Tip of the Day #332: Cleaning Window Blinds

Many of us swear when we got a home that we would never put up blinds because we all remember growing up having to help our mom clean them all the time--and it wasn't the easiest of jobs! Nonetheless, somehow they ended up everywhere in our house. Well, over the years, I have found some easy & unique ways to dust and clean blinds to keep me from going crazy.

1. Wrap a sock or cloth around a ruler to clean thin, narrow blinds easily. This is especially good for metal blinds that are fragile and easy to bend.


 2. To keep dust at a minimum, rub a fabric dryer sheet onto both sides of the blinds. This will not prevent dust but it will cut down on the amount of dust that clings to your blinds as well!


3. Slip socks onto both hands and rub between each blind - - this cleans both sides of the blinds quickly at the same time. You can also add cleaner to the mix to remove any debris--spray vinegar or a mild soap mix (can even be laundry detergent & water) onto the sock, then clean accordingly.


4. If blinds have been neglected and are very dirty, lay an old sheet or cloth under the blinds before cleaning. You do not want to transfer the dust and dirt from the blinds onto the floor - - then you have to clean the same dirt twice.


5. When you are vacuuming your floors, use the brush attachment to clean blinds. This is great for removing dust from hard to reach blinds in tall windows.


6. If your blinds are really dirty, use a paintbrush to clean them. You can dip the paintbrush into soapy water, oil soap or plain water for extra cleaning power. Make sure to use a dry cloth to remove excess cleaner and clean the brush often to prevent transferring dirt.

Hope that helps all of you as much as these tips have helped me! :)