How to clean plantation shutters

Make Your Atlanta Plantation Shutters Look New Again

Plantation shutters are a gorgeous and popular option for Georgia interior and exterior windows. They are easy to use, effective at blocking sunlight, and much more efficient than traditional blinds with strings and attachments that break easily. Plantation shutters are the perfect window treatment in many homes – except when it comes time to clean them. Removing dirt and dust from the separated slats can be tricky and time-consuming. Luckily, there is an established way to clean plantation shutters of all materials for the simplest, fastest, and best-looking finished product.

How to clean plantation shutters

Cleaning Wooden Shutters

If you have wooden plantation shutters, keep the cleaning process as dry and natural as possible. Using harsh cleaning chemicals can harm the wood or ruin the paint on the wooden surface. Here is what to do:

  1. Use a vacuum’s brush attachment to run over the shutters. The vacuum picks up most of the dirt and dust from the surface of the shutters.
     
  2. Take a small dusting brush or dusting cloth and clean small spaces the vacuum could not reach. Pick up any dust and dirt particles the vacuum missed.
     
  3. If you notice marks or dirt on the surface of the shutters that the vacuum and dry cloth/brush could not remove, use a slightly damp small brush, such as a toothbrush, to scrub the dirty area. Wet the brush with water or a mild cleaning solution. Gently scrub the area until clean.
     
  4. Dry the wet area as soon as possible to prevent water damage or wood warping.
     
  5. For an extra sheen, use wood polish, such as Pledge spray, and wipe down your plantation shutters.
     

Enjoy your clean shutters! Wooden shutters are a bit more work than other materials, but they are a beautiful and durable way to keep your home cool and comfortable.

Cleaning Polywood Shutters

Some plantation shutters are made with polywood, a synthetic material made to look like wood. If necessary, you can use harsher chemicals on polywood shutters. The material will not damage as easily as real wood would. Start with the same dry-cleaning methods as the wooden shutters – the vacuum brush attachment, dusting cloth/brush, and small brush. If you see marks, stains, or dirt that cannot be cleaned or removed with dry methods, use cleaning solutions and a scrubber. A mild grease-cutting dish soap and warm water mixture is often effective for polywood or vinyl shutters.

Cleaning Exterior Shutters

Exterior shutters can be difficult to reach. Safely use a ladder (with someone supervising) or step stool to reach higher shutters. Begin by pressure washing your exterior blinds to remove most of the built-up dirt and debris. Get a brush or cloth and a bucket with a cleaning solution. The soap and water mixture for polywood shutters should work well. You may want to mix in bleach or use a bleach cleaner to remove mold, mildew, and stubborn stains. Scrub shutters clean with the brush/cloth and cleaning solution of your choice.

Cleaning your plantation shutters regularly will make the process easier each time. If you have any questions or concerns regarding your shutters, don’t hesitate to contact Atlanta’s window treatment experts, Peachtree Blinds.

Atlanta plantation shutters, cleaning plantation shutters

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