Brighten Yellowed Blinds With A Household Staple You Have On Hand

Aside from protecting your privacy and granting you heightened light control in your home, your blinds play an important role in your home's aesthetics. If they start showing signs of yellowing, your window treatments might be dating your home. When your once-crisp blinds assume an unattractive yellowish hue, they can come off as old and uncared for. However, just because your blinds have started yellowing doesn't mean you should cut your losses and install brand new ones. You can restore your plastic or vinyl blinds to their former glory with the help of a common household product that you likely have on hand: bleach spray.

While your blinds turning yellow can be frustrating, it's an issue many homeowners deal with at one point or another. The thing about blinds is that their purpose is to keep the sun out, so they're exposed to a lot of UV rays that cause the yellow tinge to form on their surface. All the dust and dirt inevitably accumulating on your blinds is another factor that encourages yellowing. And if there's any smoking in your home, the discoloration is basically guaranteed, as nicotine is known to leave a yellow residue on all kinds of surfaces, including your blinds. Luckily, applying bleach spray is one of the easiest ways to clean your blinds and reverse the yellowing.

Bleach is well-known for its brightening powers. Though it's not suited for every surface and should be used carefully, it's a useful cleaning agent that can restore the look of various dull, yellowed items around your home. To take advantage of its abilities for your yellowed blinds, look through your cleaning arsenal for a spray cleaner that contains bleach. Apply your bleach spray on a cloth and use it to wipe the yellow tinge off your blinds, one slat at a time. Be careful not to spray the product directly on the blinds, as it can make its way to your carpet and other nearby surfaces that you probably don't want bleached.

If the yellow color still isn't budging, you may need to try a more hands-on approach. Mix two to three cups of bleach into a bathtub filled with cold water. Then, take your blinds off the windows and submerge them in the bleach and water mixture. Make sure all parts of the blinds are equally covered in the solution for even cleaning. After letting them soak for at least 10 minutes, take your blinds out of the tub and wipe them with a clean towel before putting them back in place.

While you can't really stop them from yellowing over time, figuring out how often you need to clean your blinds and sticking to a regular maintenance schedule can keep them looking bright for longer. Giving them a quick wipe every week or two is a good rule of thumb. For blinds that see heavier wear, make sure to give them a more thorough cleaning every once in a while, as well.