stains, dust, bugs, and allergens like dust mites. Because of the holes in the Venetian blinds, air can easily get into the home. Holes in the Venetian blinds allow for dust and bugs to enter. As such, you can create a solution to gently clean your blinds without any harsh chemicals.
Simply fill a spray bottle with water, baking soda, and white vinegar and wipe each slat to clean your Venetian blinds for daily upkeep. If you often find yourself with a streaky Venetian blind, this will show you how to avoid stains using vinegar:
- Fill the bowl with luke-warm water and add equal parts of cold water and white vinegar. The water should be approximately an inch or two deep, enough to cover the stains on the Venetian blinds.
- Put the blinds in the bowl and soak them for five minutes.
- Remove the blinds from the bowl and pat them dry with a paper towel or lint-free cloth until they’re no longer damp to touch (about five minutes).
- Once the blinds are dry, use your fingers to rub off any remaining dirt on their surface by pressing down firmly. As a result, you will have your clean Venetians.
Importance Of Blind Maintenance
It is essential to lightly clean your Venetian blinds regularly. Dirt and dust can settle on the slats of your Venetian blinds, making them less effective at keeping the sun out of certain rooms. This, in turn, allows more heat to enter these rooms.
You can keep your house cooler this summer, saving you money on your utility bills. However, if you know you won’t have the time or think you won’t be able to do a well enough job, you can always hire a professional.