Faux wood blinds provide so much to the aesthetics of your windows. The best part is they are super easy to keep clean so they always look in pristine condition. There are so many benefits to choosing faux wood blinds. One advantage is that they provide extra resistance to moister making them a great choice in kitchens and bathrooms. Providing you clean them regularly your blinds won’t fade with the added bonus being you catch any damage early enough so you can fix it. Here’s how to clean faux wood blinds so they last a lifetime.
The Importance of Cleaning Faux Wood Blinds Regularly
Faux wood blinds are wonderfully lightweight and easy to maintain so they stay in pristine condition. Cleaning the blinds once a week helps keep them looking as good as the day they were installed in your home. Dirt and debris tends to gather on the slats which needs to be cleaned off regularly to prevent discolouration and damage.
Any blind in a kitchen environment will need to be frequently cleaned, but so do the blinds in other rooms which includes living rooms, dining areas, hallways, and bathrooms. The sort of debris that collects on the slats includes things like:
- Dust particles found in the air
- Dander from your pets
- Cooking oils and grease
- Tiny food particles
- Drink spills
- Minute particles of shed skin
All of the above collects on the faux wood slats and if not cleaned on a regular basis your blinds will start to look tired and unkempt.
Cleaning Dust Off Your Blinds
To clean dust off your blinds, you need to use any of the following:
- Microfibre cloth
- Feather duster
- A soft brush attachment on your vacuum
You should gently wipe each side of the faux wood slats making sure not to be too enthusiastic. It’s also a good idea to wipe a dryer sheet over the slats afterwards which helps prevent any dust from collecting on them.
Cleaning Grime and Stains off Faux Wood Blinds
If you didn’t have the time to clean your blinds for a few weeks, you may find that grime has accumulated on the slats. This is especially the case if your blinds are in a kitchen where lots of cooking goes on. If you share your home with a pet or two, the hair they shed can also collect on the slats and may get embedded in the grime.
To clean off the grime you need to do the following:
- Using a microfibre cloth, wipe the faux wood slats to loosen and remove any grime that’s accumulated
- Fill a large bowl with some warm water and add a small amount of mild detergent. You can also use white vinegar instead of the water
- Close the blinds so they are fully shut
- Take the blinds down from the window if possible
- With the cleaning solution you’ve mixed together, wipe one slat at a time, starting with the top slat
- Do the same on the other side of your slats
- Make sure you dry all the slats on both sides before re-hanging your blind if you took it down
- Wipe all the slats with a dryer sheet to prevent dust from building up again
Cleaning Blinds Which Have Discoloured
As time passes, ultraviolet rays can cause your blinds to take on a yellowish hue. Additionally, smoke and other pollutants commonly found indoors can also cause your blinds to discolour. However, all is not lost because you can easily restore the colour to your blinds by washing them in a tub of water. Find out how to clean faux wood blinds as follows:
- Wipe away any dust and debris from the slats
- Take down your blinds
- Add 2 to 3 cups of bleach to a bath filled with cold water
- Submerge the yellowing blinds in the bathwater for around 10 minutes
- Wipe each slat with a microfibre cloth
- Remove the blinds from the bath and dry them using a towel, or you can let the blind air dry
- Rehang your clean blinds on your windows
Another alternative to restoring a pristine look to yellowing slats on faux wood blinds is to apply a fresh coat of paint to them using a quality spray paint
How to Keep Faux Wood Blind Strings Looking Pristine
After you’ve cleaned your blinds, you may need to clean the strings found between each of the slats. To remove any grime that’s built up on the strings all you need do is the following:
- Use some shoe polish to clean the strings by putting a little on a dry cloth and wiping each string until the grime is removed and the strings look clean again
- Try shaving cream which also works well if you don’t have any shoe polish. Just squirt a little on a cloth and wipe the strings until they are clean
- Use some lemon juice mixed with a little bleach and wipe with a cloth to remove the dust and grime
When you clean your faux wood blinds on a regular basis, it helps prevent any build-up of dust and grime. The effort is well worth it because clean blinds always look as pristine as the day they were first hung on your windows.