Massive, fithy, vertical blinds. Please tell me there's an easy way to clean them.

[NotAgainFrank]

They're about 2x3 meters, with narrow flappy bits (technical term) and revoltingly dirty. In the sitting room but it's open plan so share one space with the kitchen. How on earth do I clean them?

I envisage a full afternoon of scrubbing whilst balancing on teh windowsill...

can't you get something flat (spatula-like) and wrap a damp cloth around it and simply pull it along? Oh - verticle? Hmm - the other way - are they metal or fabric?

My vertical blinds unhook at the top and I put them in the bath to wash them.

Depends on what they are made of. Metal, you need to get a blind cleaner which is like a swab on a stick which you wet and swish up and down, cloth ones you take off and bung in the bath with bio powder and hot water.

Mine are made of a sort of stiffened fabric, take them all off, roll them up together and tuck into a pillowcase, wash on a gentle cycle and iron them on a cool setting to get them completely flat again before rehanging.

Urm, the blinds are horizontal (metal), what a prat I am!

Thanks for the replies to my totally misleading OP

Ah okay, well that's easier in some ways. Lift them off as one and plonk them in the bath, use shampoo and water and then dry them. Make sure you own them first though, otherwise you'll feel like a plank when you can't do it when they are not hung!

We had huge Venetian blinds in a house we rented once .They were exceedingly mucky so we;
1 closed them so that the slats were now almost vertical.
2.took them down and carried the whole ensemble outside
3 laid them on the grass
4 got a bucket of soapy water and a softish broom
5 set to with vigour :) Turned over and repeated
6 swilled the whole thing both sides with the hose
7 dripped dry on the line

But

When we had our own we...

...Chucked mucky ones( albeit plastic and smaller/cheaper) in the bin and bought new . My time is worth more than that.

Yep, take them down, put them in the bath and shower them.

They should be set on fire.

Not helpful, I know, but they've been in the rentals I've lived in and are neither use nor ornament.

If you put a couple of cups of soda crystals in the bath with them it will cut through any greasy grime with little elbow grease.

Ah right, well, we don't have a bath or anywhere to burn them and it'd cost 200 euros to replace them like for like.

A scrub down in the garden sounds like the best option. A fun way to spend an afternoon me thinks

Thanks all.

Do you have a paddling pool or could you borrow one?

Nah, not since DD put the cat in it. The bathroom's probably the best place actually, is a sort of wet room affair. Sounds way grander than it is, but anyway should work fine.

Can't believe I didn't think of taking them down to clean!

You don't have to. You can use a soapy cloth and a ladder. But it's very time consuming.

As whomovedmychocolate says, you can do them in situ with a ladder. Did mine recently with DH and we took turns to be on the the ladder or the one that passed the newly rinsed cloths from the sink. Close them shut one way and then the other ifyswim. Get someone to help if you choose this method. We used Flash and plenty changes of hot water.

I've got one of these - I wonder if they make a bigger version for bigger blinds?
Hosing it down in the garden does sound like more fun though!

This one does five blinds at once and only £3

I might ask a blind company eg Hilary's.Thanks for this.I waswondering how to clean mine

I just cleaned 7 of them in the garden.

take them down and lay them flat as if they are closed and given them a scrub, both sides - mine ended up rather grassy, and sometimes I have laid them on a big sheet...

hose them off - holding them up and lay out over a garden chair.

hang them back up when virtually dry, and give a quick wipe over with a tea towel or ecloth to get rid of any smears.

It's not as bad as you think especially on a hot day....and certainly beats wiping each runner separately!