Window blind
One product name over at least three materials that want opposite treatment. The wooden ones must stay dry; some metal ones can be put in a bath of water — as long as the headrail is kept out of it.
What not to do
Solvent wiping is prohibited by the manufacturer for Window blind
Best avoided
The available guidance advises against this.
Scoped to the WOOD and alternative-wood products, which is where the manufacturer states it. The metal ones are separately cleared for an over-the-counter blind cleaner on a soft cloth.
Why we say this
Supported
An unusually plain manufacturer statement — not discouraged, WILL DAMAGE. The note carries the scope so the metal case is not read out of it.
Sources
How to Clean Blinds, and How to Clean Wood Blinds
Hunter Douglas · Manufacturer documentation
Relied on for: That ultrasonic cleaning or the use of chemical solvents and scrubbing cleansers is not recommended for wood and alternative wood blinds, and that they will damage the product. (states this directly)
Verification: a person has read the passage relied on.
Read on — The per-product cleaning instructions, the wood pages, and the immersion instruction with its exclusions. Supports the claim as stated.
Last reviewed by a person on .
Precautions
- Check the manufacturer's instructions
- Test on an inconspicuous area first
In detail
Blinds are the clearest case in this catalogue of a question that cannot be answered until you know what the thing is made of. The routine is the same for all of them and it is DRY: a soft cloth or dusting mitt, blind lowered to full length and slats tilted almost closed, or a vacuum with a brush attachment. After that the answers diverge. On WOOD and alternative wood, the manufacturer closes off the wet options outright — ultrasonic cleaning, chemical solvents and scrubbing cleansers are not recommended and WILL DAMAGE THE PRODUCT — and fine wood is kept away from steam, high-moisture rooms, rain and sprinklers. Stained wood is treated periodically with lemon oil or another wood preservative, like furniture. On METAL blinds the same manufacturer permits the opposite where the product allows it: immerse the whole assembly in lukewarm water with mild detergent and wash for five minutes. The exclusion inside that permission is the useful part, and it is not about the slats. The HEADRAIL of a blind with an operating mechanism in it does not go in the water, whatever the slats are made of.
What works
Soaking is safe on, in specific conditions, Window blind
Safe only in specific conditions
This is only appropriate within specific limits. Outside those limits, CleaningHQ makes no claim.
Only within these limits:
- METAL blinds only, and only the products the manufacturer names — never wood or alternative wood
- Lukewarm water with a mild detergent
- Five minutes, moving the water gently with your fingers rather than scrubbing
- THE HEADRAIL STAYS OUT OF THE WATER on cordless, motorised, retractable-cord and glide systems, and so does the bottom rail on the lift system that houses its mechanism there
The instruction most likely to be applied to the wrong blind. A wooden slat looks like it would survive five minutes in a bath and the manufacturer says the wet methods will damage the product.
Precautions
- Check the manufacturer's instructions
Why we say this
Supported
A rare positive immersion clearance in this catalogue, and it is fenced twice — by material and by mechanism. Both fences are the manufacturer's.
Sources
How to Clean Blinds, and How to Clean Wood Blinds
Hunter Douglas · Manufacturer documentation
Relied on for: That the entire shade assembly may be immersed in lukewarm water with mild detergent and washed for five minutes by gently moving the liquid with your fingers, and that the headrails of the named operating systems and the bottom rail on the lift system must not be immersed. (states this directly)
Verification: a person has read the passage relied on.
Read on — The per-product cleaning instructions, the wood pages, and the immersion instruction with its exclusions. Supports the claim as stated.
Last reviewed by a person on .
Related
- Window blind has the component Blind headrail
- Window blind is made from Finished wood flooring
- Window blind is made from Aluminium
Sources for this page
Sources
How to Clean Blinds, and How to Clean Wood Blinds
Hunter Douglas · Manufacturer documentation
Relied on for: That every blind is dusted with a soft cloth or a vacuum brush attachment, that ultrasonic cleaning, chemical solvents and scrubbing cleansers will damage wood blinds, that fine wood is protected from steam, moisture, rain and sprinklers, and that metal blinds may be immersed in lukewarm water with mild detergent for five minutes except for the headrails of named operating systems. (states this directly)
Verification: a person has read the passage relied on.
Read on — The per-product cleaning instructions, the wood pages, and the immersion instruction with its exclusions. Supports the claim as stated.
Last reviewed by a person on .