💡Quick Answer: Always dust first, working top to bottom with a Swiffer duster (or a vacuum with a soft brush attachment for cellular and fabric blinds). Then clean based on your blind type- use Blue Dawn dish soap for plastic, vinyl, and aluminum, or Murphy Oil Soap for wood, mixed sparingly into a gallon of water. Clean with the three-towel system (one to clean, one to rinse, one to dry and buff). Never use water on cellular or fabric blinds, just vacuum them. For heavily caked blinds, remove them and scrub in a bathtub. Dust one to two times a month and deep clean once a year.
If your blinds are looking dusty and dirty, don’t worry, getting them clean is easier than you think once you know the right method for your specific type. Here’s the best way to clean blinds, from a quick dusting to a full deep clean.
Always Dust First
The first step with any blinds is to dust them, and one of the core rules of cleaning anything around the house is to always dust first. For most blinds, a simple Swiffer duster is my go-to. It’s nothing groundbreaking, but I like that it actually traps the dust in the duster and pulls it off the surface, so it doesn’t just float around and make a bigger mess while you clean. As always, start at the top and dust your way down to the floor. Blinds are tricky because of all the nooks, crannies, and slats where dust loves to build up, so make sure to go between every slat, and don’t forget to dust the other side too.
⚠️One important exception: if you have cellular or fabric blinds, a vacuum with a brush attachment usually works better than a Swiffer, since the Swiffer can’t reach the dust that builds up in those types. Just go slow and don’t push too hard when vacuuming so you don’t damage them.
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Choose the Right Cleaner for Your Blinds
The cleaner you use depends entirely on what your blinds are made of. For plastic, vinyl, or aluminum blinds, I recommend simple Blue Dawn dish soap. But if you have wood blinds, skip the Dawn and use Murphy Oil Soap instead, which cleans the wood well without drying it out or causing damage.
When mixing either cleaner, start with a bucket holding about a gallon of water. For the Dawn, just add a few squirts, and for the Murphy Oil Soap, about a capful is plenty. Both of these cleaners are highly concentrated, so remember that less is more. If you add too much, you can leave a sticky soap residue on the surface that’s hard to rinse off, and that residue actually attracts dirt and makes your blinds get dirty faster, exactly what we’re trying to avoid.
Clean With the Three-Towel System
The process I use for cleaning blinds is my three-towel system, and it’s so simple and versatile that once you learn it, you’ll find yourself using it all over the house. Start by dipping your first towel into the cleaning mix and wringing it out really well, then clean the blinds top to bottom. This is the towel doing the heavy lifting, lifting away grime and buildup, so don’t miss a spot, including the cords that connect the slats and the one you use to open them. And just like dusting, clean both sides.
As you work, go slow and be gentle. Most blinds are delicate, and scrubbing too hard can damage or even ruin them. Once you’ve finished with towel one, move on to towel two, which you’ll dip in a bucket of water only and wring out well. Wipe down everything you just cleaned. This rinse step might feel redundant, but it’s crucial, because leftover soap dries sticky and attracts dirt like a magnet, making everything dirty faster.
Finally, take your third towel, a clean, dry microfiber towel, and dry and buff everything you just cleaned and rinsed. This prevents water spots and streaks, and it’s especially critical on wood blinds, where leaving too much moisture behind can cause warping and damage.
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How to Clean Cellular and Fabric Blinds
Here’s a very important warning: do not use the three-towel system on cellular or fabric blinds. These types really don’t like moisture, and using too much water will ruin them. In most cases, your best bet is simply a thorough vacuum with a soft brush attachment. If you notice a few spots that bother you, you can spot-clean them with a very small amount of dish soap and water, but be sure to rinse completely and dry the area as quickly as possible. And if these blinds have a lot of spots and heavy buildup, you’re often better off calling a professional who has the right tools to clean them safely.
Deep Cleaning Filthy Blinds in the Bathtub
For plastic, vinyl, or faux wood blinds that are extremely filthy, caked with grease and grime, it’s time to level up with the bathtub method. Remove the blinds, bring them into the bathroom, and fill the tub with about an inch or two of water, adding some dish soap. Then grab a soft-bristle brush and give everything a good scrub. I don’t use this for every job, since the three-towel system handles most cleaning, but for blinds from grimy areas like the kitchen, bathroom, or garage, that extra scrubbing power makes all the difference. Once you’ve scrubbed, give the blinds a really good rinse so no soap is left behind, then dry them thoroughly. You can wipe them down with towels or, on a nice day, hang them outside, but make sure they’re completely dry before putting them back in place.
One key thing to watch: the internal components along the top of the blinds are often metal, and you don’t want to submerge those. Just hang that section over the edge of the tub so it stays dry.
How Often Should You Clean Your Blinds?
A little regular attention keeps blinds from becoming a big project. I like to dust mine about one to two times a month to stay ahead of buildup. As for a full deep clean like we covered here, once a year around spring cleaning is usually enough. That said, if you notice one set of blinds getting dirty faster than the rest, clean it sooner rather than later so it doesn’t turn into a bigger job down the road. And there you have it. Now you know the best way to get every type of blind in your home nice and clean.
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