April 01, 2015

How to Clean Window Treatments for Spring

Spring Cleaning: Freshen Your Window Treatments

There’s nothing like freshly washed windows to announce that Spring – and its beautiful sunlight – is here! Don’t diminish that fresh look with window treatments in need of a good cleaning.

Window coverings can be tremendous dust collectors and need to be cleaned periodically. And no time is better than spring, with its bright light and crisp breeze. Here are some pointers on how to clean your window treatments safely, and with great results.

Blinds and Plantation Shutters

With wooden and metallic blinds, roller shades, and other horizontal treatments, the main concern is dust control:

  • The new dusting cloths on the market can be particularly helpful or you can use the dusting attachment of your vacuum.
  • Consider microfiber cloths, which are lint free, non-abrasive and hypoallergenic – and great at grabbing dust and dirt.
  • Avoid using magnetic cleaners like dusting mitts on light-dimming fabrics as you may damage the backing.
Heritance Hardwood Shutter | Hunter Douglas
Heritance Hardwood Shutter | Hunter Douglas (2014 Product of the Year!)
You can also grab an old pair of socks and wash blinds and shutters with one hand and dry with the other. If your white tapes or cords are looking dingy, consider either wiping them down with bleach solution or taking a cloth soaked in white shoe polish and gently touching them up. Be sure, though, not to soak wooden blinds or shutters, which may warp.

Draperies and Roman Shades

Although we don’t recommend a specific cleaning schedule for drapes and curtains, you can improve their longevity with regular maintenance. Check labels on sheers and other treatments before you toss them in your washing machine to make sure they are washable. If they are, tumble dry to the touch and take them straight to your rods, and you will most likely avoid ironing.

 

Mill Valley Interior Designers & Decorators Kathy Bloodworth Interior Design
As with blinds, vacuuming can greatly improve appearance and contribute to longevity of curtains and drapes. Use your brush attachment, but take a moment before you begin to make sure the attachment itself is good and clean, so you don’t inadvertently bring dirt to the cleaning process. Fabric can be particularly unforgiving of this error! You can also use compressed air in a can to blast off dust on swags or scarves and involved fabric elements like rosettes.
Dawn Feda custom draperies
Custom panels over Hunter Douglas Luminettes | Dawn Feda | Hirshfield’s Shop at Home

With just a few hours of work on your window treatments, your awakening from winter hibernation with a good Spring cleaning can be even more complete. Gone are dust, dirt and pet hair, and you can throw open the windows to let the fresh air flow in!

Since Frank and Elizabeth Hirshfield opened their first store in 1894, it has been our mission to do the best job possible meeting customer needs and solving customer problems. Hirshfield’s. People and products you can trust.

 

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I have come to rely on the staff at Hirshfield’s Design Resource for their fabulous customer service and variety of products. The service is always friendly, timely and professional.

As a designer, their advice on window treatments is forever appreciated, and they are always able to show me something new in the displays and samples. They provide quick and accurate estimates, measurements and suggestions when I am struggling with a budget. The final product and installation has been nothing but flawless on every project.

I truly value what they continue to bring to our design community!

Pamela Kilian
Simply Designed

Want to give a shout out to Madi. Madi took a pretty awful experience and made it right for us. We had ordered cordless blinds and over half of them did not work right or hang right. Madi helped us return all the blinds and reordered a new product for us which we are very happy with. Madi was persistent in helping us get the issues we experience resolved.

She is always so warm and friendly and definitely puts her customers first. Thanks Madi you are a gem! Also want to add that my overall experience with Hirshfield's in St. Cloud has been an excellent experience. They made things right and put their customers first!

Kim Kaluza

Greg is amazing! We have worked with him throughout the years on both existing homes and new builds and we could not be happier. One of the things I appreciate about Greg is that he gets us to really think about how we will use our space, not just now but in the future when the kids get older. This has honestly has saved us from making some pretty big design mistakes. Finding durable fabrics and pieces is important to us while we have a preschooler running around, yet on the other hand, our teens have a different use for the space.

He is able to make it all work together seamlessly by understanding the space and its function. He has a fresh and distinctive feel to his work and builds in a variety of styles. I HIGHLY recommend working with Greg out of the gate, you will not be sorry. I honestly don't know what we do without his help;)

Kim Strout
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