How to Clean Horizontal Blinds

Co-authored by Filip Boksa

Last Updated: July 12, 2022 References

Window blinds are useful for blocking a glare, but they can be bad about collecting dust, dirt and grime. Free-floating dust often settles on the smooth, flat surfaces of the blinds, which can be difficult to clean due to their shape and spacing. Luckily, there are a few ways to keep blinds clean without too much hassle. For smooth blinds made out of wood, plastic, vinyl or aluminum, a simple vacuuming or hand dusting should do the trick. Fabric blinds are a little trickier, and may need to be taken down, wiped clean and dried before being rehung.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Vacuum Dusting Wood, Vinyl or Aluminum Blinds

1
Keep the blinds slightly open.^{[1]
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Expert Source

Filip Boksa
House Cleaning Professional
Expert Interview. 20 August 2019.} Turn the stem until the blinds are mostly closed. The slats should be pointed at a downward angle toward you. It’s important that the blinds remain partially open to allow you clean deep in between them.^{[2]
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- You won’t be able to fit the entire brush attachment into the blinds themselves, but the bristles will penetrate into their inner recesses and sweep the dust into the hose.
- Vacuum dusting will be sufficient for cleaning lightly dusty or dirty blinds.
2
Use a brush attachment head for your vacuum cleaner. Extend the suction hose on your vacuum cleaner and place a circular or rectangular brush attachment over the end. The brush attachment is excellent for serious dusting jobs due to its construction. The heavy bristles will dislodge dust as they sweep over the blinds and the hose will suction it up.^{[3]
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- If you don’t have a brush attachment for your vacuum cleaner, invest in one. They are indispensable for dusting tricky, hard to hit areas like horizontal blinds.
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3
Run the brush attachment along the length of the blinds. Turn on the vacuum to a low suction setting. Start at the top of blinds and run the brush along their length, making sure to hit each slat.^{[4]
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Filip Boksa
House Cleaning Professional
Expert Interview. 20 August 2019.} You may need to make several passes to remove thick dust.^{[5]
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- Don’t press against the blinds with the brush as you dust. A light sweeping motion with the bristles will suffice. Too much force may damage delicate slats.
4
Repeat on the opposite side of the blinds. Rotate the stem to turn the blinds upward at an angle. Keep them slightly open. Suction as much dust as you can from the underside of the slats. Assuming your blinds don’t have a lot of built up dirt, grease or discoloration, this should be all you need to get them looking as good as new.
- Go over the floor beneath the blinds with the vacuum when you’re done to suck up any loose dust that has drifted off the blinds.
- Keeping blinds dusted regularly will prevent you from having to employ more extensive cleaning methods later on.^{[6]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Hand Cleaning Wood, Vinyl or Aluminum Blinds

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Close the blinds so that the slats are facing down. If you’re cleaning blinds in the kitchen, or if you have pets in the house, your blinds may need more than a simple dusting to get clean. Turn the stem to close the blinds. Get the slats flat and straighten them out to expose as much dust and dirt as you can.^{[7]
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- You might choose to remove the blinds from their setting before cleaning them by hand, but in most cases this won’t be necessary.^{[8]
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2
Remove as much dust from the blinds as you can. Run a feather duster, dry towel or vacuum with a brush attachment over the slats of the blinds lightly. Remove whatever dust has collected on the surface. Any stuck-on dirt and grime that is left behind will need to be cleaned by hand.^{[9]
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- White plastic or vinyl blinds are especially bad about showing dirt and discoloration.
3
Wet a towel with soap and water. Combine a small amount of mild dish soap with warm water. Take a microfiber towel or coarse washcloth and soak it in the soapy water solution. Wring out the excess water. The towel should be just slightly damp to help dust stick to it without wetting the blinds.
- Avoid using abrasive cleaners on blinds, even the synthetic types. Harsh chemicals can eat through the finish of the slats.
- Wooden blinds, especially, should not get too wet. Standing water can soak into the wood and cause it to warp and discolor.^{[10]
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4
Wipe down the blinds from end to end. With one hand, take hold of the outer edge of the top blind slat. Pinch the slat damp towel and drag your hand from one end to the other, cleaning the entire length.^{[11]
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Filip Boksa
House Cleaning Professional
Expert Interview. 20 August 2019.} Repeat this process with each individual slat, moving from top to bottom, left to right. Go over particularly dirty spots as many times as needed.^{[12]
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- Stop and rinse the towel after every few slats to wash away the dust and grime that has built up on it. You may be surprised how much dirt you’ll pick up cleaning this way!
- Grip the blind slats lightly to keep from bending them out of shape.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Removing and Cleaning Fabric Blinds

1
Take the blinds off of their setting. Remove the blinds from their setting and take them down. The correct way to do this will vary depending on the type of blinds you have. It is necessary to take down fabric blinds in order to clean them because they will usually require more than a simple wipe down to clear away stains.^{[13]
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- Most of the time, blind settings and mountings will be fairly simple to figure out, but some types may be more complicated than others. If you’re uncertain how to remove your blinds, consult a professional.
- Fabric blinds may need to be deep-cleaned more frequently than smoother varieties because their porous surfaces trap dirt and stains and don’t wipe clean as easily.
2
Close or unroll the blinds. Unfurl one-piece blinds and stretch them out. If you have fabric Venetian or “accordion”-style folding blinds, close or extend them but keep them from bunching or twisting to preserve their shape. Place the blinds on a broad, flat surface. Remove loose dust with a vacuum or dry duster.^{[14]
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- Use a vacuum with a brush head attachment to dust the blinds before cleaning them with soap and water.
3
Wipe the blinds with warm, soapy water. Fill the sink with warm water. Mix in a small amount of mild dish detergent. Soak a microfiber towel or washcloth in the soapy water and wring out the excess. Go over the spots on the blinds where dirt and grime have accumulated using a light blotting, wiping motion. Don’t scour the blinds, as this can harm the fabric.^{[15]
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- If the blinds you’re attempting to clean are brightly colored or made of a temperamental material, perform a color test by dabbing the fabric with the corner of a wet paper towel to see if the colors bleed before you clean them. If significant bleeding occurs, you may need to have them treated professionally.
- Make sure the towel you’re using isn’t too wet when you begin wiping down the blinds. Too much moisture might oversaturate and damage the fabric.^{[17]
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4
Spread out the blinds to dry. Lay out the damp blinds flat on the floor after cleaning them. Allow them to sit overnight or as long as it takes for them to dry completely. You may be able to speed up the drying process by leaving them in direct sunlight, turning placing them under a ceiling fan or keeping them sandwiched between two bath towels to help wick out the remaining water.^{[18]
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- Don’t wring out wet blinds by hand. This can cause the fabric to stretch or wrinkle.
- Fabric blinds can be ironed to straight out wrinkles before you rehang them. When ironing folding blinds, take extra care to keep the creases even.

Community Q&A

Question

How do you remove blinds from their mountings?

Community Answer

This will depend largely on the kind of blinds you have and what sort of setting is holding them in place. Usually it's a matter of removing a couple of screws. If you're unsure of how to take down your blinds, run a search for the model you have or seek professional advice.

Warnings

Metal blinds must be dried completely before being hung again. Damp blinds might lead to rust and decay.

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Don't soak, submerge of pour water over blinds to clean them. This can ruin even non-fabric blinds.

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