How to effectively maintain your blinds
Posted on September 5, 2019
With so many different styles available, blinds are ideal to dress your windows, they look modern and stylish and give you ultimate control over privacy and light levels in your home.
As with many home features, it is important to regularly maintain and clean your blinds so they remain in tip-top shape.
Whether you’re cleaning, need help repairing your blinds or are wondering how to maintain the value of your blinds. We have compiled our top tips to keep your blinds running smoothly.
Dust regularly
Blinds catch dust very easily due to their location in your home, the dirt and pollution from opening windows can also leave residue on your blinds. Dusting the slats and fabric folds of your blinds should be a regular in your cleaning routine, to ensure your blinds keep their value use a soft microfibre cloth or feather duster to keep them dirt-free wipe from one side of the blind to the other in one clean sweep and aim to clean them once a week to keep everything fresh. Alternatively, you can vacuum gently using an upholstery attachment.
Clean with care
Tough stains and grime can be difficult to remove from blinds especially fabric, A damp cloth, and a little stain remover may give you success, but be careful not to damage the fabric in the process! Wooden blinds in your home tend to pick up more grime due to the porous nature of wood, particularly in the kitchen and bathroom. This means that they may need a little more attention, However, with warm soapy water and a microfiber cloth, you can wipe away most stains.
It is important that you make sure you dry all your blinds to avoid warping, many blinds have a care label, we recommend that you follow the guidelines provided before any intense cleaning.
Vertical blind care
The material at the top of vertical blinds can become worn or damaged by opening too quickly or by the blinds being pulled too hard.
Vertical blinds are attached by a hook and bracket on a headrail and may benefit from extra care, To maintain a smooth and silent opening lubricate the mechanisms with silicone spray to prevent them from becoming stiff. You can also unclip the louvers from the brackets to access and clean the headrail itself. This can prevent rusting, and keep the creepy crawlies that like to live there at bay!
Repair your blinds
Occasionally your blinds can develop a fault, chains and cords can get tangled, slats can warp and bend and sometimes blinds can fail to raise or lower altogether.
If your blinds fail to move, take a careful approach when repairing. You’ll need to remove the blind from the window frame and disengage the locking mechanism, then you will need to check your cord is moving as it should, if it isn’t, it is relatively simple to re-thread the cord. If the issue is more complex, we recommend contacting a local blind specialist.
If the cord that pulls your blind opens snaps, there’s no need to repair your blinds – just buy a new cord! If you tie your new cord to your old one and pull, the new cord should attach itself in the correct place!
With regular wear and tear your blinds will need a little TLC to maintain their value, for more practical posts on blinds click here. Alternatively, if you are looking for stylish blinds and custom made designs, contact us at Othello and have a look at what we can offer you today!
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