It’s great to have new window shades installed in Los Altos Hills, CA, but you may not know exactly how you’re supposed to clean them so that they look wonderful all the time. Here are some tips to help you out.
You very likely have chosen several different types or styles of windows shades for the different rooms in your home, since you’ve matched them to the purpose and décor of each room. That means, however, that you have a variety of window shades in your home that you need to clean.
So, let’s get started.
For cellular window shades, you’ll start cleaning them by dusting them with a feather duster or with your vacuum’s upholstery attachment. A light dusting or vacuuming is all you need to clean the external dust.
If dust is inside the cells of a cellular window shade, use a blow dryer (make sure it’s on the coolest setting) to blow the dust out of the cells.
Once you’ve got the dust removed, use a lightly dampened sponge that has been immersed in warm, soapy water and wrung out to wipe the cellular window shade down. Then take a clean cloth and blot the cellular window shade dry.
Be very gentle when you are cleaning cellular window shades that are completely opaque or that have a blackout option because the fabrics can crease easily and become permanent, which can affect the functionality of the cellular window shade.
To clean pleated window shades, take the shade off the window. Open the pleated window shade fully. Lay it out on a clean and flat surface. Gently vacuum both sides of the pleated window shade, making sure that you follow the crease lines of the pleats.
If a pleated window shade has fingerprints or dirty spots, use fabric upholstery cleaner to remove them. Spray the fabric upholstery cleaner directly on the area that needs to be cleaned, and then immediately use a damp, clean sponge to rub that area.
Rub the area gently to remove the fingerprints or spots. Be sure that you rub parallel to the pleats. Make sure that, during the cleaning process, you don’t stretch, crush, or wrinkle the fabric. You can get any excess water off the pleated window shade by blotting it with a clean, dry cloth. Once the pleated window shade is dry, hang it back up in the window.
To clean roller window shades, dust them with a feather duster or vacuum them with your vacuum cleaner’s upholstery attachment. Once you’ve removed the dust, you can wipe the roller window shades down with a damp cloth. Do not immerse roller window shades in water.
Roman window shades are available in many kinds of fabrics. Some of these fabrics can be washed and some cannot. The first step in cleaning any Roman window shades, however, is to regularly dust and vacuum them because fabrics tend to collect a lot of dust.
If Roman window shades are made of a washable fabric, after you dust or vacuum it, remove the dowels from the flat shades. Wash them according to the attached cleaning instructions and hang the window shades outside (not in the dryer) so they don’t shrink. If there are any wrinkles, you can iron or steam them out. Once you’re finished, you can rehang the window shades.
If Roman window shades are not made with a washable fabric, they should be dry-cleaned and only when necessary. Be sure to tell your dry cleaner if you’ve used any chemicals on the window shade to remove spots since this will determine the dry cleaning process they use.
If you’d like to learn more about cleaning window shades in Los Altos Hills, CA, you can speak with our knowledgeable team at Windows & Beyond, Inc.