Cleaning Blinds and Mini-Blinds Easily by:Tara Aronson

Mini blinds: It's no secret that most of us love the fabulous colors and simple designs of the wildly popular window coverings.

It's the cleaning of them that we have yet to warm up to.

Whether they are mini, macro, wood, vertical or horizontal, all have one thing in common: They're magnets for dust, animal dander, kitchen grease and soot.

Naturally, by the time you notice this grimy stage, it's no longer possible to clean them where they hang. You can't do a thorough scrubbing job while dodging the windowpane and trying not to ruin your wood floor or carpet - or trying not to damage the cords. It must come down.

Forget the sink and bathtub blind-cleaning routine: The quickest and most effective way to clean these vinyl and aluminum babies is to take them outside. Choose a flat surface to begin the degrunging routine.

Fill a bucket with warm water and your favorite laundry detergent (it contains the critical cleaning component here - a grease-cutting agent) and start wiping.

A Soft Brush, Soapy Water

Using a soft brush with the soapy water, gently scrub along each louver, taking care to clean as far into the eyelet holes as possible at the end of each row.

Don't scrub too energetically: You may end up removing more than just a year's worth of grunge. The painted finish is susceptible to both harsh chemicals and vigorous scrubbing.

Then, flip them over, and do it again on the other side.

After both sides have been cleaned, it's time to rinse away the cleaner.

Hold them up or hang it on a ladder or clothesline and rinse it with a hose.

Shake to remove excess water and allow to air dry. Or, wipe with a soft, clean towel and rehang.

About the author

Tara has appeared in numerous magazine, newspaper and online articles featuring her lifestyle, organizing and cleaning expertise in addition to writing her twice-monthly column, Coming Clean in the San Francisco Chronicle. Tara is also regularly a guest expert on news, feature, and talk-show programs across the country. She most recently appeared on the "Rachael Ray" Daytime talk show Feb. 4, 2009, in New York City. Tara appeared as the guest expert on Human Lab: Laundry.

In addition, Tara also puts her well-tuned journalistic skills to use on the road, writing travel articles about her as frequent as possible road trips to venues across the United States and abroad. Tara is a proud mom to three who cleans and writes in West Los Angeles.

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