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How to Clean Shade Fabrics - Care & Maintenance

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This article will cover the following care and maintenance of:  

A. Roller Shades  

B. Honeycomb Shades  

C. Horizontal Sheer Blinds  

D. Wood Blinds 

 

A. Roller Shades  

Lutron roller shade fabrics are manufactured, and process treated for extra strength to prevent wear. Lutron roller shade fabrics are not easily damaged and require only light maintenance to keep them dust and dirt free.  

  • Fabrics can be periodically dusted using a feather duster or vacuum with a soft brush attachment.  

Staining of Lutron roller shade fabrics: 

  • Most fabrics may be cleaned with a mild detergent* and water applied with a soft cloth.  

  • Follow this with a thorough rinsing of clean water and allow the shade to air dry in an unrolled position. 

  • There are numerous restorative vinyl cleaners on the market that can clean and revitalize vinyl and PVC coated sheer weave fabrics, if desired.   

*Any mild cleaning product should be tested on a small, inconspicuous area prior to broad application on the shade. Memo sized fabric samples are available to order through LutronFabrics.com for testing purposes.  

Special instructions for roller shade fabrics: 

  • Acrylic-Backed Blackout Fabrics 

  • Do not spot clean or apply liquid of any kind to the backside of acrylic-backed blackout fabrics. Acrylic backing must be kept dry.  

  • Coated Screen materials 

  • Do not use solvents or any abrasive substances which might damage the coating, including hydrocarbon-based cleaners: e.g., mineral spirits, paint solvents  

  • Avoid strong cleaners and disinfectants, especially those containing quaternary ammonium compounds or phenols.  

  • Metalized Back materials  

  • All metalized coated fabrics must be handled with care to avoid damage. Use only a hand duster, cool compressed air, or low-suction vacuum on the metalized side of the fabric.  

  • Fabric-Wrapped Fascia 

  • Lutron Fabric-Wrapped fascia requires only light maintenance to stay dust and dirt free. Fascia fabric can be periodically dusted using a feather duster or vacuum with a soft brush attachment.  

B. Honeycomb Shades  

Lutron Honeycomb shade fabrics are designed to be dirt and dust resistant.  

  • Shades may be routinely cleaned with a feather duster or gently vacuumed with a soft brush attachment.  

Staining of Lutron Honeycomb shade fabrics: 

  • Fabrics may be spot cleaned with a mild detergent and water using a soft cloth.  

  • Gently blot stains or spots and avoid rubbing motions that may crease or damage the fabric.  

  • Gently blot the area with clean water to rinse any detergent residue.  

  • Allow shade to dry completely in the lowered position.  

Dry cleaning or Ultrasonic cleaning IS NOT recommended.  

 

C. Horizontal Sheer Blinds  

Lutron Horizontal Sheer Blinds are made of 100% polyester, making them inherently durable and resilient.  

  • To avoid wrinkling the fabric, particularly where the vanes meet the facing, regular light dusting with a feather duster is the only cleaning needed in most circumstances.  

  • For more thorough dust removal, use a low-suction handheld vacuum or gently blown cool, compressed air.  

  • DO NOT spot clean.  

Special instructions for fabric-wrapped fascia on Horizontal Sheer Blinds:  

Staining of fabric-wrapped fascia: 

  • Fabric-wrapped fascia may be spot-cleaned with a mild detergent and water using a soft cloth.  

  • Gently blot stains or spots and avoid rubbing motions that may crease or damage the fabric.  

  • Gently blot the treated area with clean water to rinse any detergent residue.  

  • Allow the fabric to dry completely.  

 

D. Wood Blinds  

Lutron wood blind slats can be:  

  • Routinely cleaned using a soft feather duster. 

  • Or gently vacuumed with a soft brush attachment.  

  • A soft cloth or blind duster may also be used to dust the slats.  

Tilt slats fully closed in both directions to gain access for dusting to both sides of the slat material.  

 

DO NOT use cleansers or furniture polish as they may damage the slats.  

  • Try not to get your wood blinds wet when washing windows with spray cleaners.  

  • Protect wood and aluminum blinds from rain or moist environments.  

If stained wood slats become accidentally scratched, touch-up wood stain markers for furniture may be used to conceal the damage. Test the markers on a bare piece of wood to determine the best match.  

Special instructions for decorative tapes: 

  • Decorative fabric tapes may be routinely dusted or vacuumed with a soft brush attachment.  

  • Fabric tapes may be spot cleaned using clean water and a mild detergent.  

  • DO NOT rub the fabric tapes but blot them to avoid damaging the fabric.  

  • Blot-rinse with clean water to rinse away any detergent residue.  

  • Allow fabric taped to dry with the blind in the lowered position and the slats titled to an open/horizontal position.