How to Clean Blinds and Curtains When Moving Out?
When it comes to cleaning the house, many people forget about sanitizing their window treatments, such as blinds, curtains, and shades. These items can get a lot of dust and dirt, just like any other part of your home.
Regularly including them in your domestic cleaning checklist can reduce allergens in your home and keep them looking new for longer. Although it may seem daunting, cleaning the curtains and the blinds might be as simple as a quick vacuum or dusting.
This is why it’s crucial not to forget about this chore in your end-of-tenancy cleaning routine before moving out. You don’t want to lose your tenancy deposit because of a dusted piece on the blinds, do you?
The Easiest Way to Clean Blinds
You need only one item to do this chore in up to half an hour. It’s the feather duster.
Another way is to use an ordinary sponge to remove the dust. If the blinds are filled with grime, soak your cleaning tool in a mixture of white vinegar and lukewarm water.
Remember, the right direction of your dusting is the key to the best outcome. Always clean from top to bottom.
If you change the direction, you will literally clean the blinds the whole day. All the dust from the top will go to the bottom, and you will spend hours wiping until you find out about your huge cleaning mistake.
Avoid such a waste of time and stick to the right direction – from top to bottom. By the way, this is the right direction for cleaning any item or room.
Cleaning Blinds Without Taking Them Down
You don’t have to take the blinds out to give them a quick and deep cleaning. Vacuuming them off with the right extension will take even less time than our previous blind end-of-tenancy cleaning trick.
The level of your blinds will tell you whether to use a pre-treatment tip. For maximum results, you can spray them with an all-purpose cleaner in advance and then remove the dirt with an ordinary sponge.
Many people avoid cleaning the blinds because they don’t believe they can do so without taking them down. Now when you find out about this secret hack, can you promise to wipe the curtains on a regular basis?
Cleaning Vinyl and Wood Blinds
White vinegar is all you need to wash the vinyl blinds.
Mix it with lukewarm water and, with a sponge, start removing the grim from each of the blinds. When it’s needed, scrub the stubborn stains gently. This method can be executed without removing the vinyl blinds at all.
What about the wood blinds? Indeed, they are more specific and pretty delicate. We strongly recommend you not to apply any acids – especially white vinegar that you are used to using for all cleaning chores. Instead, rely on the dry vacuuming method.
If you don’t have a suitable extension, simply get the feather brush. Now you understand why so many people give up on wooden blinds. No matter how practical and beautiful they are, these blinds are definitely harder to be maintained clean and fresh.
No matter what type of blinds you have, you should always reconcile your cleaning routine depending on their material. It doesn’t matter what mechanism or design they have. When it comes to cleaning, you should adjust the approach to its specifications.
Cleaning Washable Curtains
Keeping curtains clean and damage-free can be hard, especially if you’re living with pets. If the curtains are washable, you should better put them in the washing machine. This is the fastest way to freshen them up without sweating.
However, there’s a considerable risk of damaging them if they are made of delicate material. Try to find the label on the curtains and see how to treat them and whether you are allowed to put them in the dryer later.
If you cannot use the machinery drying method, wash the curtains on a sunny day for faster results to ensure they will be usable before the inventory check date.
Cleaning Non-Washable Curtains
What about the curtains that cannot be put in the washing machine, squeezed, and disinfected with wet solutions at all? Don’t worry–you can prep them for the inventory check and please your landlord as long as you count on our tip.
What you have to do with your non-washable curtains is to find a handheld steam cleaner. Rent one or ask your end of tenancy cleaning company for assistance.
If you have a dry cleaning solution for natural upholstery or woolen rug at hand, don’t hesitate to apply it to get rid of the stains from your non-washable curtains. Any dry cleaning remedy will fit your curtains, but just in case, read the label in advance.
How Often To Clean Blinds and Curtains?
Now, when you blame yourself for neglecting the blinds and the curtains for such a long time and putting your tenancy deposit refund at risk, you might wonder how not to repeat this mistake again.
You may wonder what the recommended frequency for this domestic cleaning chore is. You might not believe it, but the experts claim that decent blinds and curtains sanitizing should be done at least once every two weeks.
If you have time and will, make it once per week. This would save you lots of time and make your new home blinds and curtains fresh and sparkling clean.
Conclusion
The blinds and the curtains should not be underestimated during the end-of-tenancy cleaning routine.
By all means, your landlord would want to see them. Whether it’s him or the letting agent, you will not receive your tenancy deposit back if the curtains and blinds are dusty and grey rather white (their original color).
Since the dust is something we cannot eliminate permanently, we strongly recommend you wash the curtains and the blinds a bit before the inventory check appointment or simply benefit from using the services of professionals.
