How to Clean Mini-Blinds and Venetian Blinds Fast and Easy

As with most household cleaning, frequent touch-ups are the best ways to avoid major cleaning projects. Generally, a light dusting once a month or so is all that's needed to keep mini-blinds clean.


How To Dust

Close the blinds and use a feather or lambswool duster--or the brush attachment on your vacuum cleaner. Dust gently straight across so none of the slats get bent. Close the other way and repeat the process so both side of the slats are done. As with any cleaning, start at the top and work down.

You can try using a mini-blind duster which is kind of a - brush that cleans 5-6 slats at one time, but I've never had any luck with them.


For Heavy Duty Cleaning

* Spray an old pair of cotton gloves with Endust or all purpose cleaner and wipe each slat. Men's socks or a terry mitt will also work.

* Close the blinds and spray a large sponge with all purpose or glass cleaner and carefully wipe them following same precautions as with dusting. Do not spray the blinds directly or you'll get streaks on the windows and then have those to clean as well!

* Take them down and wash them in a bathtub filled with soapy water; then rinse. Hang to dry then rehang.

* Take them outside and wash them with soap and water. You can either hang the blinds or lay them flat on the grass. If you have a fertilizer or window washing spray attachment for your garden hose, put a little dish soap in the plastic container and spray away. Rinse the blinds and then hang to dry.

* If you're willing to spend a little money--and it's pretty inexpensive--call a professional blind cleaning service. Look under "Venetian Blinds" online or in the Yellow Pages to see if there's one in your area. There are some who come to your home, others require that you bring your blinds to them.


Best way to prevent major mini-blind cleaning: don't hang them in the kitchen where there's grease or the bathroom where there's hair spray.

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Pros and Cons of Venetian Blinds Inside Double Glazing Units

It is now possible to order your new windows, French doors and patio doors with integral horizontal blinds. The blinds are fitted within the double-glazing cavity.



Slatted Venetian blinds allow the amount of sunlight shining through the window to be controlled by turning the slats, closing them fully or pulling up the blind for maximum light and vision. Unfortunately, the flat surfaces of the slats accumulate dust and are not easy to clean. Some people prefer this to fabric curtains, festoon blinds, etc., which have to be removed for washing or dry-cleaning.



Another challenge is where and how to position blinds on or above a standard glazed door, a problem that is multiplied for French, bi-folding or patio doors.



The solution is simple. Inside the two panes of glass that form a double-glazed unit is a dust-free empty space just begging to be utilised! The blinds are operated by using magnets attached to the window, enabling them to be operated as normal. This can be done manually or electronically.



There are some down-sides to this:

* The cost of replacing existing units plus additional cost of integral blinds.
* What happens if the blinds break? There is no access to fix them.




If you are not thinking of replacing windows or glazed doors, then integral blinds is not a viable option. However, it is an option for consideration if you are planning to buy, particularly if the glazing is in full sun or there is a need for privacy.



Integral blinds are usually guaranteed against breakdown for a number of years. However, because the mechanism is remote, the chances of rough handling or mis-treatment are negligible.



The blinds may be offered in a variety of colours but, as with low-maintenance window frames (aluminium, pvc), many people choose the safer options of white or neutral tones to maximise their decorating options.



One supplier of integral blinds in glazed doors and windows is SunSeeker Doors, who manufactures aluminium-framed bi-folding doors, with or without optional blinds in the sealed unit. The choice includes pleated or slatted blinds.



From simple French Doors to multi-panelled folding doors that can span as wide as 7.2 metres, the doors can be installed between your home and your garden or conservatory - or they can form an internal room partition. The inclusion of Venetian blinds in room partitions can revolutionise the way you use your home or office.



On balance, the "pros" are: convenience, no maintenance, no cleaning, little risk of damage, privacy and measured light control whereas the "cons" are price and the possible expense if the blinds go wrong after the warranty has expired.

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Wooden Venetian Blinds

Wooden venetian blinds are a beautiful option for any home, and are very functional in all climates. Their basic construction is a series of very thin wooden strips connected by strings or cords either horizontally or vertically.

The strips can pivot, usually via an easy-to-handle rotating rod, to go from being fully perpendicular, which allows the greatest visibility and light, to nearly parallel such that they slightly overlap and block all visibility and most light. Typically the strips are hung horizontally and multiple cords, bound together, can be used to raise and lower the blinds for an even more open configuration. The blinds can also be hung vertically and slide to one side to be fully open.

Horizontal blinds are used almost exclusively for windows, while vertically-oriented blinds can also be used for doorways if the strips are long enough to reach from above the door to the floor (or desired height above the floor). This gives an interesting option for covering a sliding glass door, for example.

Venetian blinds, in general, have numerous benefits. They allow a great degree of control over the amount of light passing through the window, as the strips can be twisted to and angle between flat and perpendicular. Wooden venetian blinds also tend to be very durable, and can come in a variety of wood types to complement any decor. When considering venetian blinds, it is generally preferable to use those with wider strips, meaning more distance top to bottom on horizontal layouts or side-to-side on vertical ones, as they block light more completely when closed and make a room brighter when fully opened. Also, wider strips are easier to clean, as one simply needs to wipe with a dusting cloth or, when necessary, a cloth with appropriate cleaner or polish.

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Venetian Blinds Guide

Venetian blinds are basically slatted blinds. They are usually made of metal, plastic, wood or faux and come in many varieties of colors and styles. The blinds can be purchased with either horizontal or vertically aligned slats. They are an inexpensive way to spruce up a whole room or an entire house.

Blinds can be adjusted to regulate how much or how little light you wish to enter through the window. This also lets an occupant decide how much privacy to maintain. Blinds can be opened during daytime hours to enjoy the natural light, but closed at night to allow for privacy.

Because they are available in so many colors and styles it is easy to use them to complement any decor. They are flexible and can be adapted in your designing schemes. They come in many sizes. Blinds can be purchased to fit any window in a house. Just remember to measure the window carefully before ordering so that you will get the proper size.

Venetian blinds do not require professional installation. You can do it yourself with a few common tools and a little bit of time. They may be hung inside the window frame or on the outside of the frame. You can choose the look and feel that you want.

Blinds are a wise investment. They help keep your house cool in the summer and warm in the winter. In this way they can help save on heating and air conditioning bills. They are also easy to clean and need little maintenance. This means time and money saved.

Venetian blinds are a relatively inexpensive investment. They are a classic; yet classy way to dress up the window in your home. Simply measure the window, order and hang the blinds. Adjust them to your level of comfort and enjoy.

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Wooden Venetian Blinds - A Classic Luxury Look

In the last 10 years wooden venetian blinds have become very popular. There are a number of reasons for this.

Firstly they combine perfectly with hard wood floor and laminate flooring. If you are going for the natural wood look then it makes sense to finish a room off with a wood blind.

Secondly this type of blind gives you huge control over privacy and light. You can use the pull cord to raise and lower the blind. I strongly recommend you only use the raise control for when you need to open a window or clean it.

What most people do is leave the blind down and just tilt the horizontal slats to the desired angle.

All the products that we supply are made from controlled forestry renewable sources. You can rest assured that the wood used is not part of the rain forest destruction we hear so much about.

Most wood slat blinds are made from basswood and stained to the different wood colours. You can also buy a range of painted wood slat venetian blinds. The most popular of these colours is white.

As well as the basswood blinds there is another Vogue range made of very lightweight polar wood. This means that you can have a single blind up to 3 metres wide. Because of the light weight slats the blind is still east to raise with the pull cord.

There are a select range of wooden venetian blinds that are made from the real wood. For example we have a Cedar wood slat and an Ash wood slat. These top of the range wood venetians are beautiful and unfortunately very expensive.

The 4 main slat sizes are 25mm, 35mm, 50mm and 64mm shutter style. Not all woods are available in all the sizes so that sometimes will dictate which slat you can have. Its best to have the right colour slat chosen first and then decide which slat size you would like.

Warping can be a problem in humid conditions. You really have to take on board the fact that eventually some of the slat will warp to some degree. Wood being a natural product is not predictable. We do not recommend using real wood blinds in bathrooms for this reason. Instead we have a small range of "Wood style" blinds that look like wood but are in fact Plastic made to look like wood.

Cleaning is easier with the larger size slats as you can get a duster between them easily. Ostrich feather dusters are by far the best type to use. You can also use a damp cloth to clean them if they are really dirty.

To finish off the look of the blind there is a valance piece that covers the top box and the brackets.

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