Time Saving Methods For Cleaning Mini Blinds

by Gene B. Pineda

About the only disadvantage to horizontal mini blinds is the cleaning process. But cleaning mini blinds doesn't have to be such a huge pain, if you take advantage of a few helpful tips. Nowadays, there are some helpful appliances you can get that aren't terribly expensive, and they can take a lot of the frustration out of cleaning mini blinds. The occasional cleaning will keep your mini blinds looking great and operating efficiently for years of stylish and energy-saving enjoyment.

Handy Tools for Cleaning Mini Blinds

First of all, for the occasional wipe-down, you can buy a mini blind cleaner or duster at most discount retailers or other gadget shops (Ace Hardware carries these, too). It's a plastic hand-held appliance with five or six "fingers," which are covered with a soft, fleece-like, dust-absorbent material. You just run this along your mini blind slats, and you can dust five or six of them at once.

It can be a little time consuming, since you must extract the appliance when you reach the center strings. You can also purchase an attachment for your vacuum cleaner (see amerimark.com, for example) that operates on the same basic principle: the slat go between the "fingers," and you clean by moving the appliance along the slats.

In fact, an occasional quick cleaning with the vacuum cleaner will keep excess dust buildup to a minimum, and should make your periodic, more thorough cleanings easier. As an alternative technique, you can simply wind the mini blinds to the closed position and wipe them down with a dust cloth, using your favorite dusting spray.

Deep Cleaning Mini Blinds There are also several techniques you can use for an even more thorough cleaning of your mini blinds. One of these is to remove the blinds from the mounting brackets and soak them in a tub (some people use a section of rain gutter) of warm water, dish detergent, and ammonia (although, if your mini blinds are colored, you might want to skip the ammonia).

Allow the blinds to soak for an hour or two, then remove from the tub and allow them to drain for about an hour (you may want to turn them vertically and spread apart slightly to allow better drainage). This should get rid of even greasy grime that can build up in kitchen mini blinds.

Some people have even reported success at cleaning mini blinds with the hand held sprayer at a car wash. However, care should be exercised when using this technique, since the high pressure spray could dent or otherwise damage aluminum blinds and older, brittle vinyl blinds.