How to clean Roller blinds

You must have read a zillion blogs on all kinds of roller blinds and their specifications. What most people tend to forget to tell or even ask about is how to care for those blinds. Cleaning blinds regularly can help you make the most of your investment. Roller blinds like most other blinds need specific techniques to ease the cleaning process. People are constantly getting stuck asking themselves questions like, can I wash my blinds or just wipe them? How do I clean stains on my roller blinds? How do I clean mould on my blinds? Do I take them down? We know it can be intimidating to figure this out by yourself, and that's why we're here. 

So get those damp clothes, fabric stain remover, and detergents out, and let’s get some method to this madness.

How To Clean Roller Blinds

To know exactly how to clean roller blinds easily, you have to be mindful of the material of the blind. You must be sure of the base of the blind. It could be cloth fabric or vinyl-coated waterproof fabric. Your procedure forward will depend on this step.

Regular Cleaning

The first method to clean roller blinds easily is the regular kind. Let’s begin with the fabrics. When it comes to fabric rollers with stains or moulds, one needs to go a step ahead with their cleaning method for a deep clean. These include:

• Use a damp cloth to gently wipe off the dust settled on the rollers. This can be done on regular fabrics as well as long as you are careful that the cloth does not have a lot of moisture.
• Use warm soapy water with mild detergent for fabrics with tough stains.

You will need:

Here is a quick list of items to keep you sorted for your ultimate attempt at a deeper clean:

• Duster or Vacuum with an upholstery brush tool
• Damp Cloth
• Lukewarm water with mild laundry detergent

Now, let us understand a step-by-step process to know how to clean roller blinds without taking them down in a little more detail:

Step 1: Fully extend the blinds down

Pull the blinds fully down to be able to see every part of the blind that needs cleaning. This makes it easier to reach for the entire surface and even get a whole look both before and after the cleaning.

Step 2: Use a duster/vacuum to remove dust and dirt

You can first gently dust the rollers using a duster. Post that, bring your vacuum into action. Start using it from top to bottom first in soft steady motions. Once satisfied, go on to use it from left to right to get to every particle of dust stuck onto those blinds. 

Pro Tip 1: Let the direction of the grain of the material guide your motion of vacuuming. Vacuum with the fabric rather than against it to avoid creases.

Step 3: Wipe the blinds using a damp cloth

Here comes the final step under the regular cleaning method. It is time to wipe the blinds using a damp cloth dipped in foamy water with soap. Don’t forget to squeeze the cloth with excess water in case of fabrics with stains.

After the Monica Geller in you is fully satisfied with the before and after picture in your head, air dry the blinds before closing them back near the curtain rod. Make sure that no moisture remains in them once you do.

Pro Tip: You can use warm water mixed with a mild detergent to dip your cloth in before wiping.

Deep Cleaning

The second method to easily clean roller blinds is deep cleaning, which comes with many benefits as well. This works equally well with vertical blinds, blackout blinds, or most window blinds. The roller blinds with heavy mould spores and persistent stains necessarily call for deep cleaning. 

Get ready to detach the blinds from their bracket and dip it in mild detergent into a bathtub.

• You will then need to clean it with either a soft-bristled brush, sponge, or a microfiber cloth (or a clean sock because why not?).

Let’s dive in further to break down how to wash roller blinds.

Things You Need:

Here is another quick list of items you need before you sit to scrub your blinds:

• Bathtub
• Brush tool (soft-bristled)
• Detergent (mild)
• Clean microfiber cloth/sock
• Drying rack

Step 1: Detach the Blinds from the Bracket

Your roller is attached to your window recess or the wall using brackets. One of these two brackets comes with a lid that can be clicked open from the opposite side. This frees the blind and lets you remove it entirely. 

Step 2: Dip the blinds in the bathtub

Once you carefully put these blinds down, all you gotta do is simply dip them in a bathtub. The water in the tub can be mixed seamlessly with a mild detergent. You can either soak it in for an hour or scrub the dirt off using your soft brush in case of stains.

Pro Tip 1: An old toothbrush really helps to remove those smaller stubborn stains or to kill mould spores.

Pro Tip 2: Water plus salt plus lemon juice solution really helps to remove mould.

Step 3: Rinse and Air Dry the Blinds

After an hour, you can pull them out and rinse them with fresh clean water. This will remove all the dirt and leftover detergent. Once satisfied, you can let the blinds dry completely on a rack. Make sure to completely dry them before putting them up again.

Pro Tip 1: The shower head of your bath works really well for rinsing purposes.

Pro Tip 2: Don’t hang them out in the sunlight as it can cause discolouring in certain materials and attract dust too.

Step 4: Mount back the blinds

Carefully mount back the blinds and close the bracket again to firmly fix it in place.

If these processes work correctly for you, keep doing them often and your blinds will last longer. These not only prevent mould but also clean your roller blinds in and out.

Final Thoughts

This pretty much sums up the entire step-by-step process of cleaning roller blinds easily like a pro. Based on the material of the blind, pick a regular cleaning method or a deep cleaning method. Based on that, gather anything from a vacuum cleaner to a detergent solution and you will be sorted. Even after you clean them, regular dusting will help you keep the dust and dirt at bay. One great tip to leave you with is to use a small quantity of bleach for your white roller blinds. Hopefully, this will help you with your roller blind cleaning.

You always have the option of changing those blinds altogether. Order up to 10 free samples from Blindstyle and see which colour and style of roller blind helps make your house a home.