How to wash vertical blinds at home?

How beautiful when the windows are protected by blinds. Clean, light, comfortable, eye rejoices. The blinds have long become indispensable helpers in our homes, protecting them from the bright sun and curious eyes. Today they are made from different materials and various designs. And all this makes our home attractive and cozy.

Ease of use, reliability in operation, affordability, light-shielding properties have led to the fact that vertical blinds are used not only in the design of windows, but also to decorate other openings in rooms of various kinds.

For the manufacture of this type of curtains using cotton, polyester, jacquard, bamboo and other fabrics. Any material is exposed to dust and other contaminants. And sooner or later the question arises of the need to wash or clean vertical blinds.

Choosing a way to care for blinds should be provided at the time of purchase.If you have not found instructions for use and care of the product, look for another option. Since the vertical blinds can be made of different materials, the methods of care will be different:

• Jacquard slats can be washed by hand, after cleaning with a vacuum cleaner. Initially, they are impregnated with a dirt-repellent compound, which with each wash will be thinned. After a few washes, the slats will start to wag.

• Polyester and cotton slats are machine washable.
• Blinds can be dry-cleaned - the easiest way, but not cheap.

• Such curtains can be wiped with a wet or dry cloth or vacuumed without removing them from the base.
• Bamboo lamellas, wooden plates are not washed, but wiped with a wet or dry sponge, napkin.

If you decide to wash vertical blinds by hand or in a washing machine or dry-clean, you will need to remove them for washing. Since each manufacturer of curtains for windows designs may differ, then they will be removed in different ways.

If your eaves have a front panel, then you first need to remove it. Further:

1. use the control chain to turn the slats so that they open;
2. on the lower edge of the slats, there are 2 guide chains, fixed in the weights, - disconnect them;
3. the weights themselves (weights) can be removed or left - at your discretion, but during washing they can fall out of the lamellae themselves;
4. Each lamella is put on an eaves with an eyelet on a small plastic hook. Raise the upper slat bar with the eyelet a little with a click, tilt it 10-15 degrees and remove it from the hook, gently pull it down - the slider will slip between the slider clamps and you will be in your hands.

This procedure only seems difficult at first. When you understand the principle, you can easily remove the slats. To replace the strips, insert a loop between the clips until it clicks. Replace the weights and secure the chains in them.

How to remove the slats from the eaves, see the following video.

Hand washing is the most gentle way to care for blinds. For washing, select any of the listed options.

• Wash in the bathroom. Pour water at a temperature of no more than 30-40 degrees.For a canvas of intense color, use cool water. Add detergent: ordinary powder, liquid soap or gel. Lamellae with weights or without them, put in a bath in such a way that there are no sharp bends, otherwise they will remain on the strips. Soak the strips for 15-40 minutes, then clean them with a sponge or soft cloth, and then leave for another 15-20 minutes. If you are satisfied with the result, rinse each lamella under running water. If the stains have moved away badly, clean it again.

• Wash in a basin, a bucket. Add detergent to the water. Roll up the slats with loose 1-3-5 pieces of rolls. So that they do not unwind, you can fasten them with an elastic band, a thread, put them in bags or nets for washing clothes. Leave the cloths to soak for 40 minutes. If the stains have not moved away, extend the time. If the bands seem to you to be clean, thoroughly rinse them.

Housewives wash polyester or cotton blinds in a typewriter machine, although professional craftsmen do not advise doing this.

Let's try to protect ourselves:

• Before sending the curtains to the machine, dust them with a vacuum cleaner; strongly contaminate them by hand.
• Roll the lamellae into loose rolls of 5-10 pieces (with or without weights) and pack them into duffel bags or nets, or use an unnecessary pillowcase, piece of fabric that you need to tie with a knot. Each roll must be in its packaging.
• Type in a delicate mode with a temperature not exceeding 35 degrees, without spinning.
• Choose detergent non-aggressive agents (liquid or granular).
• After washing, make sure that the slats are well rinsed. If this does not happen, rinse manually or in a typewriter.

If you have high ceilings in your house or you are preparing to become a mother, you shouldn’t risk going to the ceiling to remove the lamellae.

There are several more ways to care for blinds:

• To begin with, as in the previous recommendations, vacuum the cloths with a soft nozzle for furniture. In the bucket dissolve the highly foaming soap solution. Apply foam on both sides to each lamella with a soft sponge or cloth. You can use a sponge on the handle for washing windows.Not very comfortable, but you can gently wash the upper parts of the blinds.
• Do not try to wet the canvas, so as not to leave spots and stains. Change the water in the bucket and wash the foam from the slats. With this method of semi-dry cleaning curtains dry very quickly. But if you still too much wet them, lay on a window sill or under the window (if you have long blinds) with a thick layer of fabric that will absorb the excess water flowing from the slats.
• This method is best to keep dirt-repellent coating of the canvas and does not deform it. Do not open the windows for the duration of such a wash so that street dust does not stick to damp curtains. The disadvantage of this method is the need to constantly raise your head and hands, as well as use a chair or stepladder.
• Perhaps the easiest way to clean the blinds without removing it is to use a steamer or steam generator. It will clear strong pollution, will save a covering, will not deform lamels, will remove unpleasant smells.

If you washed the slats, removing them from the eaves, then think about how you will dry them. Such curtains are dried only in expanded form without the use of heating devices such as a heater or a hair dryer, otherwise they are deformed.To drain water, you can hang the blinds on the clothespins by the upper plank, or lay them out on a long linen dryer or on a thick layer of absorbent fabric on the floor.

Without waiting for complete drying, hang the slats in place and attach the weighting - weights. Due to them, the curtains will quickly hang down and straighten. Yes, and shrinkage will be less. Even if excesses were formed, in a few days they will disappear.

And a few more simple recommendations:

• Often do not recommend to wash blinds in order to preserve their quality. Maximum 1 - 2 times a year.
• Hot water from fabric blinds may cause slight shrinkage. In this case, you can try to gently steam them off or, if necessary, lengthen each lamella by about 1 cm due to lower hem. The work is time consuming (to sew up each strip and then sew up), but quite simple.

• Check before washing the slats on the quality of staining - wipe them with a damp cloth.If you suspect that after washing the blinds will shed, wash them in cool water.
• The same advice is suitable for blinds with a photo print. If you are not sure about the quality of paint for a photo, it is better to give the lamellae to a cleaning company.
• In case of severe contamination on an unfamiliar material, you can also contact the specialists or try to replace several strips with new ones.
• For doorways, choose such a model of blinds, so that they do not have to constantly push hands. Choose non-staining colors, and then your curtain-door no longer will need to be washed or cleaned.

Using our advice, you can properly wash vertical blinds at home and at the same time preserve their appearance.