My kitchen and bedroom blinds are f.i.l.t.h.y. I need to do something about it. Preferably before the daily temperature outside reach 100+ degrees every day.
At least I am blessed to have had the previous owners of the house leave us wide, sturdy plastic blinds that you pull the cord to open and close, not the skinny, flimsy ones with the turning rod (although we have those elsewhere in the house).
Does anyone have any tips or tricks to getting these cleaned quickly and thoroughly? I have heard that you can just take them down, lay them on your driveway, and use the hose, some dish soap, and old rags to scrub off the thick dust and tiny bits of macaroni and cheese (did I just type that? How embarrassing) before letting the blinds dry in the sun.
Is that really the best way to go about this?
Ideas are appreciated!
Thanks again for all of the tips and comments! I did end up cleaning them, but I did it sort of my own way/the hard way 🙂
I was nervous to unclip the blinds from the window all the way, because one of them had cracked a little last time we did that when we were moving in and took them off to paint. So, I used some watered-down cleaner and old rags to scrub off all the dust from each side of the panes, from the top down. It took me about two hours to finish (with many breaks from my arms getting tired or reaching up and scrubbing!) but the end result looks great.
Well, I left a comment the other day but it has since disappeared so…here I am again…I found that a VERY easy way to clean blinds is to put them in the tub or, if they are too big, outside, wet them all up then spray them w/Scrubbing Bubbles Mega Foamer, walk away & then when you come back, rinse & you don't have to scrub a thing! I've also used this on bathroom floors & counter tops when they are stuck w/hairspray…it's amazing. Oh, in case you are wondering, I *do* also use this for its intended purpose in the showers as well! 😉 God bless!!!
Erin, I have to tell you that last time I cleaned our blinds, I decided to try the Scrubbing Bubbles Mega Foamer…well, I sprayed them liberally, walked away & when I came back to rinse them, EVERY SINGLE bit of dirt/dust was gone & I didn't have to scrub, or even rub, a thing!!!!! Definitely my new favorite cleaner…it's great on the bathroom floor for removing hairspray too…oh, and yes, I actually *do* use it in the showers/tubs for its intended uses too! God bless!!!
Oh well…just read Chris' link and #8 says that the hose and tub ideas are no-nos… Can't believe my mom did it wrong all those years. And I thought she was superwoman! 😉
My mom always took ours down and soaked them in the tub with water and cleaner. Not sure if that is any easier than hosing them down! Hope that helps.
We borrowed Matt's mom's Steam Mouse and it makes EVERYTHING easy to clean. If you have a steamer, give that a try. If not, it wouldn't be a bad thing to invest in.
http://www.hgtv.com/organizing/how-to-clean-blinds/index.html