How to Clean Blinds: Vinyl, Wood, Aluminum and Fabric Shades

The best way to clean blinds is to dust them dry first, then use only as much moisture as the material can handle. Close the slats, dust from the top down with a microfiber cloth or a vacuum brush attachment, flip the slats and repeat. Vinyl, faux wood and aluminum blinds can then be wiped with mild soapy water. Real wood stays dry, and fabric and cellular shades get a light vacuum and spot-blotting only. Here is how to clean blinds by type without warping slats or damaging fabric.

Before you start: what you need

• Two or three clean microfiber cloths (one dry, one damp, one for drying)
• A vacuum with a soft brush attachment
• A bucket of warm water with a few drops of mild dish soap
• An old cotton sock or glove for wiping slats between your fingers (optional)
• A sturdy step stool for tall windows

Check the care label or the manufacturer’s care page if you still have it. Blind makers disagree on water and soaking, and the label for your exact product wins over any general guide, including this one. Test any damp cleaning on a slat at the bottom or back first.

What is the fastest way to clean dusty blinds?

For routine dust, you rarely need water. Lower the blind to its full length, tilt the slats almost closed so they form a flat surface, and wipe or vacuum from the headrail down to the bottom rail. Then tilt the slats the opposite way and do the other side. Working top to bottom means dust falls onto slats you haven’t cleaned yet, not onto ones you just finished.

1. Close the slats facing the room and dust them with a dry microfiber cloth or the vacuum brush, top to bottom.
2. Reverse the tilt and dust the back side the same way.
3. Open the slats and pinch each one lightly between a cloth-covered thumb and fingers to catch the edges.
4. Wipe the headrail, the bottom rail and the window ledge underneath, where the dust you knocked loose lands.

A quick dry pass like this every week or two keeps buildup from turning into the sticky film that needs washing. Home Depot’s blind-cleaning guide says blinds look their best when they are cleaned every week.

Can you clean blinds without taking them down?

Yes, and for most blinds that is the better option. Taking blinds down risks bending slats and brackets, and many headrails and lift systems shouldn’t get wet. Dust in place first, then damp-wipe in place only if the material allows it: wring the cloth until it is barely damp, wipe a few slats at a time, and dry them with a second cloth as you go so water doesn’t run into the cords or headrail.

How to clean vinyl, faux wood and aluminum blinds

These are the blinds most homes have, and they tolerate gentle washing. Blinds To Go’s care guide recommends a very mild solution of soap and warm water for vinyl and aluminum. Hunter Douglas advises against abrasive cleaners and chemical solvents on its faux wood blinds because they scratch or damage the surface.

1. Dust first (the steps above). Washing a dusty blind turns dust into streaks.
2. Dip a microfiber cloth or soft sponge in warm water with a few drops of dish soap and wring it out well.
3. Wipe each slat from the center out to the ends, front and back.
4. Follow with a cloth dampened in plain water to remove soap, then dry each slat.
5. For kitchen blinds with a greasy film, let the soapy cloth sit on the slat for a few seconds before wiping, and rinse your cloth often. If you are already tackling grease in the kitchen, our guide to cleaning greasy kitchen cabinets uses the same gentle approach.

Skip scouring pads, magic erasers on glossy slats, and strong solvents. They dull or scratch the finish, and the scuffed spots then hold dust faster than before.

Can you soak blinds in the bathtub?

Only if your manufacturer allows it. Soaking is the usual advice for very dirty vinyl or aluminum blinds, but it isn’t safe for every product. Hunter Douglas permits immersion in lukewarm water with mild detergent for only some of its aluminum blinds, and says not to immerse blinds with decorative tapes or the headrails of several of its lift systems. Home Depot’s guide notes that some makers recommend against soaking because water can rust the headrail.

If your blinds are cleared for it: lay an old towel in the tub to protect the finish, keep the headrail out of the water, soak in lukewarm water with a little mild dish soap, wipe the slats, rinse with clean water and let them dry completely before rehanging. We don’t recommend bleach soaks at home: the fumes need serious ventilation, and bleach must never be combined with vinegar, ammonia or other cleaners.

How to clean real wood blinds without damaging them

Keep water off real wood. Hunter Douglas tells owners to protect wood blinds from steam, high moisture, rain and sprinklers, and says ultrasonic cleaning, chemical solvents and scrubbing cleansers will damage them. Moisture can warp slats and lift the finish.

• Dust with a dry microfiber cloth, dusting mitt or vacuum brush, front and back.
• For fingerprints or a light film, use a cloth that is barely damp, wipe, and dry immediately. Test on a back slat first.
• Stained wood blinds can be treated now and then with lemon oil or another wood product, as Hunter Douglas suggests for its stained blinds. Apply it to the cloth, not the slat, and buff off any excess.
• Avoid hanging real wood blinds in a steamy bathroom if you can. Faux wood handles humidity better.

How to clean fabric, cellular and roller shades

Fabric shades need the lightest touch of all. Blinds To Go’s care guide says not to immerse or dry-clean its fabric blinds and shades. Blinds.com says never to submerge cellular shades or get them overly wet, and warns that scrubbing can make the fabric pill.

1. Vacuum with the soft brush attachment on low suction. Blinds.com warns that vacuuming cellular shades without the brush can crumple and deform the fabric.
2. Blow debris out of the cells of a cellular shade with canned compressed air.
3. Spot-clean stains by blotting with a lint-free cloth dampened in warm water with a drop of mild dish soap. Blot, don’t rub, then blot dry with a clean cloth to avoid water rings.
4. Don’t use a magnetic dusting mitt on light-dimming fabrics. Hunter Douglas says it damages the light-dimming backing.

Large stains, smoke odor or sheer fabric shades are a job for a specialist window covering cleaner, not a bucket and sponge.

What about vertical blinds?

Treat vertical blinds like their horizontal cousins by material. Vinyl verticals can be dusted, vacuumed or wiped with mild soapy water. Fabric verticals get vacuuming and gentle spot-cleaning only, since Blinds To Go doesn’t recommend immersing them. Work each vane from top to bottom while holding the bottom so it doesn’t swing, and wipe the track at the top. The same care guide recommends keeping vinyl verticals at least six inches from heat sources.

Safety while you clean

• Cords: If you take blinds down or rehang them, follow the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s advice (it marks October as National Window Covering Safety Month, but the advice applies all year). The CPSC recommends keeping every cord out of reach of children, moving cribs, beds and furniture away from windows and cords, and choosing cordless coverings in rooms where a child may be present.
• Ladders: Use a stable step stool, not a chair, and move it rather than reaching across a wide window.
• Chemicals: One mild cleaner at a time. Never mix cleaners, and never combine bleach with ammonia or acids such as vinegar.

Finish the window while you are there

Blind dust lands on the sill and in the tracks, so clean those last. Once the blinds are done, our guide to cleaning interior windows covers the glass, frames and sills without streaks. Our guide to cleaning window and sliding door tracks covers the grit in the channel, and our window screen guide handles the mesh outside the glass. If you are working through a whole room before guests arrive, go top to bottom: the ceiling fan first, then blinds and shelves, then the baseboards and floors. Wall and ceiling vents collect the same dust, and our guide to cleaning air vents covers registers and return grilles.

How often should you clean blinds?

Dry-dust most blinds every week or two, or whenever you dust the rest of the room. Damp-wipe vinyl, faux wood and aluminum blinds every few months, and more often in kitchens and in rooms with open windows, pets or smokers. Check fabric and cellular shades a few times a year and spot-clean as needed. Real wood gets dusting year-round and an occasional wood treatment if it is stained.

How Suddenly Clean handles blinds

When our Vetted Cleaning Professionals work on blinds, they dust dry and top down first, and only use moisture on materials that can take it. Here is what our services include, as listed on our service pages:

• Deep Cleaning includes dusting appropriate blinds and shutters along with window ledges. Extremely delicate, damaged or specialty blinds may need review first, and a full cleaning of wood blinds or plantation shutters is an add-on quoted by our office.
• Standard recurring visits don’t include wood blinds or plantation shutters in the standard scope; they can be added, and our office quotes them. We don’t clean metal or vertical blinds.

If blinds are a priority, mention them when you book so the right scope is set from the start. You can see the details on our Deep Cleaning page. Suddenly Clean serves homes throughout East County and surrounding San Diego communities. If your ZIP code is accepted, we currently service your area. You can get your exact flat-rate price on our booking page.