A Little Cleaning... Shutters and Windows

After posting my long list of Spring cleaning someone asked, "How do you clean wood blinds"?  

Well I have wood shutters throughout my house.  I try to keep them dusted on a regular basis.  So every week when I do my overhaul cleaning of my entire house I use a little duster and just quickly dust all my shutters.  But for spring cleaning something else needs to be done.

Photo: realsimple.com

1.  I DON'T use water because it can lead to warping.  

2.  I get my vacuum out and attach the soft brush head.  I tilt the shutters up and vacuum, tilt them down and vacuum.  This will remove most of the dust.

3.  I get a dust glove.  I do one more sweep over each shutter to get an remaining dust mites off.  

4.  On a few rare occasions I might have a spot (mostly on my kitchen shutters above the sink) so I use a LITTLE wood furniture polish (sprayed onto the dust glove not the shutters directly).

5.  I haven't tried this one out but someone once told me to take a fabric softener drier sheet to your shutters every once in awhile.  This will remove static and keep dust from settling.

The question was also asked, "How do you clean your second story windows"?  I don't have second story windows but unfortunately there is a trade off.  I have basement windows that you have to get to from the window wells.  I also have a beast of a window that's 5 ft X 8 ft and my best advice is use a ladder.

I took the easy way out last year after trying to wash my windows with a vinegar, ammonia, water solution and only getting streaks. I hired the professionals.  This spring I've tried a new approach.

1.  Mix a little dish soap (whatever you have on hand.  Joy, dawn etc.) into a pail of water.  

2.  Use a sponge to wash window down with soapy water

3.  Use a squeegee to remove water and suds.  

4.  You will need a clean dry towel to wipe and excess water off squeegee.  

No streaks!  So far the inside looks good.  Too bad it's still way to cold to clean the outside of my windows.  The water would probably freeze making an even bigger mess.  Lucky me, I get to put that project off for a few more weeks.

 {Read all posts by Candace}