Cleaning window mini blinds

 How to turn a back breaking job

 into a simple, quick, easy task

Cleaning window mini blinds doesn't have to be such a chore. You can always take them down, move them outside and give them a good hose down. There are some great tools like  window blind gloves. Just slip them over your hands and start wiping down - or these nifty mini blind brushes but if the dust and dirt are caked on you'll probably need to take them down for a thorough cleaning.

There are also some branded, proprietary vinyl cleaners that are designed specially for the job of cleaning window mini blinds. These are available in most supermarkets or department stores. Some are designed just for cleaning vinyl surfaces.

The best way to start is by taking them down and hosing them off really good to remove all the loose dirt. It's easier to remove the loose dirt before tackle the really stubborn dirt. If you try to clean really dirty vinyl blinds without removing the loose dirt and dust first, you could wind up scratching the material, removing the gloss, or even render them more prone to holding dirt.

Once the loose dirt is removed, a weak ammonia solution is good for the next step. It forms a weak alkaline solution that is good for wiping down mini blinds and removing the next layer of dirt. Rubbing alcohol is another good wipe-down solution to try if the ammonia isn't getting the job done. One word of caution though - never mix these household solutions with anything other than water - extremely dangerous gasses can occur.

Besides regular household dust, another reason vinyl mini blinds get dirty is because of grease. Grease and oils are a common problem for blinds located in, or near the kitchen. Airborne grease droplets land everywhere, inclunding your window blinds. From there, they attract even more dust than the blinds installed in other rooms of your home. These can be particularly challenging to get clean.

For blinds with caked on dirt, baking soda in water can be a good option for cutting the grease. Borax is another option too. Have you noticed something in common starting to appear here?  Borax is alkaline, as is baking soda – sodium bicarbonate.  Baking soda works well for indigestion as an antacid, so it must be alkaline. And ammonia:  what could be more alkaline that ammonia! Any alkaline solution will work well. 

The other type of chemicals that frequently found in household remedies is a degreaser.  Soap or detergent is frequently recommended.  These are natural degreasers which explains their use in the kitchen.  Some recommend using pine oil to clean mini blinds.  Well, believe it or not, pine oil dissolves some greases, and if you have some around, it might be worth a try.

There are a lot of opinions on how to clean mini blinds, but one thing what is certain is that if none of the above methods make the job quick and easy, then it might by best to just buy a new set - they're pretty cheap after all!