Mad about Housekeeping!

As we move out of fall into the winter months it is time to find the dust we have accumulated over the busy summer and deal with it. Today I am talking about the blinds an area I try so hard to forget. What a hassle! All of those slats seem to be dust, and fly magnates(there little spots, I won’t say what it is yuck). For those of us on the Oregon Coast that especially means the South and West sides of our homes. There are several ways to approach this challenging task, and I have attempted most. Some more successful than others. And one in particular simply a vision in the future. So let’s get started. My first attempt at cleaning blinds consisted up using wipes. I went after each slat individually without first dusting. I found that the wipes created excess moisture quickly turned a brown drippy solution that was heading towards the carpet and window sills (not too efficient). On that particular occasion I ended up wiping off the excess as quickly as possible and switching to a damp cotton cloth free of frizzies. It still took forever and was terribly timeconsuming. The next time I attempted this task I was more successful. I prepped the blinds with my Swiffer removing as much dust as possible while the blinds were still dry. I then mixed dishwasher liquid soap, about a tablespoon with about a gallon of warm water in a small bucket that was somewhat spillproof (heavier on the bottom). I used an old cotton napkin without frayed edges as my wet rag and then dried with another napkin. I had a few dry napkins on hand an changed my water relatively often. I put a towel on the floor under my bucket, and some paper towels on the window sill to protect the wood. Instead of doing each slat individually I gently, but firmly press the blinds against the window and then wiped across the blinds cover a group rather than individually. I washed until the water was clear, and the blinds free of fly spots, and streaks. I then dried them the same way and addressed any problem areas individually when I was basically finished. After I was done with the blinds I then did the windows. The blinds looked great when I was finished. It was a rewarding day I must say. My best friend who is also mad about housekeeping dips her blinds. She has used a product called TSP. She buys it at the hardward store and then mixes it with warm water and then she dips them in the bathtub and then lets them hang to dry. It is probably the most efficient but sounds like a huge project and might get messy. If you have any tips on cleaning blinds I would love to hear them.