How to Care for Your Roller Shades

Roller blinds are a great choice for areas that receive high traffic and homes with children. These durable blinds offer an excellent mixture of privacy and aesthetics, with a wide range of patterns and colors for light filtering. Taking the proper care of these shades can help them last for many years in your Missouri home. 

Like all kinds of blinds, roller shades require regular cleaning. So today, the team at Budget Blinds is here with this quick guide on how to clean and care for roller shades. Contact us online for more information about roller shades in Springfield, MO!

What You’ll Need

• Below is a quick list of the tools you’ll need to clean your roller shades. 

• Bucket of warm water

• Microfiber cloth

• Dish soap

• Vacuum with brush attachment

• Sock (optional)

• As a general rule of thumb, you should never submerge your roller shades in water, as doing so can damage the rollers and remote control mechanism (if your shades have one).

Cleaning Roller Shades - Step-By-Step Guide

Roller shades are usually either vinyl or fabric. The cleaning process is different depending on the material.

Vinyl

You can tell you have vinyl shades if they are slick, glossy, and feel like plastic. Vinyl shades are very easy to clean. First, fully unroll the shades as far as they can go. You can remove them from the window frame mount and spread them out on a table to make it easier. 

Next, gently wipe down the surface using dish soap and a soft, microfiber cloth. Avoid using rough fabric to scrub, as it can scratch the vinyl covering. After cleaning the shades, you can leave them unrolled to dry. Be sure that the surface is dry before rolling them up again. Don’t let your vinyl roller shades dry in direct sunlight, because the UV rays might discolor them. 

If your vinyl blinds have mold or mildew on them, you can clean them with vinegar cleaner to remove the growth and sanitize the surface. Mix one part vinegar with two parts water in a spray bottle and apply before wiping down with a soft cloth. 

Give us a call if you have more questions about cleaning your vinyl roller shades in Springfield, MO.

Fabric

With fabric roller shades, you don’t want to use water to clean them, as it can get trapped in the fabric and form mold if it doesn’t dry properly. Instead, unroll the shades fully and gently run the vacuum attachment over the cloth. 

Make sure you keep the shades taut so the vacuum doesn’t suck them into the attachment and crumple them. If you do not have a brush attachment, you can put a sock or pantyhose over the hose to mimic one. Make sure you flip the blinds over to get the backside as well. If necessary, you can use a slightly damp cloth to go over vacuumed spots to remove any remaining dirt or grime. 

If you notice mold on your fabric roller shades, you should use a cleaner specifically for removing mold from fabrics. If that does not work, you can take them to a professional dry cleaner to remove the mold and refresh the cloth. 

Springfield Blinds on a Budget

Budget Blinds proudly offers design consultations for blinds and window treatments in Southwest Missouri and surrounding areas. We'll come to your home for an in-home consultation and take care of the entire installation for you. You can sit back, relax, and enjoy your new roller shades. 

If you would like to discuss roller shades in Springfield, MO, contact us online or give us a call today at (417) 633-7889 to schedule an in-home consultation!

NW Springfield serves the following areas: Buffalo, Fair Grove, Half Way, Pleasant Hope, Springfield