Window blinds are wonderful in so many ways, they allow us to control the light entering a room with precision, they make for a clean, trim look on any window and come in a myriad of colors to compliment any room in our house or office. That said, given all the lovely separate slats that make a venetian blind as useful as it is, when it comes to cleaning, this is one window covering that provides a unique challenge.
Fear not, however! There are ways to make cleaning window blinds much less of a hellatious ordeal than one would expect. Basically, it comes down to cleaning each slat separately or, if the blinds are particularly grimey, into the bathtub they'll go for a thorough cleanse.
Should you choose the bathtub method, using some dish detergent or vinegar in the water will help remove built-up gunk. Soak the window blinds so that the dirt is given a chance to loosen then scrub if necessary, careful not to scratch the finish. Of course, you won't want to do this with wooden blinds, the bathtub method is solely for plastic, vinyl and metal blinds. If yours are wood, read the manufacturer's cleaning instructions for their preferred method.
If you end up foregoing the bathtub route, take an old rag or sock to easily get between each window slat. Wet the rag or sock with a vinegar/water solution or even Windex. Again, this advice is for vinyl, plastic or metal blinds, if yours are wood, follow the manufacturers instructions.
Important things to note: Make sure you dry the metal hardware completely to avoid rusting. Also, when cleaning, you'll want to avoid getting grime on the ropes or any fabric areas, as this may stain them.
