When you have window shutters installed in Menlo Park, CA, you will have a window treatment that makes your home beautiful. Window shutters are a great investment that adds value to your home and increases its curb appeal.
However, you want to make sure that they always look as good as when they were installed. Using a regular care and maintenance routine, your window shutters can be an ageless part of the décor of your home.
To start your cleaning routine, you should frequently dust the slats of the window shutters. Use a clean cloth that doesn’t shed fibers for this cleaning method. The best way to dust window shutter slats is to go from the middle to the outside and from top to bottom of the panel. This should be done weekly to help keep your window shutters clean.
Using a soft upholstery vacuum attachment is also an effective way to clean your window shutters. Clean the window shutter panels the same way as with a cloth, going from top to bottom and middle to outside of each window shutter panel.
Be sure to clean the nooks and crannies of the window shutters. These are the corners or the places where the vertical piece comes down through the window shutters. The simplest way to clean the nooks and crannies of window shutters is by using a soft toothbrush to get rid of dirt in them.
When you see smudges or blemishes on your window shutters, resist the urge to start scrubbing them to clean them up. Instead, you can clean these types of dirt on your window shutters using a slightly moistened cloth (do not use soap) to clean the areas with very light pressure. Once the smudge or blemish has been removed from the window shutters, you should dry the area with a clean, dry cloth.
You need to take into account the type of material your window shutters are made with when you are going to clean them.
When you clean wooden window shutters, you should use as little liquid (whether polishing liquids or water) as possible because the wood will absorb the liquid. As liquid absorption increases over time, your wooden window shutters may become warped or damaged.
However, when you’re cleaning wood faux window shutters (which are a great choice for high-moisture rooms in your home, such as bathrooms), it is okay to use liquid cleaners or water because they will not damage or warp the window shutters. Simply use a damp cloth to get rid of any dust that has accumulated on the window shutters, then dry it with a microfiber cloth.
There are also tools that you can purchase that are specifically made for cleaning window shutters. These tools have dust removing heads that are spaced evenly apart so that you can clean multiple slats of the window shutters at once.
If non-wooden window shutters get grease on sticky spots on them, you can use a little mild detergent mixed with warm water to clean them. Be sure to rinse the window shutters with clean water to get rid of any soap residue and then dry them with a clean cloth.
Save yourself some cleaning time up front by rubbing the slats (both sides) of your window shutters with a dryer sheet. Dryer sheets are antistatic, so they will naturally inhibit dust particles from accumulating on your window shutters.
If you’d like to learn more about cleaning window shutters in Menlo Park, CA, you can speak with our experienced staff at Windows & Beyond, Inc.