Very popular window treatments for homes or offices are window blinds. Amongst the popular styles of blinds is Venetian, slat, vertical and mini blinds. The type of cleaning required to keep your blinds looking their best is largely dependent on how much dust has settled on the blinds.

A common blind is the roller blind. These can best be kept clean by running a brush attachment hooked to your vacuum cleaner up and down the pulled down shade.

For small amounts of dust there are special venetian blind dusters that can be used when dusting the rest of home or office. Just a damp cloth run with the direction of the blind is sufficient if you want to keep all of the dust from being released into the air.

You may also vacuum the blinds with a special dust attachment, which comes with your vacuum cleaner. Run the brush along the blinds in the direction they go.

Vinyl and fabric blinds can be cleaned with a dry sponge. A cleaning solution good for the environment and good on the pocketbook is white vinegar. All that is needed is one old clean sock. Drop the sock into a solution of the vinegar in a bucket, wring and then run your fingers along both sides of the slates. Rinse as needed and apply until blinds are sparkling clean. For wood blinds, take a soft cloth and dry the wood immediately so as not to warp the blinds from to much moisture.

Metal and heavily soiled vinyl blinds can be taken down and taken outside. Lay them down on a flat surface preferably on an old sheet to shield them from getting scratched. Take the vinegar solution and a soft cloth or brush and rub gently with the direction of the blinds slats and then hose down with a water hose. Find a place to hang them outside to completely dry. Then return them indoors and hang over the windows as before.

Another method is to fill up a bathtub with a mild solution of sudsy ammonia or vinegar solution as stated previously. Leave in a tub of hot water swishing gently for just long enough to remove dust and grime. Then release the water from the tub and refill. You may also turn on the shower to rinse the blinds and then lay them on heavy towels to dry. Then rehang them as before.