Vertical blinds

[gerima]

What is the best way to clean vertical blinds? Am sure I heard someone say they put them in the washing machine... eek! think am too scared to do that. Hope someone can help
Thank you

[chazza]

Take all the chain and weight out and put them in a basin of water with some washing powder or liquid in.

Leave them to soak, scrub any stained bits and then hang them up to dry outside.

I've heard of people doing them in the machine but I'd recognise a very gentle cycle, handwash cycle if you have it!

[poohshunny]

When I moved into this house I felt the need to clean the blinds. I did what chazza has suggested but in the machine on the handwash cycle. I rehung them while still damp to make sure the weights would keep them at the right length while they dried. They came up a treat!

[mansemouse]

I washed our church vertical blinds in my home washing machine, without removing the chains. There were 5 windows, each with 2 sets of blinds with 10 foot drops. After some trial and error I came up with this solution.

Apart from a washing machine you need:
2 pillowcases
2 elastic hair bands
plastic covered wire (the kind you use to tie plants is great)
Some large towels
An extra pair of hands if your blinds are large.

1 Take down the blinds carefully keeping the slats together, folded one behind the other.
2 Thread some plastic coated wire through the hole in the top plastic hangers to keep them together and prevent losing them.
3 Keeping the slats together, begin winding from the weights and chains (bottom end) into a spiral, so you have something like a snail shell with the chains protected in the centre.
4 Put this into a pillow case and secure with hair elastic band. Put it into a second pillowcase and secure again.
5 Put into the washing machine drum and take up some of the extra space with towels to protect the blinds.
6 Set the temperature to 30C and delicates programme. Set it to NO SPIN to further protect both the blinds and the machine.Use maximum amount liquid detergent.
7 At the end of the cycle, remove the blinds and place them on dry towels on a flat surface. Absorb as much extra moisture as possible with the towels and pull them straight.
8 Hang them while still damp. You can steam out any creases while they are hanging..