The Blinds (Spring Cleaning)

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It has been brought to my attention that I was not very specific when I said "clean the blinds" in my Spring Cleaning post. No, "clean the blinds" is not very specific, and if you've never seen it done, I guess you wouldn't know how to begin.

Begin with a nice warm bucket of cleaning water. If you are in the bedroom, Murphy's Oil Soap and water is just fine. In the kitchen or bathroom, you'll need white vinegar and water or ammonia and water (you can use Mr. Clean or another all-purpose cleaner, but ammonia and vinegar are cheaper so why not?).

You'll need a thin-ish type rag -- no bulky old towels. An old t-shirt works great, as does a Handiwipe if you purchase those things. You might want to have a few so you can be using one and one can be soaking.

Wring out your rag -- wring it well, no drips. Then, starting at the top corner (I go top left to bottom right because I am right handed) you are going to wipe the top of the slat side to side in between the support strings. Do one section at a time, top to bottom, wiping each slat with the damp cloth, rinsing as needed to keep the rag clean, and changing water as needed to keep the water clear.Wipe each slat --  back and forth -- until it is clean and then wipe the bottom (which will hardly be dirty because the dust can't settle there).

 

Here is a picture of one of my kitchen windows (CLICK TO ENLARGE). I would start at the top left corner in section #1 (start at the top right if you are left-handed). Go from top to bottom and then move to section #2 and go from top to bottom, and then section #3 and so on.

The bedrooms should be easy, but the kitchen, where there is greasy dust, will take a little longer.

This is a good activity to do while listening to a talk show on Catholic radio, or a book on CD. It's boring and it takes a long time. But it must be done.

If you have mini-blinds, you can do the same thing, but it will take twice as long because there are twice as many mini blinds. I have heard that you can take mini blinds outdoors and lay them on the driveway or other cemented area on a large beach towel. Wipe them with a large soapy car wash sponge and rinse them with the hose. Of course, you'll need to hang them to dry somewhere outdoors as well. I have never cleaned blinds that way, and now I avoid mini blinds just because they are such a pain.
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