As spring is ending and we’re fast moving into summer – with the sun now streaming through your windows you may noticed one thing you missed when you were spring cleaning – your window blinds such as Vertical blinds, Venetian blinds, Pleated blinds and Wooden Blinds.

Cleaning your blinds can seem like a huge task especially for those in large houses with many windows, meaning it can end up at the bottom of your list of jobs. To make your life easier Blinds-Supermarket the one stop blinds shop – specialising in made-to-measure blinds at low prices – has put together a short guide on how to clean each blind type.

Venetian Blinds Aluminium Venetians (www.blinds-supermarket.co.uk), blinds made in aluminium that have horizontal slats that can be opened and closed, have a few different cleaning options – you can simply wipe them with a dry cloth to take off excess dust or a damp one if they are quite dirty. To easily get in between the slats you can buy a special venetian blind cleaner. Just make sure not to apply too much pressure as the slats may bend if you do.

Very dirty Venetian blinds can be washed with mild household detergent or alternatively removed from the window and placed them in a bath tub full of warm soapy water. Be sure to rinse them thoroughly afterwards and remove all the soap or your blinds may turn yellow over time. Wooden Blinds Wood Venetian blinds look the same as aluminium Venetians, but as the name suggests they are made from wood. Wooden blinds may be affected by their surroundings particularly temperature and moisture therefore you should be careful about which room you decide to put these in.

You should not use a damp cloth to clean your blinds – only use a dry, lint-free cloth.

Pleated Blinds Pleated blinds (www.blinds-supermarket.co.uk), blinds with fabric that pleats all the way down the blind, should be regularly opened to ensure the pleated effect and tension is maintained. In terms of cleaning they should only be cleaned with a clean, dry duster. You should be careful not to press too hard as this may damage the pleats.

Vertical Blinds There are several ways in which you can clean a vertical blind, a blind with horizontal slats called louvres. Firstly you can vacuum them using the upholstery attachment. Or if the blind is washable you can hand or machine-wash the louvres. For this you will need to take the louvres off the blind and carefully remove the top hangers. Do not tumble dry, do not iron.

If you clean your blinds on a fairly regular basis you lessen the risk of the serious dirt and grease that builds up over time. Remember take care of your window blinds, clean them regularly and they will definitely last a lot longer!