Sentry Page Protection

Tip Store: Cleaning: Blinds and Curtains

​Revitalise Wood Slats

​Half fill a bucket with hot water and add a pot of really strong hot tea to the water. Make an applicator by cutting a cheap kitchen sponge in half and attaching each half to the inside edge of a set of tongs (secured with rubber bands). Then dip the sponges in the bucket of tea, press them together to squeeze out excess liquid and pinch each timber slat, pulling the sponge along the timber to ensure an even coverage. Tea is high in tannins which replace the tannins that leach and fade in sunlight. Contributed by Kellie Van Dongen, 1st July 2013

​Restoring Timber Blinds

If you are painting your house in light colours it is often nice to have some darker timber as accessories. If you want to keep the timber look with your blinds you can get a product called Restore from Mitre 10 for around $40.00, it goes a long way and works like magic. I have used it on all my wooden furniture and wooden floors (to remove scratches etc.). You just clean the surface off and rub it on. I highly recommend it. My bottle lasted for years.
​ Contributed by Helen Smith, 27th June 2013

Cleaning Vertical Blinds with Sticky Tape

​I have cats that like to look out the windows and the vertical blinds had cat hair at the bottom of them where they rub up against them. I was able to clean them by rubbing as much of the cat hair as I could off them and then using wide sticky tape to get the rest. My blinds look as good as new. Contributed by Gaye Billiau, 20th July 2010

Wood Conditioning Mix

I have a wooden window ledge and a front door step that gets the full heat of the summer sun. I mix 1 cup of vegetable oil and 1/2 cup of lemon juice in an old shampoo bottle, give it a shake, squirt onto the wood and rub in with a homemade rag. I have found this to be very good protection.
​Contributed by AM Devenish, 18th January 2009

​Use the Right Oil to Clean and Condition Timber Blinds

I would suggest a call to Solver Paints..they have Scandinavian Oil which is excellent for the job you have on hand. Link re this product is here http://www.solverpaints.com.au/v2/html/timber-interior.htm Another similar oil is Danish Oil...basically similar to the good old Linseed oil used for so long by cricketers in keeping their prized willow bats in good nick...maybe now a thing of the past with carbon fibre bats! Here is a link to one producer of Danish Oil. As the old TV ad said..."Oils ain't oils".
​ Contributed by Julie, Elizabeth Downs, 15th January 2009

Website: www.solverpaints.com.au/v2/html/timber-interior.htm

​Treating Unsealed Timber Blinds

My Dad told me about using O'Cedar. This will bring the blinds up as good as new. However this is for unsealed wooden blinds. At the moment it is very difficult to find - but perseverance is the key. For those that are sealed you can pick up any of the oils from Coles, Woolworths, Bunnings or Mitre 10 for a reasonable price.
​Contributed by Alicia, Bellbowrie, 15th January 2009

​Not All Timber Blinds are Timber

Be aware that wooden blinds are sometimes made of plastic so simply oiling them may not be the answer. If natural wood, dust to remove surface particles then use a good quality olive oil in a hand atomiser spray. Be aware that this will create a fine mist, so tape newspaper over the window and adjacent walls if needs be. Contact a commercial window cleaner and ask them what they use (because of possible allergies) and how they do it, and how you clean up afterwards.
​Contributed by Charles, Claremont, 15th January 2009

​Dust with a Sock then Oil

​First you will need to remove all dust from the blinds. To do this, put an old sock on your hand, and run your hand (with fingers and thumb separated) over each slat to clean. Then you need to buy some O'Cedar furniture polish from the supermarket (about $5 a bottle). With another clean old sock, pour a little oil on the sock, and rub over as before. A bottle of oil goes a long way, so unless you have many blinds one bottle should be ample. So, a couple of hours work, and $5, and your blinds are done for another year.
​Contributed by Donna, Ringwood East, 14th January 2009

Danish Oil for Timber Venetians

Try Danish Oil (available at hardware stores such as Bunnings). If the wood in blinds is very dry, it make take a couple of coats and a couple of hours. Otherwise, you should be able to oil an average sized blind in around 45 minutes. Once done, oil on a regular basis and you will cut down on the amount of time you need to spend rejuvenating them.
​- Contributed by Sharron, Willetton, 14th January 2009

​Use a Spray to Clean Timber Blinds

I have oiled timber blinds by spraying them with a generic brand of olive oil used for cooking. Close the blind and extend it all the way down, spray with cooking oil, open the blinds and wipe off excess lightly with an old cotton tea towel or easier still with a cotton glove, at the same time rubbing in the oil to all parts of the timber . Flip the blinds the other way and treat the back and underside as well. It only costs the price of the cheapest oil you can find at the supermarket and your time.
​- Contributed by Bronwyn, Annandale, 13th January 2009

​Protect Timber Blinds from Sun to Prevent Fading

My experience is most wooden blinds have a synthetic (Estapol/lacquer) coating these days which can be re-applied or applied for the first time in this case. Buy a tin of clear gloss/semi gloss Estapol from a hardware store, these can be purchased with a tint to freshen up or add colour also. The best way to apply it is very fiddly and involves undoing the threaded strings and taking all the slats out to coat each one individually, one side at a time, with two or more coats. If the timber blind isn't coated with a lacquer, then I would use an oil like boiled Linseed oil, about $10 from the hardware store. It has a colour to it so it may affect the colour of the blind if it is pale, but if that doesn't bother you it will be a very cheap and relatively easy job to just wipe it on with a rag or brush. The last option , which is what I do, is to hang a dark cloth between the blind and the window, which can be dropped down when blind is closed to protect the expensive wooden blind from the direct Sun which ironically is what fades and damages the finish. This will prolong the life of the coating and the blind itself !
​- Contributed by Matt, Earlwood, 13th January 2009

​The Best Ever Venetian Blind Cleaner

Don't throw your kitchen tongs out! They can be recycled and reinvented as blind cleaners. Glue sponge to the inside edges of the tongs and leave to set. Place the tongs over the top and bottom of each blind slat, pinch the tongs together and slide them along the slats. The sponge can be wet or dry. Venetian blinds or wooden blinds can both be cleaned with some ease at home.
​- Contributed by Yvette, Hocking, 12th August 2008

​Cleaning Bamboo Blinds

Approximate $ Savings: Cost of new blinds Our bamboo blinds were getting very discoloured looking so instead of buying new ones my husband painted them using a paint roller and cream water based paint. They look like new and for just the price of a small tine of cream paint.
​- Contributed by Athalie, Mt. Gambier, 15th April 2007

Cleaning Vertical Blinds

​Remove the bottom chain and plates. Take the blinds off the top hooks. Place them on top of each other as you remove each one. Place the blinds in the washing machine. Fill with cold water. Use light liquid soap, depending on the fabric. Let them soak. Use the delicate cycle for a short time while watching over it. Do not use a regular cycle as this may fray the fabric. Put through the spin cycle twice or as needed. Hang back up to dry.

​Curtain Washing Hint

​Before washing dirty curtains, soak in plenty of plain water overnight before washing. Major part of the dirt will come off and an ordinary wash next morning is sufficient.