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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Walkin’ in a One Day Wonderland

When it comes to windows, there’s nothing worse than having to drape a sheet over a window for holiday guests. But what do you do when the holidays sneak up on you and that window is still embarrassingly bare? The answer is simple and affordable: One Day Production Blinds and Shades from BlindSaver.

One Day Production products are just that: production is completed in one day (typically the day after you place your order and ships within 24 hours). This means that instead of ordering your shades, hoping everything goes off without a hitch, and forking out the hefty fees for next day air, most customers simply place their order and receive it in less than a week and a half.

One Day Production wood blinds, faux wood blinds, and cellular shades are available in a variety of colors to make it easy to coordinate with any room. So make your holidays less hectic this year, and put that sheet on the bed where it belongs.

This year, your guest room is welcoming and warm.

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3 Reasons to Keep Warm with Wood

Looking for a way to add classic warmth and style to any room in your house? Wood blinds are a perfect window covering for almost every room in your home, adding a sense of warmth and style at a lower price than shutters. With so many beautiful stains and paints to choose from and a wide variety of available options, wood blinds offer a timeless elegance to any home.

1. Energy Efficiency

While cellulars get all the credit for this key point, wood blinds are remarkably green in this regard. Wood blinds have an average R Value (the amount the reduce heat loss) of 3.5-4, which is comparable to many single cell and sheer cellulars.  More notably, wood blinds have a U Value (the amount of heat they prevent from entering your home) of .26- meaning they reduce heat gain by up to 74% when closed.

2. High Quality at a Great Price

Ask anyone in the industry who makes the best wood blinds and the answer may surprise you- it’s usually Levolor or Bali that earn the recommendation of pros, not high-profile “designer” brands. Both brands have a wide array of colors to meet anyone’s style, and both individually hand craft their slats. In addition, Bali’s wood blinds are made using sustainable forestry techniques, including replanting all wood that is harvested and only using North American Hardwood.  Don’t want to take the word of the pros? Over 90% of our customers would recommend Bali’s wood blinds to a friend, and 100% say the same of Levolor’s wood blinds. Starting at less than $90 for 30” x 60” blind, you’ll have room to spare in your budget for our third reason to choose wood.

3. Unique Options to Customize Your Space

Features in wood blinds aren’t just about ladder tapes anymore (although both Bali and Levolor offer a wide variety of beautiful options in this regard). Whether you’re out to eliminate
tangled cords, want to increase privacy, or are looking for stylish valance options, wood blinds have you covered. Available free of route holes and cords, wood blinds are a safe, easy to clean, and privacy-enhancing choice for your home. Want a beautiful way to top it off? Try adding one of many available decorative valances and cornices to your window for the perfect finishing
touch.

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How to Clean Wood Blinds

Wood blinds are beautiful and are one of the first things that people notice when they walk into your home. They can also be a challenge when it comes to the task of cleaning them. Cleaning wooden or faux wood blinds keeps the dust off so they look their best. With a few simple cleaning techniques, you won’t work up a sweat while cleaning your wood blinds.

With regular cleaning, dust will not build up making each cleaning quick and easy. You can get away with dusting your blinds about once per month (depending on how dusty your home gets), or just dust whenever you see a layer of dust start to form.

For a quick dust, tilt the slats down and dust with your favorite furniture dusting tool.

For a more thorough cleaning wipe each slat with a soft cloth. Do not use water, solvents or abrasive solutions to clean the blind. This will cause damage to the blind. In very dusty environments, use a non-wax furniture polish to clean the blinds.

You can clean the blind hanging in place or you can take it down. By tilting the slats down, but not quite closed, you’ll be able to clean most of the top surface of each slat.

Some useful cleaning tools for cleaning both wood and faux wood blinds are dust mitts or magnet dusters made of wool or microfiber. Place an old sheet or newspaper on the floor below the window to catch runaway dust particles. Dryer sheets can also come in handy to rub against your cleaning tool so that dust sticks to the tool’s surface better.

Regardless of what you use, check with the manufacturer and test in an inconspicuous spot first to make sure it doesn’t damage your blinds. Keep your wood blinds clean and they will last and look beautiful for many years.

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Wood Blinds vs. Faux Wood Blinds: To Faux or not to Faux?

Graber Wood Blinds

Not all rooms are created equal especially when it comes to window treatments. Throughout recent years, wood blinds have been very popular because of their elegance. Wood blinds have a higher investment level, so manufacturers started making faux wood blinds to get the same look for less. With both of these blinds available in the market today, consumers might find it hard to choose between the two. Today we’ll help you make the decision somewhat easier by pointing out different things to factor in when choosing between wood, faux wood and composite faux wood blinds.

Price
When it comes to price, faux wood blinds take the plum. Wood blinds are more expensive because wood is more expensive than PVC (vinyl), which is what faux wood blinds are made of. There is also a product in between wood and PVC – composite faux wood – which is made of both wood and PVC. Composite offers superior slat stability and looks more like wood than standard PVC. It is priced right in the middle between wood and PVC.

Weight
Weight is another factor you should look into when picking between wood blinds and faux wood blinds. PVC faux wood blinds are heaviest, followed by composite, and then wood. If you will be covering a very wide window, wide slats made from composite faux wood or real wood will not be prone to bowing.

Styles
Faux wood blinds are designed to look like real wood, but the wood grain patterns are not as natural looking as the real thing. Painted colors such as whites and off whites offer a closer look to real wood blinds, and composite faux woods look and feel even more like wood.  With wood blinds, the natural stain of the wood and the pattern will be more unique. If you prefer the look of wood, think about real wood blinds in living and dining rooms and save money with faux wood blinds in other areas of your home.

Durability
Consider the use and style of the room you are decorating when selecting  between wood and faux wood. If the room for example is decorated with authentic natural wood furnishings, it only makes sense that you use real wood blinds. Faux wood blinds are a natural for bathrooms, laundry rooms and kitchens. They are moisture-resistant, won’t scratch, chip, or fade and are perfect for high moisture areas.

Wood blinds and its faux counterparts offer great variety in color and application for any room in your home.

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