How to wash vertical fabric blinds at home in an automatic machine or manually: care tips

Traditional curtains are increasingly being replaced in apartments and offices by vertical fabric blinds. They are comfortable and practical, look stylish and make it possible to regulate the light flow in the room. But over time, fabric blinds get dirty, dust settles on them, and stains appear. To clean dirt and return the lamellas to an attractive appearance, it is not necessary to take them to dry cleaning or use the services of a cleaning service. Washing vertical blinds is easy at home if you follow all the rules.

Can fabric blinds be machine washed?

For two years after purchase, it is generally undesirable to expose curtains of this type to moisture. In this case, the accumulated dust is swept away with a brush or collected with a vacuum cleaner. To prevent stains from appearing on the slats, it is better not to touch them with your hands, but to use a system of cords to open and close them. If stains appear, you will have to remove the strips and wash them, but you need to take into account what fabric they are made of.

Not all curtains of this type can be washed, especially in automatic mode. For example, expensive slats made of natural linen, cotton or jacquard cannot be washed at all. If they become dirty, they are dry cleaned. Failure to comply with this rule leads to the fact that the fabric shrinks, becomes deformed or loses color. Strips made of synthetic materials can be washed if necessary. You can do this yourself, by hand or in a washing machine. But it is important to follow the washing rules.

Important! Before washing, you need to carefully read the instructions for the blinds and make sure that this type of fabric is washable. The description also indicates exactly how these slats can be cleaned.

How to care for vertical blinds

Frequent washing will cause blinds to fade and lose their shape over time. To avoid having to constantly expose the fabric to water, follow the care recommendations:

clean the slats with a vacuum cleaner with a furniture attachment at least once a week;
wipe the material once a month with a cloth soaked in soapy water;
do not wash windows with aggressive compounds containing chlorine - if it gets on the fabric, it will ruin the color and damage the fibers of the material;
treat the strips with an antistatic agent - this way they will be less covered with dust;
Once a year, lubricate the cornice guides with a special silicone grease - this will make it easier to move the strips.

If you decide to remove the blinds and replace them with other or regular curtains, roll the strips into rolls and carefully tie them with thread. A dry and warm room is suitable for storage.

Removing the slats from the cornice

Washing fabric strips while they are hanging on the curtain rod is impossible. That's why they are removed from the window. This is how they do it correctly:

Using the control chain, rotate the slats until they open completely.
Disconnect the lower guide chain on both sides of the sinker for each strip of fabric.
Remove the weight strips.
Grasp the lamella with two fingers from above, next to the fastening clip, and, turning it to the side, at the same time push it up 5 mm so that a click is heard.
Turn the lamella towards the short part of the runner to increase the gap and pull it down.

To return the fabric strips to their place after washing, all steps are performed in the reverse order. The process of removing the slats is shown in more detail in the video.

How to remove slats

To wash the strips of blinds, they must be removed from the supporting structure. To do this, follow these steps:

Using the control chain, turn the slats to the open position.
Remove the guide chain from the bottom weight of each strip on both sides.
Remove the weights.
Remove each slats from the curtain rod.

Dry cleaning curtains

If there is no heavy soiling or visible stains, dry cleaning of curtains can be done. To do this, just walk over the surface of the fabric strips with a vacuum cleaner during weekly cleaning. Use a narrow brush. Cleaning is done on both sides.

For convenience, you can use a special finger-shaped attachment. It makes it possible to grab several strips at the same time and process them on both sides at once. Instead of using a vacuum cleaner, you can use a fluffy broom to collect dust from your blinds.

Useful tips

In conclusion, we will give a few more important instructions regarding the proper care of a newfangled piece of furniture.

They will help preserve the appearance and extend the life of the blinds:

once a week, clean them from dust on both sides with a vacuum cleaner;
periodically wipe with a cloth soaked in antistatic agent, this will protect the slats from dust;
before you start washing, check whether the material from which they are made is not fading;
Do not wash fabric strips together with other laundry in the washing machine: first completely empty the drum;
Before washing the machine, wipe all its internal parts with a clean damp cloth. There may be particles of bleach and other aggressive agents left on them after previous washes;
Never use automatic dryer or iron. They can damage the fabric. The strips should dry naturally on the cornice clamps;
weights can be installed in their intended place only after complete drying;
do not use chlorine-containing preparations to remove heavy stains, they will leave white spots on the fabric;
Alternative methods of cleaning fabric blinds to washing include professional dry cleaning and the use of a steam generator. These methods are very effective and safe;
Before any manipulations with blinds, carefully read the attached instructions, then you will avoid many unforeseen troubles.

Washing fabric vertical blinds is not difficult. However, if you organize systematic proper care for them, you can prevent severe contamination, which will delay the washing process.

Cleaning blinds with steam

Owners of household steamers or steam generators can clean the blinds directly on the eaves without removing them using this device. It is able to efficiently remove dirt without damaging the lamellas. For cleaning you will need a special attachment for blinds. If this is not included in the package, it must be purchased separately.

Cleaning begins from the top of the blinds. The nozzle is carried vertically down the strip. At the same time, hot steam softens nicotine deposits, grease and dust. They mix with condensate from the steam and flow down like a dirty mass. All that remains is to wipe the strips with a microfiber cloth. If there are stains on the slats, they are treated with steam longer than other places.

Important! Steam cleaning should not be used too often, although this method of cleaning is preferable to washing fabric blinds at home. The reason is that steam can disrupt the impregnation of fabric strips. It is permissible to use steam cleaning only if it is no longer possible to remove dirt with a vacuum cleaner.

Wash the blinds on the window

There are several quite effective ways to wash blinds without removing them:

If the contamination is not severe, you can simply take a dust cloth and wipe them, the disadvantage of this method is that the dust can fly around the room.
The second method involves using a vacuum cleaner and a special brush. First, vacuum them, set the device to minimum power and use a high-bristle nozzle. Afterwards, clean with a brush; supermarkets today sell special double-sided brushes. With their help, two sides are cleaned at once.
Wet cleaning with detergents.
The first stage is cleaning with a brush or vacuum cleaner; with their help you will remove most of the dust. Then pour warm water into a basin and dissolve the cleaning agent in it. Take a high-bristle brush and start washing, the final step is to remove excess moisture. Take a microfiber cloth and wipe the surface thoroughly.
Using a special window cleaning liquid. Spray it on the surface of the slats, wait a couple of minutes and start cleaning with a rag. If you are prone to allergic reactions or have children in the house, wipe with a cloth washed in running water. And then dry again.

As you can see, there are quite a few ways and everyone can choose the one that suits their liking.

Machine washable fabric slats

If you have decided to wash vertical blinds in a washing machine, first prepare the machine itself:

To do this, empty the drum of dirty laundry.
The detergent tray is removed and washed thoroughly.
Start the washing machine with an empty tank in the rinse mode. This will help remove any residual detergents that are in the appliance system.

Then choose a detergent. It is worth noting here that blinds cannot be washed with regular washing powder. It spoils the impregnation of the slats and leaves stains and difficult-to-remove stains on their surface. The best choice for washing slats is a liquid detergent for delicate fabrics. However, for light-colored stripes, liquid detergent for white is suitable. If the slats are dark, choose the option for colored linen. A good choice would be liquid laundry detergent or gel for washing wool items.

The removed lamellas are rolled individually into loose rolls and secured with threads. In this form, the blinds are packed in special bags for washing delicate clothes and sent to the drum. The washing machine is set to one of the delicate wash modes.

Important! The rinsing, drying and spinning modes are disabled.

If the washing machine does not have a single suitable automatic mode, the washing parameters are set independently in order to wash the blinds correctly. In this case, the temperature is set to +30 degrees, the number of revolutions is set to no higher than 500. Drying, spinning and rinsing are turned off. They also do not use additional options, such as bubble washing.

In the washing machine

This option is the most popular because it requires much less effort and energy. It has already been mentioned that it is worth making sure that the material can be machine washed. In the case of cotton and synthetics, you can safely start washing. If you are not sure of this, then you should not take risks. Sequencing:

The first step is to roll the slats into rolls. If they are narrow enough, then roll them 7-10 pieces in one roll. In the case of wide canvases, it is worth twisting them in 4-5 pieces.
Before loading the slats into the washing machine, place them in a special bag for delicate laundry. You can find them in hardware stores or make your own. Just use a pillowcase made of thin fabric.

To wash in a washing machine, you need to use gentle detergents in the form of a gel. You should not use powder, as this may cause white spots to appear on the canvas.
Choose gentle mode. Reduce the spin speed to a minimum, or better yet, turn it off to avoid pulling. Set the temperature setting to the minimum temperature.
After the wash is finished, carefully unroll each roll and rinse with cool water in the shower. The material does not need to be squeezed or twisted. To dry them, hang the slats away from direct sunlight and heat sources.
Hang the slats in the bathroom, wait until all the water has drained, and then return the blinds to their places, not forgetting to reattach the chains and weights.

If you follow the recommendations for machine washing, your product will serve you for a long time, otherwise it will lose its functions and quickly become unusable.

Handwash

If you decide to wash the slats by hand, you will need a bowl of warm water and liquid detergent. Its selection is made in accordance with the same recommendations as for machine washing. Several caps of gel or liquid washing powder are dissolved in water and lamellas rolled into rolls are immersed in the solution.

The tapes are left for 20-30 minutes, then unrolled and checked for condition. If any stains remain, they are washed off with a brush. Do not rub, twist or squeeze the blinds too much. The slats are then washed in clean water to remove any remaining detergent and hung to dry.

Features of washing by fabric type

It is better not to expose jacquard and linen slats to water at all. There is a high probability that they will be severely deformed. If they are heavily soiled, wash them by hand in non-hot water without pre-soaking. Immediately after washing, the strips are hung on the curtain rod, with weights inserted into the lower part. This will reduce the risk of fabric deformation.

Cotton blinds shrink after washing, so you need to buy a long version right away. These slats can be washed in the usual way. At the same time, for colored slats, in order to maintain brightness, use a detergent marked “Color”.

Fiberglass blinds cannot be washed. They can only be cleaned with a vacuum cleaner. Sometimes it is allowed to walk over the surface of the strips with wet wipes.

Polyester blinds practically do not accumulate dust and withstand exposure to water well. Therefore, they can be washed both by hand and in the machine. The temperature and washing mode for them are selected in accordance with general recommendations.

Drying rules

When the washing is finished, the lamellas are removed from the drum, unfolded and hung out to dry. They are placed vertically, attached to a rope with clothespins. The lamellas need to be dried in air, positioned so that they are not exposed to direct rays of the sun. Another suitable placement option is in an apartment above the bathroom, so that excess moisture can drain there.

It is recommended to hang blinds on the window while still damp. In this case, weights are placed immediately in the lower part for weighting. This will make it possible to adjust the length of the lamellas if some strips stretch out during washing.

Program installation

Roller blinds can be washed using one of the delicate programs. These are “Synthetic”, “Delicate Wash”, “Hand Wash”, “Sensitive” and the like, depending on the brand and model of the washing machine.

If there are no such programs, you can set the mode yourself, focusing on the following rules:

The water heating temperature should not exceed 30°C.
It is recommended to turn off spin.
If your washing machine has a drying option, that should also be turned off.
The EcoBubble mode found in most modern Samsung washing machines cannot be used either. When it starts, a lot of foam is formed, which can leave streaks on the slats.
If it is possible to reduce the drum speed during washing, it is recommended to set it to the lowest value.

How to wash without removing

If there is a need to urgently wash the blinds, this can be done directly on the cornice without removing the tapes. To do this, dissolve liquid detergent in warm water. Moisten a soft sponge in it and gently wipe the blinds from top to bottom from the front and back sides.

Then the contaminated water is replaced with fresh water and the lamellas are washed on both sides with the same sponge to remove any remaining detergents. After this, dissolve a little conditioner in a basin of water and go over the slats again.

Removing heavy soiling

It’s easy to remove sawdust and light dirt from the slats, but it’s not possible to remove stubborn stains this way. In this case, you will need to purchase special stain removers or use folk remedies.

Important! But before using any substance, its effect on the fabric must be tested on an inconspicuous area. Do not use products that contain chlorine.

To remove stubborn stains from fabric blinds, use:

Industrial stain removers choose those designed for thin and delicate materials. They are used in strict accordance with the instructions.
Ammonia is diluted half and half with water, a sponge is moistened in the solution and stubborn stains are scrubbed with it. If it is an ink mark, add a little baking soda to the solution for better results.
Lemon juice is used if you need to remove traces of tea. They are used to wipe difficult areas on light-colored fabric strips. If the slats are dark or colored, this cleaning method will not work.
Marks from felt-tip pens can be removed with nail polish remover without acetone.

How to remove stains?

It is not always possible to wash dirty blinds with regular detergent. Stubborn stains that are difficult to remove can be additionally treated with mild natural products.

Grease stains

Grease stains can be removed using dishwashing detergent. Simply pour a little liquid onto a soft sponge, thoroughly rub the problem area, and then wash.

Stains from pens, felt-tip pens

Such pollution often occurs in offices and schools. A pen or felt-tip pen can be wiped off with medical alcohol. Do not forget that colored products lose color; you should first try the product on a small area.

Tea and coffee stains

They are removed in the same way as from dishes, with soda. It is necessary to make a paste, apply it to a clean sponge and rub the dirt.

Attention! The use of aggressive stain removers and bleaches is prohibited.

Dry cleaning or cleaning service

If there is no time or desire to wash vertical fabric blinds yourself, they are dry-cleaned or use the services of cleaning companies. In the first case, you need to prepare for the fact that the windows will remain open for several days. At the dry cleaner, strips of blinds will be cleaned with delicate products according to all the rules. They can also offer the service of impregnating blinds with a special protective compound.

The cleaning service does its job quickly and professionally. The entire cleaning process is carried out right at the client's home. In their work, cleaning staff use special gentle stain removers and an extractor. This device is a professional washing vacuum cleaner. It coats the surface to be treated with a heated chemical solution. The softened dirt is then sucked back into the vacuum cleaner. As a result, the surface is processed very quickly. The cleaning service has only one drawback - their services are quite expensive.

The procedure for the clinic staff is as follows:

The floor under the windows is covered with film.
The lamellas are removed and treated with an extractor.
Clean the cornice.
The cleaned strips are sent to the site.

Care Tips

Vertical fabric blinds should not be washed frequently in order to preserve the dirt-repellent protective coating. The maximum allowed is 2 washes per year, but it’s better to get by with just one. They should not be washed in hot water to prevent the fabric from shrinking. Before washing, it is better to check the color fastness by running a damp cloth over the surface. If there is a suspicion that the fabric will fade, use only cold water.

It is better not to wash blinds with a photo print yourself, but to take them to dry cleaning or use cleaning services. It is also worth doing if blinds made of fabric of unknown composition are very dirty.