Preparation

• Have cotton work gloves (or old cotton socks) for wiping the blinds--using your hands as cleaning applicators allows you closer access to the tight areas between the blinds than trying to insert a cloth or sponge. You also need a bucket and basic liquid detergent. To prepare your blinds for easy cleaning, open them so you have access to any accumulated debris. Extend the blinds so they are as low to the ground as possible to ensure you can reach the entire length, then lay an old towel underneath them to collect any water as the blinds dry. Fill your bucket with warm water and enough liquid detergent to form light suds.
  
  

Cleaning Method

• Put the gloves or cotton socks over your hands. Submerge them in the bucket of warm, sudsy water, then shake your hands gently above the bucket to ensure they are not dripping wet. Start at the top left portion of the blinds and place one of your hands on the back of the blinds and your other hand on the front. Drag your hands down slowly to loosen the debris on one vertical portion of the blinds. Return your hands to the top right portion and repeat the wiping process as before. To further wipe off the grime, place your hands on the front and back of the blinds, then wipe the blinds horizontally until you've wiped the entire surface. Use your suds-covered hands to wipe off the pull cords and any other dirty parts of the blinds.
  
  

Rinsing and Drying

• Position your covered hands underneath warm running water until no detergent suds remain on your gloves or socks. To rinse off your blinds, use your wet hand coverings to gently wipe the blinds in the same manner as you cleaned them: first wipe them vertically from the top down, then wipe them horizontally. This ensures you reach all the nooks and don't leave any detergent behind. Keep the blinds open and extended once you have rinsed them. Make sure the towel you laid down is positioned so it absorbs any water dripping from the blinds. Leave the blinds undisturbed until they are completely dry, then close and pull them up as you prefer. Examine your blinds weekly to see if they need to be cleaned.