One great way to complete your home’s decor is by adding professional window treatments. Once you finally have all of your rooms completed and your window treatments installed, you’ll be in awe, loving how your home feels complete. Each room will feel refreshed and brand new!
Just like everything in your home when you first get a project finished, it looks perfect. But life happens and things get a bit dusty, dull, and dreary over time and is in need of cleaning. Sometimes your window treatments are victims of a spill or forgotten when it comes to deep cleaning the house. Your once new and exciting window treatments could have lost their luster. They may be hindering your home’s ability to really sparkle. Your window treatments will need some cleaning from time to time.
I have 5 great cleaning tips to share with you to restore your window treatments in the New Year! These simple things will restore your professional treatments to their former glory and have you loving your home again.
1. Remove Carefully
One great way to freshen up your window treatments is to give them a good cleaning. To do a deep clean you must carefully remove your professionally installed window treatments. This may be a little nerve-racking as you do not want to damage or break them. If you choose to remove the treatments for cleaning, I suggest doing one at a time. Try to keep all the pieces together to make sure all pieces go back into the correct place. Tip: take photos of the process as you remove to make rehanging easy. Please consult a professional if you are unsure about how to remove them. Or contact the company that you purchased them from. If they are anything like me, they would be happy to help.
NOTE: Completely removing your window treatments is rarely necessary unless they are deeply soiled. Read on for other alternatives to keep your window treatments clean.
2. Clean With Care
Different window treatments require different cleaning techniques:
Wood or faux wood blinds
Wood or faux wood blinds can be cleaned by using a damp cloth dipped in vinegar to cut through the dirt and it acts as a natural antimicrobial. Make sure to wipe the blinds dry immediately to prevent warping.
Aluminum or Vinyl Blinds
You can clean your aluminum or vinyl blinds in a tub with a little Dawn dish soap and warm water, scrubbing gently with a sponge.
Draperies and Roman shades
Draperies and Roman shades (anything with fabric), can be cleaned with a soft bristle brush vacuum attachment on a vacuum. I recommend this type of cleaning no less than twice per year. This method loosens up and sucks up any dust that has settled on top of the treatments or on the top of the folds or pleats.
Know your fabric content
If you have a stain that needs to be lifted out of a fabric you NEED to know the fabric content BEFORE you add any type of moisture. If you do not know the fabric content, you can check any fabric swatches you may have saved or call the designer you worked with on your project for fabric content help.
Test for Colorfastness
Another option would be to test the fabric for colorfastness by picking a hidden corner and testing it in a small bowl of warm water and detergent. Does the color begin to bleed? If it does not bleed, still proceed with caution. First blot the stain with a pill-free rag using just water, or a mixture of water and mild colorless dish detergent, or a mixture of both water and rubbing alcohol. These methods typically lift the stain right out.
If the colorfastness test proved the fabric to be unstable and unsuitable for moisture, please consult with a professional drapery cleaning company. Often times drycleaners are not qualified to clean draperies. Be sure to ask about their experience and guarantees should your experience unfavorable results.
DO NOT place your Roman shades or curtains in the washer, they WILL shrink.
For other questions refer to this helpful cleaning guide by Hunter Douglas.
3. Dry Attentively
When it comes to fabric window treatments you may ask yourself how do you dry them? For pleated shades make sure they are laying on a clean flat surface, then remove access water from the cleaning process. Gently blot it with a dry cloth, then rehang the shade when it is completely dry.
4. Hang Beautifully
After all your hard work carefully re-hang your cleaned window treatments. Remember how you removed it and follow the steps to get the treatments back in place. Hopefully, you kept all the pieces together when you did the removal process, so they are easily accessible. Did you follow my photo tip? If you are having difficulties, try using resources from the manufacturer’s website or contact a professional.
5. Call Us if You Need Help
Window treatments can be tricky, so there is no shame in reaching out to a window treatment professional. They are available if you need a little extra help with any part of the process. Lucky for you window treatments are one of my specialties and I am always glad to help. Even if you did not purchase through Impressive Windows & Interiors LLC. Today there are also so many great resources online that can help you along your cleaning process.
Adios 2020! I am happy to leave all the craziness in the past. As we move into 2021, we should refresh all aspects of our life, including our window treatments to kick off this bold New Year with a new foot. With freshly cleaned window treatments your home will be restored to its former beauty and you’ll be in awe like the day they were originally installed!
This is also a great time to look over your Hunter Douglas window treatments for any wear and tear they may have encountered over the past year. If you are in need of any parts (handles, brackets, tassels, etc.) please let us know. We can typically send them directly to you upon request at no charge (even if you did not purchase them from us). If you have any Hunter Douglas brand blinds that need to go in for repair, it is an easy process. Just give us a call and we can take of it for you right over the phone (even if you did not purchase them from us).
If you need a professional eye on your windows in the New Year, be sure to reach out to us now — we fill up fast!
Xoxo, Jill