How to clean blinds: roller, vertical, Venetian, Roman, wooden and day & night

To clean a blind, vacuum it with the soft brush attachment every week or two so dust never builds up, and deal with marks using a cloth wrung out in warm water with a drop of washing-up liquid, then dry it. That covers nine blinds out of ten. The exceptions are real wood, which must stay dry, and fabric Roman blinds, which are dusted rather than wiped. The rest of this guide is the detail by type, plus the three problems people ask us about most: mould, yellowing and a roller that will not roll.

By type of blind

Mould on blinds

Mould grows where condensation sits on the fabric overnight, which means bathrooms, kitchens and bedrooms with the window shut. Wipe the spots with a cloth and a mild detergent or a diluted white-vinegar solution, dry the blind fully and leave it raised until the glass is dry. Then fix the cause: a slightly open trickle vent, the blind fitted a little proud of the glass so air can move behind it, and in a bathroom a waterproof material in the first place, which is why we specify aluminium Venetians, PVC rollers or PVC shutters there. A fabric blind that has gone mouldy through to the back is usually cheaper to re-fabric than to keep treating.

Yellowing and fading

Sun yellows white fabrics and bleaches colours over years, and there is no cleaning that reverses it, because the change is in the fibre. The fix is to replace the fabric, not the blind: a roller mechanism takes a new fabric, and a vertical headrail takes new louvres, so the cost is a fraction of a new blind. Our stains and paints on wooden blinds are UV-stable, and faux-wood is colour-fast all the way through.

My roller blind will not roll up

• Spring roller: the spring has lost tension. Pull the blind halfway down, lift the pin end out of its bracket, roll the fabric up by hand to the top and drop it back in. One or two goes usually restores it.
• Chain roller: check the chain is seated in the clutch and that the child-safety tidy on the wall has not been screwed so tight that it locks the chain. If the clutch slips under load, the clutch has worn and is replaceable.
• Fabric creeping to one side: the bracket is not level or the fabric has been rolled unevenly. Unroll fully and re-roll straight; if it persists, the bracket needs re-fixing.
• If the blind is within its first year with us, call: the 12-month warranty covers the mechanism.

Vertical blind slats: replace, do not replace the blind

If the headrail still draws and tilts, keep it. New louvres are made to your exact drop in any fabric we stock, in 89 mm or 127 mm widths, and arrive with weights and chains ready to hang. Measure the width of one slat and its full drop including the weight, or bring a slat to the showroom and we will match it.

Fix or replace?

Fix when the fault is a chain, a clutch, a bracket, a spring or a single louvre: all are cheap parts. Replace when the fabric has failed across the whole blind, when a Roman blind lining has shrunk or marked, or when a real-wood blind has warped. If you are not sure, send us a photo and we will tell you which.

Replacement vertical slats →keep the headrail and refresh the look.

Facts checked 4 November 2026. Prices and lead times are those published on this site at that date; the quote you receive on your visit is the one that counts.