Spring Cleaning for Your Blinds

The gloom of winter is finally lifting away for the brightness of summer. Now is the perfect time to open up windows for fresh air and clear away the last stronghold of winter dreariness: dingy window coverings.  Your shades have been down all winter, keeping the cold out of your home, and they too may need a little TLC. Here’s a breakdown of the “how-tos” for the most common dirty-blind culprits.

Vinyl Vertical Blinds and Faux Woods:

Because these are usually made of PVC or a PVC-Wood Composite, the size of faux wood and vinyl vertical blinds needn’t stop you from cleaning them up. A rag and some warm water will easily clean up lingering dust. If you’re wiping them down and notice a thick layer of grunge that resists your efforts and just sticks to the blind, constantly being pushed forward by your rag, don’t despair! This is usually the result of oils from fingers, hair, and airborne skin particles sticking to the surface, and can happen anywhere. Add a few drops of mild dish soap (not dishwasher detergent!) to your warm water and watch the grime lift away.

Mini Blinds:

Although they are dust resistant, aluminum blinds still collect dust over time. However, aluminum blinds are exceptionally easy to clean. In fact, most mini blinds can be taken outside and sprayed off with your garden hose. If you do this, be sure to avoid spraying the headrail directly and to allow your blinds to drip-dry on the grass or open the window your blinds hang in so they can dry out quickly. While the aluminum won’t rust, the headrail may if not properly dried. Don’t want to take your blinds down? Most feather dusters work great for a quick cleaning, and the tips above on dealing with greasy spots on your blinds also work for vinyl and aluminum minis, with one added step. Because mini blinds use a thinner slat than faux wood or vertical blinds, they bend more easily and need a more gentle touch when scrubbing the slats. Make sure to rinse and dry them off thoroughly after using soap and water.

Wood Blinds:

Wood blinds are a thing of beauty: all they truly need is a good dusting. However, if you live in a dry climate, you can restore some beauty and add extra protection against the splitting that can occur over time in any wood product with wood polish. Pick your favorite: they are safe on stained woods and will add a luster and shine to your home in keeping with your spring cleaning goals. It should be noted that these cleaners aren’t meant for painted woods, only stained woods. The paint on a white or cream wood blind offers all the protection you need. For spots, use a damp cloth and dry thoroughly.

Cellular Shades:

Cellular shades can collect reasonable amounts of dust, especially in the winter. After long months of being down to keep you warm, the first time they’re raised you may see little poufs of dust press out of the pleats, leaving you wondering about the inside of the honeycomb. There’s good news though: most fabrics can be cleaned in your home with no professional help. Using a feather duster, start at the top of the shade and run the duster horizontally across the blind and work your way down the shade in rows. Shake off the duster over a trash can and repeat the process on the back of your blind. Then, lowering your blind as far as you can, run the duster up and down on the shade to knock out any dust bunnies that were hiding in the crease. If you need a deeper clean, use a vacuum cleaner with an upholstery  attachment. Don’t use the brush attachment, as it may damage more delicate fabrics. If you know the inside of the honeycombs need cleaning, call the manufacturer. Some fabrics can be submerged in your bathtub, while others can be cleaned through injection-extraction cleaning, and you’ll need the manufacturer’s opinion on which should be done. Injection-Extraction cleaning is done in your home by a professional without taking down your shades, so you won’t need to carve out too much time for the process.

Are you shopping for blinds and shades? Check out the “Details and Specs” tab on each product for cleaning and care information to choose the blind that’s right for your needs.

When properly cared for, your window coverings will create exceptional beauty and privacy in your home. So don’t skimp your windows this spring cleaning, and enjoy the beauty of a fresh and bright view for years to come.

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Change Your Perceptions of Light

Large windows can be a challenging thing to tackle. While they offer stunning views, they have a high cost in privacy. Many traditional window coverings do not cover large windows without seperating the blinds into multiple panels. Vertical blinds cover most windows, but have an undesirable sway to the vanes and lack a designer feel.

For a more elegant, stylish look in any room, consider vertical sheers. Available from Levolor, Comfortex, and Bali, these beautiful window treatments combine the elegance and soft light diffusion of draperies with the light control. Our featured brand in this category is Levolor’s Perceptions. Levolor has carefully selected fabrics that coordinate with or perfectly match many other window treatments by Levolor. In addition, the colors available perfectly match many colors Levolors Roman, Roller, Vertical, and Cellular collections. Levolor’s innovative vertical products are available in cordless wand control for a clean, uncluttered look. If the traditional cord and chain controls are more your style, check out Levolor’s Backstacker feature. Backstacker is exclusive to Levolor and causes the vanes to gather from the back of the stack. This allows a clean, unobstructed view when the sheers are partially opened, rather than a gathering of material in the center of the window. With Levolor, you can truly change your perception of light.

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Picture of the Week

Levolor Vertical Blind

Say “Bon Voyage” to boring verticals! Levolor Origami Collection fabric vertical blinds add style and flair to any room. With a variety of available options like back-stack and split stack, these beautiful blinds aren’t just a perfect fit for your sliding glass doors; they’re also a versatile solution for bay windows, nooks, and just about any room that needs a little extra spice.

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Patio Door Style Ideas

Bali VertiCell

Window covering manufacturers have been busy designing alternative blinds to cover large windows such as patio doors and today we have many more options that won’t break the bank. 

The most popular window covering for patio doors, however, is still vertical blinds. They provide privacy, light control and protection form the sun’s damaging rays. They are available in a limitless range of styles from value priced vinyl to high end decorative fabrics. The 3-1/2” vertical vanes draw across the window like a drapery and rotate open and closed for light control. When choosing an economical fabric or vinyl, vertical blinds are the least expensive, yet stylish way to cover a patio door.

There are some alternate solutions you may not be aware of that also provide privacy, light control and protection from the sun.

• Panel track blinds are a relatively new and innovative way to cover patio doors. Each panel rides on an individually wheeled carrier so they move effortlessly. When closed, hanging panels span the window and when open, the panels stack neatly over each. The panels are made from the same fabrics as woven wood blinds, solar shades or roman shades, so you can coordinate an entire room.
• Vertical cellular shades provide the optimum in energy efficiency. Imagine a horizontal cellular shade turned on its side that moves sideways like an accordion. An aluminum head rail and side rails hold the shade in place. The energy efficient properties of vertical cellular shades are significant enough to save on heating and cooling bills. Available in light filtering or black out fabrics, vertical cellular shades lend a contemporary flair to any room and stack very tightly to one or both sides of the shade.
• When your patio door cries out for chic sophistication, sheer vertical blinds are just the ticket. They provide a softer, more formal appearance. They’re the best of both worlds – the look of a drapery with the light control of a blind; and they’re not as expensive as you would think.

Patio door window fashions have come a long way since the advent of vertical blinds. The options are more stylish, just as practical and nearly as inexpensive.

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