How to Clean Your Blinds

So you’ve done the laundry, tidied up the bedrooms, vacuumed, and scrubbed every surface in your bathroom and kitchen. Your house seems to sparkle — until you walk by the windows. Many people overlook cleaning the blinds when they’re doing their weekly chores. Or they just dread it so much that they put it off for months, until the dust and build-up is a serious challenge to get rid of.


If you’re wondering about the best way to clean blinds, keep reading. Each type of blind possesses its own challenges, but we’ve got you covered. We’ve created the ultimate guide to help you clean any type of blinds, from wood and Venetian blinds to mini blinds. Follow our steps and enjoy the ultimate level of cleanliness in your home! 

The Best Way to Clean Blinds

We’ll start out by outlining how to clean standard blinds. These tips will work for just about any type of blinds, giving you a good routine no matter what your window coverings look like.

Tools Needed:

  • Vacuum
  • Duster
  • Rubber sponge (dry sponge)
  • All-purpose cleaner

Instructions:

  1. Vacuum your blinds. Install the brush attachment on your vacuum. Plug the vacuum into a nearby outlet and slowly vacuum horizontally across the blinds. (Going up and down could cause damage to your blinds!) If you don’t have a vacuum with a brush attachment, consider getting one. This is the best way to maintain dust-free blinds in between cleanings.
  2. Dust the blinds. Once you’ve vacuumed off the major dust bunnies, bring out a lamb’s wool duster to finish the job. Again, make sure you’re working horizontally across the blinds, rather than vertically. Make sure the duster is a soft material — plastic dusters won’t do the job as well and could break your blinds.
  3. Wipe blinds with a sponge. With your blinds free of dust, it’s time to clean off the residue. To do so, take a rubber sponge and gently wipe it across the blinds in a horizontal motion.
  4. Spot clean the blinds. If you notice areas will stubborn spots, it’s time to do some spot cleaning. Spray some all-purpose cleaner onto a dry cloth (not directly onto the blinds) and then wipe the area with the cloth.

How to Clean Wood Blinds

Wondering how to clean wood blinds? You can follow the basic steps listed in the section above, but you may need to add in a few tweaks to ensure you get them completely clean. Once you’ve followed all of the steps for cleaning standard blinds, finish the job by wiping down one side of the blinds with a microfiber cloth. Then tilt the blinds until they are facing the other direction, and wipe down the opposite side. Dust can easily settle on wood blinds, so make sure to wipe them down or vacuum them every few weeks to keep the residue to a minimum.

woman cleaning blinds

How to Clean Mini Blinds or Venetian Blinds

Venetian blinds and mini blinds also require some additional steps to make sure you get them completely clean. Here’s how to clean Venetian blinds or mini blinds without damaging them:

  1. Prepare a surface. First, layout a rug or carpet on open, flat space outside, such as the back patio or garage. Then remove the blinds and lay them on the rug. Alternatively, you could use an inflatable kids pool as a cleaning surface for the blinds.
  2. Create a dish soap and water solution. Fill a bucket with water and add a bit of dish soap, then swish it around in the bucket to make soapy suds.
  3. Clean the blinds. Use a gentle brush or rag to clean the blinds with the soap and water solution. When you’re done, rinse the blinds with a hose until all of the soap suds are gone.
  4. Apply a degreaser. If your blinds need serious cleaning, you may need to take one more step to get rid of spots or the smell of cooking fumes. Apply a cleaner like Simple Green or other all-purpose cleaners directly to the blinds, then let it soak for a few minutes before you wipe it off with a cloth.
  5. Dry the blinds. Use a dry cloth or your hand to wipe off any remaining water. (Watermarks may form if you let the blinds dry on their own.) 
  6. Return the blinds to the window. Once you’re sure the blinds are completely dry, you can return them to the window.

Automate Your Blinds

With your blinds freshly cleaned, you may consider taking your blinds to the next level. Turn your blinds into automated blinds by check out tilt’s smart blinds automation kit. The innovative kit allows you to automatically tilt a variety of blinds.


Set a schedule so you can conserve energy in your home, have your blinds automatically open at sunrise, or close them at sunset. The blinds even include solar charging, making them an eco-friendly option that makes your life easier. Learn more today.
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