Hello AT,
I've recently moved into an apartment where the wall is a nice clean white while the pvc vertical blinds are a yellowish/eggshell with years of dirt and smoke. Is there an easy/inexpensive way to get these things white? I've tried soaking in bleach but there was no difference.
Thanks. John.
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Gasoline and a match?
Try a little soft scrub.
I agree. priscilla got it right...I second the gasoline and a match idea.
Priscilla said it, and I agree
I wouldn't waste too much time cleaning them.....you can buy new veins or drapes..
You could buy that spray paint for plastic and spray them white- or any other color for that matter.
i wish i could burn them! i thought of replacing but being that the doorwall is so big the price is upwards of $100. unless someone knows where i can buy just the vanes to replace and not the fixture.
thanks
The problem is not that they're off-colour - it's that they're vertical blinds. change them with anything - a bamboo blind and cheap ikea curtains are an easy way to go.
My parents are finally replacing theirs with plantation shutters. Apropos of nothing, but I'm so excited I just had to post it.
Dishwashing liquid and a garden hose sounds legit to me.
You can buy veins for them at Home Depot. They come in a pack of 8 or something like that, so you are looking at at least 2 or 3 packs...I think they run around $20 each. And rather they actually have enough in stock is another story.
If your bathtub is long enough, you can try soaking it in a OxyClean & hot water solution and see if it will come up.
I know that veritical blinds are much hated, but I am glad I have them because it keeps the sunlight out (I am in California, my doors face south, it gets damn hot). I just hide under a simple white linen drapes.. I didn't even need to drill holes for the curtain rod, the brackets fitted right over the vertical blinds rod.
The absolute best thing for cleaning these wretched blinds is 409 commercial grade. It is messy, you just squirt and squirt, use a drop cloth...they come out perfectly clean.
I've had good luck with washing ours in the bathtub with warm water & all-purpose cleanser (same principal as dish soap/garden hose, I suppose) then using a Mr. Clean magic eraser on black marks. But gasoline + match sounds more fun (albeit more toxic.)
Save yourself all that trouble - just take them down and put them in a closet until you're ready to move out. Buy some inexpensive sheer shades at Ikea or Linens & Things or whatever you have nearby to add some softness and cover up your old brackets/bracket holes. You'll be so grateful you did!!
Get rid of them!!
throw them away. that'll learn em fer gettin filthy.
My house had them and I boxed them up for the next owner, should they want to put them up for some unfathomable reason.
The way to box them is to get a square box and roll them in a circular pattern like a flat firehose.