There are some people who have so little interest in keeping their living space clean that friends need a bio-hazard suit to visit, and there are others who clean everything every day. Somewhere in the middle there is a comfortable, balanced state where the home is comfortable, clean and tidy, and a place where friends and family feel welcome and safe.

Cleaning Frequency Dependent on Exposure Levels

Professional cleaners usually perform a range of cleaning tasks to a schedule that is part of the contract between their staff and the owner or lessee of the buildings they clean. Tasks are done daily, weekly, monthly, three-monthly, half-yearly and yearly so that in any given year, every part of the premises has been cleaned. The duration between each clean is dictated by things like the amount of use, the level of exposure to dirt and dust and other similar factors.

Private Homes Set Their Own Cleaning Schedules

In most dwellings, high-traffic floors other than carpets may need to be swept daily and washed weekly. Toilets and bathrooms could be a couple of times a week, kitchen benches and sinks should be daily not just for looks but for basic hygiene and insect control. Dusting furniture could be done daily if you have the time, but like most of our cleaning regimes, it all depends on the number of people living in the dwelling.

Vacuum Cleaners Make Light Work of Blinds

Vacuum cleaners were invented to make housework easier, especially cleaning carpets. A quick run-over with the cleaner and they look like new, but can the same be said of all your window treatments? The doyen of American housekeeping, Martha Stewart, recommends that all window treatments, including blinds, be cleaned once a month.

Anyone who takes Martha’s advice and washes their curtains every month has far too much time on their hands and should go to the nearest charity and volunteer for something. However, blinds are a different story. They are easily kept dust free with a quick whisk over with a duster followed by our friend the vacuum cleaner once a week.

When Extra Cleaning Effort is Needed

There comes a time, however, when your blinds will need something extra to keep them looking good and to prolong their life. This is where Blind Concepts can help with our ultrasonic cleaning technology. This technique uses high frequency sound waves producing millions of energy bubbles that lift the dirt, grease and grime out of your blinds without the hard scrubbing that can damage the surface.

The process is environmentally friendly, using very small amounts of a water-based solution. Cleaning takes a few hours in our workshop, and once we have picked them up from your home, we will have them back to you within 24 hours, cleaned, sanitised, deodorised and lubricated. Call us for a quote.

Regardless of how well they are made, or how carefully we have maintained them, the time will come when our window blinds need to be replaced. Like a comfortable pair of shoes, however, some home owners keep them in service longer than they should, spoiling the exterior appearance of their home, and exposing their carpets and furnishings to sunlight.

There are plenty of warning signs that your blinds have given their all and need to be retired. These signs will vary depending on the style of window covering you have, so we have assembled a selection for you to check against your existing blinds.

Warped, Damaged or Discoloured Slats

In timber blinds, heat and humidity over many years can cause some or all of the slats to warp. This looks unsightly, makes the blinds very difficult to keep clean and where more than one or two slats are affected, will prevent smooth movement when raising and lowering. Aluminium slats can withstand some rough treatment, but when they become completely bent out of shape, they also need to be replaced.

Even blinds with some level of UV protection will eventually fade if constantly exposed to the sun. However, if your slats have become yellow or discoloured beyond what you would consider normal fading, the materials they are made of have deteriorated to the stage where the structural integrity is compromised. They are now a safety hazard.

Mechanisms Not Working Smoothly

You should not have to use excessive force to raise or lower your blinds. If that is happening regularly, the mechanism controlling the up and down movement could be on the verge of breaking altogether. A sudden jerk to get them moving risks bringing the entire set crashing down, which could cause damage or personal injury. They should be replaced as a matter of urgency.

It is a similar story with the tilt wand. Repeated twisting to manipulate the slats will eventually wear out the tilt mechanism. Check first if it can be repaired easily, but if it is too difficult, again, replace the blinds.

Do Your Fabric Blinds Have Frayed Edges?

The answer to this problem is quite simple. This type of wear happens when the edges scrape along the window frame, which would have been caused by incorrect measurements taken when the blinds were first installed, or the installed blinds are made with a cheaper, low grade budget fabric. The fabric and/or tight fit will continue to fray so it is probably time to get correct measurements and new blinds.

Even though you may have decided by now to buy new blinds, this does not mean that the old ones are only good for landfill. At Blind Concepts we are experts at re-purposing tired blinds by restoring or replacing them. As the saying goes, “one person’s trash is another person’s treasure.” Call us for a quote and we will find the best solution for you.

The shape of our windows, as well as how we dress them make a very visible statement about the condition of the home on the inside. Faded, torn and shabby blinds seen from the outside give an impression of neglect, which may be an incorrect reflection of an otherwise neat and tidy home. However, first impressions are powerful, so homeowners need to be aware of this if they want their property to look its best.

Too Many to Choose From?

With so many different types of window blinds available, buyers can be confused about which ones suit their situation. Roller blinds, Roman blinds, Venetians, verticals and others provide a range of choices, but getting the right type for the style of window and the aspect can be challenging.
Large windows that have a scenic outlook, for example, would need a very different types of window blinds available to a small room at the back of a dwelling that struggles to get sufficient natural light. It is not as simple as picking one type of blind and using it for every room in the home.

Suggestions for Making Those Important Choices

From our point of view, however, it really does not matter what type of blinds you have in your home. Our business at Blind Concepts is to offer superior cleaning, repair and replacement services to our customers. Since we are able to provide those services for most blinds on the market, the choice is yours, but if you need some help, we offer these suggestions.

What Does the Room Need?

Start with the room itself. What does it need in a window covering? Does it need more or less natural light, is insulation against heat and cold required, is the window facing a main road so that privacy is an issue? The answers to these questions will give you the style needed, then the choices of fabric and colour will be easier.

Ever-Reliable Roller Blinds

Modern roller blinds have come into their own as stylish and chic decorator items, and once they are rolled up, leave an unobstructed view of the exterior. Clever fabrics address issues of light and insulation, and are available in a range of modern patterns and colours.

Romans or Venetians – Your Choice

For a touch of elegance, roman blinds offer a tailored look that suits a living room where curtains would be too overwhelming. Ever-practical venetians never go out of date, and their versatility suits almost every room in the home.
Choose whatever style of blind suits your windows without worrying about how to clean them. We will be here to do that for you when the time comes.

Blinds are essential in our climate to protect the interior décor and to control the flow of light and air. They also have an uncluttered, stylish look that is a perfect example of the “less is more” attitude to interior decorating. At the top end of the market they can cost many thousands of dollars, but there are also blinds for the budget conscious that still look great.

In fact, making old blinds look great again is exactly what we do at Blind Concepts. Our approach is a plus for the environment as we are recycling an existing product rather than using precious resources to create something new. It is also a boon for those wanting to save money but still have their windows looking fresh and modern.

Mass Produced, Low Cost Blinds Unlikely to Last

Everyone wants their homes to be inviting to friends and family, including people with limited financial resources. There are many low-cost options available for them to furnish and decorate their living spaces. Suppliers of budget furniture, homeware, flooring, lighting and window dressings all have cut-price products available. While these products fill a gap temporarily, they rarely last because they have been mass produced, using cheap material.

Maintenance and Replacement Restores Quality

In the case of blinds, there is another option available to homeowners that will deliver them a better quality product at a budget price. Often, blinds only look shabby because they need cleaning and some maintenance such as replacing a broken slat. This is much better than throwing blinds that are otherwise functional in a skip, which ends up in land fill.

We can restore the quality of damaged blinds by replacing slats, slat hangers, chains, cords or wands. This can be a simple repair of several slats, or the replacement of a complete set of blinds. We can also create a new style or colour scheme by using new slats in modern colours, which immediately update the room to a fashionable, contemporary look.

Suitable for Venetians and Other Types of Blinds

There are several different types of venetian blinds that respond well to replacement. We have had great success with aluminium blinds, wood composite, poly-resin and cedar types.

Our service is also suitable for verticals, timber and Holland blinds, as well as woodweave, oriental and Roman blinds.

Complete Solution for the Budget Conscious

Rather than waste money on buying cheap blinds that will not last, the homeowners will have their original blinds returned to them looking new and fresh, with all the functions operating smoothly. For those on a budget, especially if there are several windows to cover, this is an excellent option and will cost far less than buying complete sets of new blinds.

They say that when it comes to completing any task – pleasant or not – there are many ways to skin a cat.

When it comes to cleaning blinds there are really only a few ways to do it properly and plenty of ways to do it terribly.

Keeping Your Blinds in Tip Top Shape

If you want to keep your blinds in tip top shape then the number one step you can take is to give them a dust on a regular basis. Weekly is best but monthly is good too.

Dusting can be achieved by wiping closed blinds over with a microfibre blind cleaner, a microfibre cloth, or even an old sock.

Microfibre really is the winner and you can buy it made into gloves so you can slot your hand into them. This helps by giving you the opportunity to clean them on the top and bottom of a blind with one sweep of your hand.

Failing dusting with microfibre, the next best thing you can do for ANY blind is to give it a once over with the vacuum cleaner every now and then. You will be amazed at how good they look just from doing this and if you do it regularly you can push out the need for a deeper clean.

To vacuum horizontal blinds simply close them and hold them at the bottom. Vacuum the side facing you with a simple left to right motion starting at the top. Close them facing the other way and repeat.

For vertical blinds, again close them but work from top to bottom. If you have long blinds you may need to ask someone to hold the bottom firm for you. Repeat on the other side.

Stubborn Stains and Grease

The world became a better place the day microfibre cleaning was created!

If you have not discovered the wonders of microfibre then you are in for a treat. This amazing cloth will clean just about everything and anything. You can use it to remove your makeup; even stubborn mascara will come off with ease with this material, so cleaning a blind is a synch with a microfibre cloth.

If you need a little extra help with stubborn, hard to remove stains or grease, then all you need to do is add a few drops of detergent to a bucket of warm water. For that extra oomph you can add vinegar to your solution. A tablespoon of bicarbonate will also work wonders.

It is important not to saturate your blinds when cleaning. Quality microfibre clothes can be rung out very well and they leave little water behind.

Failing all of this, if you really are not interested in putting in the time then Blind Concepts offer a fabulous cleaning service, using the latest technology.

With Christmas just around the corner this is the time to finish off that spring cleaning you started recently. We all like to put our best foot forward at this time of the year so many of us are polishing floors and windows. Cleaning your blinds is also a must and so easy when you know how.

There is no doubt that blinds add a completely different effect to any room. With the twitch of a chord they can offer complete privacy or direct cooling breezes, unlike curtains, which are more likely to block a breeze when closed.

Blinds are completely unobtrusive, offering protection from sunlight, street lights, and prying eyes without overpowering a room. They disappear into the background leaving your furniture, artwork, and decorative pieces to shine. Especially that tinsel laden Christmas tree and all those presents.

When looked after, your blinds will last a lifetime. The key to this is to ensure they are treated with the respect they deserve. Keeping them clean and dust free is so easily done.

Regular Dusting a Must

Regular dusting, wiping or vacuuming your blinds to control build-up of unhealthy germ carrying airborne bacteria and particulate is essential. Incorporating this task into your weekly dusting and vacuum routine will take just minutes and will avoid any heavy build up that may occur.

If, however, your blinds are situated in an area where they are likely to have vaporised cooking oil settle on them or where they may be exposed to nicotine, moisture such as humidity or even exposure to vast temperature differences from hot to cold, you may find that simple dusting is not enough to keep them looking at their best.

In this situation it is a good idea to organise for them to be professionally washed by way of Ultra Sonic cleaning.

Fresher, Brighter and Infinitely Healthy

When you ask Blind Concepts to clean you blinds you can relax and get on with cooking that Christmas pudding and leave the rest to us.

We collect your blinds, take them back to our purpose built workshop (not Santa’s!), put your blinds through our Ultra Sonic cleaning process, return them to you and have them hung and ready for your Yuletide Celebrations in jiffy.

In as little as 24 hours we can have your blinds shining clean and free of dirt, grime, grease, and bacteria.

Obviously, we at Blind Concepts are all about how to make your windows look good, so this is our Number 1 Tip to upscale your home.

We offer a range of ready and custom-made vertical blinds, roman blinds, oriental, plain or exposed batten and Holland blinds. Our services also cover Venetian blinds that include Aluminium blinds, wood composite blinds, 50mm poly-resin blinds with a timber look finish, and lacquered or oiled cedar blinds.

We can clean, repair, replace or upgrade every blind in your home.

Tip 2

Sometimes your home may just need a colour upgrade. Some colours can be a bit faddish. If you are over the bright yellow of the 70s and mission brown of the 80s why not upgrade to a different shade?

Tip 3

Spruce up your front door. You can do this by changing its colour, updating, or upgrading your door mat, adding a plant on either side, or even tiling, paving or adding faux timber slats.

Tip 4

Add some life to your home’s rooms or outdoor areas by adding some hanging potted plants. They can be pretty flowery offerings or even practical plantings such as herbs you use in the kitchen.

Plants help you clear the air and static energy and even help reduce EMFs from electrical sockets.

Tip 5

Decluttering will give your soul a chance to relax. It has been proven that clutter can cause stress so start to actually let go of some of your stuff. Even letting go of something sentimental but still put away in the cupboard, can open up the flood gates to receiving more than you ever dreamed.

Tip 6

Mow, weed, and clip. You don’t need to spend a lot of money on fancy plantings to have a nice looking yard. You will be surprised how just taking a little time to actually pull those weeds, mow your lawn and clip any low hanging or straggly branches can improve the look and feel of your home.

Tip 7

Rearrange. You know what they say – a change is as good as a holiday. Why not have a go at rearranging the furniture and décor of your home. They say that good Feng Shui in your home starts with the correct placement of these items.

Give it a go and see how you feel. If you don’t like it, change it.

Tip 8

Clean it. If it looks dirty give it a clean. For outside you would be surprised how a high pressure cleaner will bring up your pavers, paths, and driveways.

Tip 9

If it’s broken fix it. Replace torn fly screens, patch holes, and repair fence palings. Give your home some love today!

If you have wooden venetian blinds in your home, you will no doubt want to take good care of them. These kinds of blinds are built to last and if looked after well they will add their special sense of warmth to your home for many years to come.

The key factor here is looking after your blinds. We at Blind Concepts can’t stress enough the importance and benefits of looking after your blinds. We highly recommend that you organise a professional clean through us on a periodical basis but, in the meantime, you also need to care for them yourself.

If you have left them uncleaned for some time do not worry, our ultrasonic blind cleaning process is so efficient that it will bring tired, neglected blinds back to life and looking new again. In between cleans by our team here is what we suggest for your wooden venetians.

Do not immerse

For a start, it’s important you understand that you can’t immerse your blinds in water. As the wood will absorb the water it can end up causing damage to the slats. Excess moisture can cause discolouration or warp the slats.

Be mindful of cleaning products

It is not recommended that you use any old detergent on your blinds. Some chemicals can damage the wood slats and this will be irreversible. If you wish to use a cleaning product, purchase a wood cleaner that is safe and approved for blinds.

Safe stain removal

When it is time to clean your blinds start by looking for any stains or spots of food, for example. If you have little people in the home it is likely that sticky hands make their way to the blinds. This is often because children want to look out the window, so always check.

If there are stains or marks remove these by use of a paper towel or cloth. Hard to remove stains can be eliminated with a safe wood cleaner. Again, please remember to use only approved cleaners and don’t soak with too much water.

Removing dust

Dust is everyone’s problem and your blinds will collect as much as the next household. To remove dust you can do a number of things. If your vacuum comes with an attachment then a gentle vacuum is quick and ideal.

You can also use a dust brush to remove dust, there are even special dusters for blinds designed to collect dust between the slats. Once you have performed either of these methods you can take a damp, not wet, cloth and wipe the slats individually.

Along with your gentle care of your blinds give us a call at Blind Concepts to organise a professional clean to make your blinds last for years.

If your blinds are in need of a good thorough cleaning you need to contact our team at Blind Concepts. You can keep blinds clean yourself by following some simple maintenance steps and tips but over time they will need a professional clean.

This is because grime and dust builds up in all the hard to reach places that cleaning by you won’t get to. At Blind Concepts we highly recommend you get a professional clean carried out by us at regular intervals to ensure optimum hygiene longevity of your blinds.

Why is ultrasonic cleaning best?

Along with getting into all the tight and small spots where you can’t, there are other benefits to ultrasonic blind cleaning. When you choose to get blinds cleaned in this manner you are increasing their lifespan, which will result in not having to replace or repair blinds sooner than necessary.

Ultrasonic blind cleaning is also the best option for the environment using less water and biodegradable detergent that is environmentally safe. So what is the process?

What happens during the cleaning process?

We will collect your blinds from your home. This will ensure they are removed and transported without damage due to an inexperienced person removing them.

Once in our workshop a small amount of our environmentally friendly water based cleaning solution is added to the water in the machine. Your blinds will be carefully placed in the machine and high frequency pressure sound waves are used to agitate the liquid and create cavitation bubbles.

More intricate cleaning is carried out by using a higher frequency. The process will then remove all dirt, grime and contaminants from the blinds and penetrate all areas including the small moving parts you are unable to access yourself.

We understand your privacy and that the protection of valuables is important. This is why we work efficiently to get your blinds cleaned and back to your home for reinstallation within 24 hours.

The last part of our ultrasonic blinds cleaning process is for you to enjoy the breath of fresh air your blinds breathe into the room. Now hygienically clean so they are safer for your family to be around and looking sparkling and new again.

Ultrasonic blind cleaning is a far simpler and cheaper process than buying new blinds. Don’t think that tired, old and dirty blinds need to be thrown away. Save yourself time and money by contacting our team today to organise your ultrasonic clean today.

When you pay to have blinds installed in your home it’s nice for them to always look good and last as long as possible. When you take care of them and keep them clean it means you won’t have to spend the money to replace or repair them as soon as if you had not taken care of them.

Keeping your blinds clean has some other benefits, too. Blinds are the perfect spot for allergens, dirt and other pollutants to hang around on in your home. This means anyone who suffers allergies or has respiratory issues will soon feel the effects of blinds that are not kept clean.

If blinds are really left to get filthy though, they can even pose an issue for people who don’t have any pre-existing health issues such as allergies. In a nutshell, blinds that are left dirty are just as bad as carpets that are not cleaned regularly.

Of course, just as you can vacuum carpets and mop floors you can clean blinds yourself with dust brushes, vacuums and damp sponges. And just like carpet, a professional clean from Blind Concepts is really the only kind of cleaning that can get rid of every trace of dirt, dust and other nasties hanging about on blinds.

DIY doesn’t get everywhere

While you can clean slats by vacuuming and dusting, it pays to remember that there are moving parts, chords and other bits in blinds that they are unable to reach or don’t even consider. As a result, blinds are never really cleaned properly and the build up on them becomes worse, creating a bigger possible health issue in the home.

Mildew, pet dander, mould and other irritating particles settling in the crevices of your blinds you can’t reach, will only make you suffer.

Professional cleaning the only way

The only real sure way to have your blinds thoroughly cleaned is professionally through ultrasonic cleaning. All the grime, grease, pollutants and more are effectively removed from the entire blind set up leaving them looking brand new again, and much safer from a health perspective to have in your home.

Basically, there is no point in keeping on top of dusting, vacuuming and mopping the rest of your home if you allow your blinds to remain unclean and dusty. If you have been putting off cleaning your blinds then contact the team at Blind Concepts today to find out more about their highly efficient and professional blind cleaning service.