How to clean blinds the easy way – this is a great cleaning hack for busy schedules!
It’s almost time to host the holidays, and if you’re like me – you’re going through the house on a deep cleaning spree!
I love hosting – but it’s often in the middle of a party or holiday dinner when something I missed cleaning gets pointed out or noticed.
And I instantly feel embarrassed.
One thing that I’ve managed to miss multiple times over the last few parties was our mini blinds.
I think someone at Christmas was looking out the mudroom window blinds to see if someone they knew was pulling into our driveway last year. I was beside them looking out, too, when I saw their eyes dart to the blinds in front of their face.
There was a thin layer of dust on every single strip.
Oof.
How did I miss that?
Honestly, I’m only ever looking out the window, not at the blinds.
They’re an easy item to miss.
Now that I’ve gone through that embarrassing moment, I never miss cleaning them.
In fact, I rotate this cleaning task so I make sure to do it every 3-4 months.
Luckily, I’ve figured out a super simple way to clean ours with almost zero effort!
I manage to get ours clean in as little as an hour with no scrubbing.
I’ll show you how to clean mini blinds in a flash – no effort required with this easy cleaning hack…
P.S. If you have wood blinds, see the note at the bottom!
*This post contains affiliate links, however, all opinions are my own, as always.
How To Clean Blinds
Here’s what you’ll need to clean mini blinds the easy way…
- vinegar
- dish soap
- sink stopper
- 1/2 cup measuring cup
- old towel
- soft sponge (optional)
Here’s what our mudroom blinds looked like before I cleaned them…
Can you see all the dirt and dust??
YIKES!
So let’s clean these blinds!
To clean our mini blinds, I first fill either our bathtub or our kitchen sink with warm water.
Our kitchen sink is a large one-bay farmhouse style sink, so it works for our smaller width blinds.
While the tub or sink is filling up with water, I squirt about a teaspoon of dish soap into the water and let the suds form.
Next, I add 1/2 cup of white vinegar.
I let the sink fill up to about 1/3 of the way, just until I know I can put the blinds in with about an inch of water above it.
I let our blinds soak in the water mixture for an hour, setting a timer on my phone.
If I didn’t set a timer, I would totally forget about them!
After an hour, I let the water out of the sink and rinse the slats with cool water.
I examine the slats to see if the dust and buildup has been successfully removed – this is the case 90% of the time.
In the other 10% of the time (for instance, when it’s been a VERY long time between cleanings), I need to rub a soft sponge over the slats to remove the dust that has been softened up during the soaking process.
After rinsing them completely with cool water, I lay our blinds on an old towel on the floor or kitchen table.
You can also lay them outside to dry if it’s a warm day or season.
What If The Dust Still Doesn’t Come Off My Blinds?
Don’t worry, I got ya!
When we first moved into our previous house, I did this with the existing blinds, but they had been left on the windows uncleaned for what must have been several years.
In that case, I needed to gently rub a magic eraser over the slats after the soaking process and they looked brand new!
I wouldn’t recommend doing this each time (you want to aim for every season change, so about 3-4 months between mini blind cleanings) only because magic erasers are abrasive, and I haven’t examined what that could do to your blinds over a long period of time.
I would only recommend using them in cases like mine where there was some neglect, but not with routine maintenance or future cleanings.
Why Is The Underside Of My Blinds Yellow?
The short answer to this is because of the sun.
One side faces the sun more than the other and gets discolored.
The same is true for notebook pages that are left exposed on a car dashboard.
You can liven up and lighten this discoloration on your freshly cleaned blinds with a bleach bath in your tub.
Fill your tub up with water 1/3 of the way and add in 2 tbsp. of bleach.
Allow the mini blinds to soak for about 10-15 minutes.
With rubber gloves on (these are my favorite), gently rub each discolored slat with a soft sponge.
Rinse with cool water, and allow to air dry on an old towel or outdoors.
How To Clean Blinds
Learn how to clean mini blinds the easy way - this is a great cleaning hack for busy schedules!
Materials
- white vinegar
- dish soap
- measuring cup
- old towel
Instructions
- Fill a tub with hot water.
- Add about 1 tsp. of dish soap and 1/2 cup white vinegar.
- Fill the tub up about 1/3 of the way - enough to cover the blinds 1 inch.
- Allow mini blinds to soak in the water mixture for 1 hour.
- After 1 hour has passed, drain the tub and rinse the blinds with cool water.
- If any residue or dust remains, run a soft sponge over the slats.
- Lay flat to dry on an old towel - pat with a microfiber cloth.
- Once dry, hang back up in the window.
How To Clean Wood Blinds
If you have wood blinds, you would not follow this method.
Wood blinds need to be cleaned differently.
To clean wood blinds, close the slats so they are flat against the window and use a duster or old sock, and run it lengthwise across them.
Pick up as much dust as you can.
You can apply wood conditioner or lemon oil to help breathe some life back into them, make them shine, and repel future dust.
Keep up with your wood blind cleaning maintenance every 3-4 months.
I hope this post was helpful and taught you something new.
How long do you usually wait to clean your blinds? Share with me in the comments below – no shame!