The ABCs of Cleaning your Window Treatments
How to clean your window treatments
Is it time for window treatment cleaning? Do your window coverings look dirty, smell musty, or just look drab?
Cleaning your draperies, blinds, curtains, shades and other types of window coverings can not always seem easy.
There are certain “dos” and” don’ts” to properly clean them.
We recommend you pay close attention to these tips for successful revitalization. Proper care and cleaning will increase the longevity and beauty of your window coverings, but if not doing it correctly you risk harming the materials forever…
General Steps for Window Treatment Cleaning
- Determine the material of your window treatments.
- Find the right tool for the job.
- Read label’s care and washing instructions.
- Decide your method of cleaning.
- Execute but be careful!
Read at the bottom for specific FAQs answered and please give us a call with any questions or to schedule a professional cleaning service – (818) 582-8015
How To Clean All Coverings from Blinds to Custom Coverings and Draperies
Cleaning your window coverings can seem incredibly daunting and overwhelming.
With the following tips and tricks, you can increase the life of your window treatments, minimize dust, remove allergens that cause respiratory issues, and keep your window treatments beautiful.
First, take an inventory of your potential tool options for cleaning!
- Handheld or portable vacuum
- Step stool or stable chair
- Garment steamer or steam iron
- Washer and dryer
- Clean cloth and sponge
- Lint roller or soft brush
- Sudsy water or upholstery cleaner
- Static-eliminating spray
- Kneadable eraser
- Large bath towel
Depending on the type of window treatment material you will be cleaning, you will choose a different set of tools.
Remember to be careful while cleaning and ALWAYS clean from the top to the bottom of the window covering. Use the bath towel underneath the coverings to catch any debris or dirt before it hits your floor.
Secondly, learn our professional recommendations for do’s and don’ts of window treatment cleaning!
Do The Following When Cleaning Window Coverings
All window treatments are not created equal, so before you begin to clean your coverings, determine the material of your treatments. Once you’ve determined the material of your coverings, you can begin your cleaning!
How to Clean Blinds
Blinds can be cleaned using a vacuum brush attachment or a wool duster. Make sure to remove dust and dirt from the blinds in the direction of your blind. If you own horizontal blinds, clean the blinds across the slats.
Similarly, if you have vertical blinds, clean your slats starting from the top and working your way down, always cleaning in a downward direction to protect the integrity of the blind. You can utilize this method of cleaning for wood or plastic blinds. Metal and Vinyl blinds can be cleaned with a touch of soapy water and a car wash brush.
How to Clean Window Draperies
Custom Draperies and coverings are often the most challenging and intimidating type of treatment to clean because of their size, weight, and materials used. Fabric coverings can be lightly cleaned with a rubber or a dry sponge to remove surface dust.
For spots or tricky marks on your fabric coverings or custom drapes, use a dry cloth and a touch of spot cleaner and lightly clean the spot, making sure to spray the cloth and NOT the coverings directly. Be gentle!
For styles or fabric types that can’t easily be laundered, you can remove dust with a lint roller when it comes to window treatment cleaning. If using a vacuum, be careful to not hurt the integrity of the fabric. Alternately, you can even take the easily detached draperies outside and shake them like a rug.
You can machine wash cotton curtain panels. But most fabric shades or custom-made drapes are not machine washable. Check the tag for care instructions and if washable, follow the instructions on the tag and then re-hang them.
REMEMBER: Do not machine wash drapes and curtains that are specified as dry clean only or you may damage the fabric.
If your coverings are very dirty, we highly recommend having them professionally cleaned instead.
Don’t Do The Following To Clean Window Coverings Properly
- Do not use plastic dusters to clean your blinds.
- Do not aggressively scrub your coverings.
- Do not use bleach or other aggressive conventional cleaners.
- Do not use water on wooden blinds.
How Often Should I Clean My Window Treatments?
Window treatments that are in high traffic areas will need to be cleaned more frequently than those in low traffic areas. Try to clean the treatments that get more dirty, like those in kitchens or bathrooms, on a weekly schedule. The more often you clean, the easier the process will be each time.
If you are unsure and nervous about damaging your window coverings during the cleaning process, then it is time to hire a professional. There are probably professional window cleaning services in your area or you can contact a custom window covering company in Los Angeles like ours to perform the cleaning.
Professional Window Covering Cleaning Services
We offer two types of window treatment cleaning services to ensure your window treatments remain as beautiful as they were upon their installation. Please contact us to learn more about these services and how we can help out.
Offsite cleaning – If you are remodeling or repainting your room, we recommend you choose our offsite cleaning option. We will send over our installation professionals, remove your draperies, dry clean them, and reinstall them once your room’s renovation is completed.
Onsite cleaning – If you prefer to have your window treatments cleaned whilst hung, we provide onsite cleaning with a machine that allows us not only to clean your draperies, but also to clean your roman shades, and cornice boxes, upholstery, and area rugs!
Contact us today to schedule a professional cleaning.
More Tips for Cleaning Your Window Coverings (FAQs)
Cleaning
How do I keep my new draperies, blinds, or shutters looking like new?
Regular cleaning is key. Draperies need to be dry-cleaned and blinds/shutters can either be wiped down or vacuum-cleaned.
You can call us for dry-cleaning.
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How often should I clean my Galaxy Draperies window treatments?
Depending of the fabric type we recommend a fabric treatment be cleaned every 3 years. Contact our office staff to schedule an appointment offsite or onsite cleaning with our installation professionals.
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Can I Clean My Draperies?
Yes. After exposure to dust, cooking, tobacco smoke residues, and other pollutants, your drapes will need to be professionally and thoroughly cleaned. Dry cleaning is recommended for draperies and sheers though some people prefer to have sheers laundered rather than dry cleaned.
In either case, call us or set an appointment to take down, press, dry clean or launder, and professionally reinstall your draperies, sheers, and valances. Most draperies should be professionally cleaned after 2-3 years. Of course, environmental circumstances and other factors affect the recommended cleaning interval.
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How often should I clean my Galaxy Draperies blinds?
You should dust or vacuum your blinds with your regular household cleaning routine. You can deep clean your blinds once or twice per year.
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How do I deep clean my metal or vinyl blinds?
Take your blinds outside and rest them on a carpet, towel or blanket. Use a soft brush and a bucket of water with a few drops of dish detergent and gently scrub from side to side. Make sure to wash both sides of your blinds. When done, rinse gently with a garden hose and hang to dry.
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How should I clean Galaxy Draperies vertical blinds?
Vertical blinds are best cleaned when hanging. The easiest way to keep your vertical blinds clean is to vacuum them with a brush attachment during your regular cleaning routine. For fabric and vinyl blinds, you can use a dry sponge to remove any spots that the vacuum was unable to remove.
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What is the best way to clean Galaxy Draperies’ wood and faux wood blinds?
To keep your wood blinds clean, regularly dust or vacuum them. For deeper cleaning, wipe with a damp cloth. Stained finishes can be treated with lemon oil.
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What is the best way to clean my Galaxy Draperies’ fabric blinds?
You can bring fabric blinds to a dry cleaner for professional cleaning.
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I want to clean my window treatments as little as possible. What are good low-maintenance options?
Roller shades and vertical blinds don’t have a surface for dust, so are great low-maintenance options. Cellular shades are also a great options as many are anti-static and won’t attract dust.
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