Cleaning Mini-Blinds

Mini-blinds come in all shapes, sizes, materials, and textures. One thing that is common among all mini-blinds, however, is that they can be very difficult to clean. Both sides (top and bottom of each blind) like to get dirty, and each side has its own contours to worry about. Besides that, mini-blinds can be large or hard to reach, which adds to the difficulty. Finally, the blinds bend in the corner if you press too hard, which always seems to be a little easier than expected.

Fortunately, there is a very simple and quick way to clean your mini-blinds. All you have to do is slip an old sock on each of your hands. Dip one sock into warm, soapy water and rub the mini-blind between your fingers. Dry the blind with the sock on your other hand. This will solve the problems of the contours, and you can hold both sides at the same time to prevent bending. Soon you will find that the hardest part of cleaning the blinds is not the actual cleaning, but finding the socks to clean them with.

Once you have cleaned the actual blinds, it is time to move on to the pull string. To clean the pull strings on your blinds, mix together one tablespoon of bleach and one quart of cold water in a jar. You can change the amount of mixture you use as long as you keep the ratio of ingredients the same. Pull up the blinds to expose as much of the cord as possible. Take as much of the cord as you can and dunk it in the mixture. Make sure you have a ladder nearby or something that will reach near the top of the blinds. You will need to put the jar on top of that object, be it a ladder or shelf or the top of some furniture. Be careful not to spill the mixture on your carpet or furniture, since it can ruin the upholstery.

Let the cord soak in the mixture for several hours. Get another jar that has clean water, and place the cord in that so it can rinse. Then take the cord out and let it dry. You may want to have a white cloth below the cord in case it drips. Let the cord dry completely before putting the shades down again.