How to Clean RV Day/Night Pleated Blinds

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How to Clean RV Day/Night Pleated Blinds

How to Clean RV Day/Night Pleated Blinds

How do you go about cleaning Day/Night pleated RV blinds?

ANSWER: Here are some common methods that RVer's use to clean their Day/Night Shades/Blinds successfully.

I am going to assume that the blinds you have are made of fabric. For normal cleaning, some RVers use Feather Dusters on a weekly basis to keep dirt and grime from accumulating. On an annual basis, some RVers use upholstery Vacuum attachments to thoroughly clean the blinds.

You will have to remove the shades in all the methods listed below.

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The Video Below Will Show How to Remove the Shades



Important Note: Before using any of the techniques or cleaning materials listed below you should test a small portion of the blind to ensure that no discoloration of the fabric or damage to the pleating occurs from the process.

For very dirty/soiled blinds some RVers have done the following:

Method 1


1. First, remove the shades from the window. This will make it easier for you to clean them and ensure that you don't miss any spots.

2. Next, use the brush attachment on your vacuum cleaner to vacuum both sides of the shades. This will remove any dust or dirt that has accumulated on them.

3. Then, mix a solution of mild soap and warm water in a small bucket.
Dip a soft cloth or sponge into the solution and gently scrub both sides of the shades.

4. After that, rinse the shades thoroughly with clean water to remove any soap residue.

5. Next, use a clean, dry cloth to wipe the shades dry.

6. You can try using a mild abrasive cleaner or a specialty fabric cleaner if the shades have any stains or spots that are difficult to remove. Just be sure to test any cleaner on a small, inconspicuous area of the shades before using it on the entire surface.

7. Once the shades are clean and dry, rehang them in the window.

Method 2


Some RVers have removed their blinds completely and soaked them in a bathtub full of warm water and some OxyClean. Once the blinds are dry, they can be re-hung. The two videos below will guide you through the process of removing the shades and then how to clean them in a bathtub using OxyClean.

How to Clean the Blinds in the Bathtub



Some RVers have used Portable Steam Cleaners with an upholstery attachment to clean their blinds. Of course, my fear here is that the steam will steam out the pleats of the blinds.

I urge any of our visitors who have used a different method to leave a comment to let all of us know what worked for them.

Comments for How to Clean RV Day/Night Pleated Blinds

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starstarstarstarstar 		Great Tips on Blinds, now a question....
by: Lynda Caporn

Now that the pleated blinds are clean, can they be painted? I have just day blinds, ie no night blinds and they are a beige colour. I would like to add some blue / green stripes or something similar. Has anyone tried that?
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starstarstarstarstar 		How to Clean RV Day/Night Pleated Blinds
by: Anonymous

Hello,

I take all of my RV blinds over to Lovitt Blinds & Drapery. (located in the Chicago, IL areas) I have even shipped my RV blinds to them & they will fully clean the blinds & ship them back to me! It's very affordable too! Check out their website for more details... https://www.lovittblinds.com/window-shade-cleaning

If you are NOT in the Chicago areas, then search "UltraSonic Blind Cleaning" on Google & I'm sure you will find a blind cleaner near you!

BTW: These blind cleaning companies, also offer the repair your RV shades & blinds as well.

Happy camping!
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		WORKED GREAT
by: Jane

Thank you for the day/night cleaning tips. Our blinds are looking so much better. Only suggestion we have is for the longer shades that don't fit in the bath tub we used the kids long plastic snow sled!!!!
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Just did this!!
by: GamingLady

For your larger windows soak them in the tub with a pinch of dawn detergent.The smaller blinds can go in a sink..one at a time. After they soak, take your hands and push them up and down in the water this helps agitate them. Make sure you have towels set up prior to for laying them on, some place sunny is nice.Empty out the dirty water, and start rinsing your blind.

Shut down the evening blind so you will have enough string to open the day blind rinse that side then pinch up the pleats a bit and reverse it, pull the night side and rinse it good.

When you finish, take them out to your spot you set up to dry. Pinch up the night end of the blind, giving string to the day side, leave it this way until the day side is dry..make sure to set your pleats at this point...make sure each one is set pretty well.

Do the same to the other end until both sides are dry. I took 2 large rubber bands and put them around the entire shade just for a day or two to set my pleats...Done and smelling good!
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Filthy blinds
by: Anonymous

we recently purchased a 2002 motor home that came from a heavy smoker. Everything was covered with Nicotine brown.

I removed the blinds. Soaked them in Oxyclean in the tub, put them on a bench in the sun to dry while loosely pleated. They came out like new.
Also used a hand held carpet shampooer on the ceiling with same brown stains and Oxyclean. Again, came out like new with no residual smell left behind.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Spot cleaning pleated shades
by: Anonymous

when bought a gently used Rv and noticed that a couple of the shades had spots on them and one had some messed up pleates. To clean the spots, I first sprayed a little spot shot in a small bowl and used a a tip to pretreat. After about 5 minutes, I used another bowl of dawn dish soap and water with a tooth brush and went over the spots.

I blotted the blinds dry with a paper towel. I did not take the blinds down and the next morning, it had dried perfectly. No visual stains or water marks. I was careful on how much water/soap mixture I used on the blinds.

To correct a bad pleat, use a small hair flat iron at a low setting and repeat them. It worked out great also. Hope this helps someone.
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starstarstarstarstar 		Time to Make the Interior Sparkle
by: Love My Dolphin

After reading the comments on this page I have come to the conclusion it is time to bite the bullet, take a deep breath and tackle my prized day/night shades.

Someone left the window open, heavy rain and high wind blew it into the window. This blew all the rain mixed with the dust and grime from the screen into my shades. Made ugly brown and yellow stains.
Hoping Oxiclean and Tide will do the trick.

Thank you all in advance for the wonderful solutions to my issue.

SS
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		I cleaned my day/night shades
by: Anonymous

We bought a used motorhome with really dirty, stained day/night shades. I took them down and vacuumed them first. Then I sprayed the badly soiled areas and the strings with Oxiclean prewash spray. I soaked them really good.

I let them sit for about 15 minutes. Then, I ran some hot water in the bathtub and mixed in about a cup or maybe a cup and a half of oxiclean powder. Swished it around so it was dissolved. Put in a shade (just enough hot water to cover it well)and let it soak for 30 minutes or so. Then swished the shade back and forth in the water several times to remove any loose dirt.

Rinsed them well with clear warm water. Gathered them up with the pleats folded and laid on a big beach towel to air dry. They came out sparkling clean and good as new.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Cleaning day / night shadesi
by: Anonymous

I tried using a steam cleaning vacuum on a small area. Decided they were dirty on both sides so I took them down and literally scrubbed them with Tide & some oxiclean. I used a scrub brush on a table. Hosed them down well & layed them out to dry slightly. They turned out beautifully. No problem with the pleats. These were from an Airstream that was a 1997. I did thread a button through to where they fastened on so it wouldn't slip out of the fabric. Rethreading them is a nightmare. Good luck .
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		steam is not the way to go
by: Joe sullivan

Steam is not the way to go with this one. Steam cleaning is great and a terrific way to really get dirt out of a lot of things, however the steam does damage to the pleats in the blinds themselves. The pleats need the stiffness to work. Keeping them up or down seams to depend on the stiffness in the blind. Air works the best either vacuum or air blast from the air compressor. I like to use the air compressor first because it gets all the dirt and webs out of those hard to reach places, then use a vacuum to get the rest.

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