Cleaning and Caring for Roman Shades

With the holidays coming and the expectation of house guests, I am trying to spiff up our home with some additional cleaning tasks. In our kitchen, we have a corner of windows that overlooks the pool and the backyard. Twenty years ago, I had someone make Roman shades on each window. It dawned on me that I have never cleaned these shades. How embarrassing but please don’t judge!

In doing research on the care and keeping of Roman shades, apparently you are supposed to vacuum them monthly and have them professionally cleaned annually. Geez.

Assessing the Condition

Trying not to feel completely inadequate about my lack of care, my husband and I tackle this project. Since the shades are in the kitchen, I expect the fabric to be dirty and perhaps greasy. Yet, I don’t find either of those attributes. The shades are in the up position 99% of the time and are only lowered to block out the late afternoon sun during blistering summers. But the rest of the time, they seem to be more decorative than functional.

Also, any cooking is done at the opposite end of the kitchen, so the fabric looks clean and without spots or splatters. I am delighted and a bit surprised.

Even though the fabric is over 20 years old, I love the orange and lemon theme which seems appropriate for our historical home in Phoenix. We have an orchard with an abundance of these fruits and the colors go well with the Uba Tuba granite on the counters.

Removing Surface Dirt and Dust

Using a cordless, hand held Dyson vacuum cleaner with a mini motorized attachment, we remove whatever dust and dirt from each shade, both front and back. Even though we pull out the trusty Bissell Little Green multipurpose machine for a deeper clean, I don’t think we need it on the front of the shades.

Since four out of the 5 windows do open, the backs of the shades (a white liner) is a bit dirtier. Most of the dust vacuums up nicely, however, at some point in the future I will get a professional in to do a deeper cleaning.

While I am already up on the counter, I take this opportunity to wipe down all the window trim and get any cobwebs out of the ceiling corners using Clorox Disinfectant Wipes. Any disinfecting wipe will do and it’s good to have these on hand over the flu season too.

In addition, we wash and clean the windows, which always makes me happy.

Any spot cleaning is done at this time with a simple soap and water solution, but there really isn’t much to do.

The Dirty Cords

What is really in need of care and attention are the cords that raise and lower the shades. Made with white cording, they are very dirty after years of being touched and handled. Here is a photo of a dirty cord (heavily used) next to one that is rarely used.

Oxi-Clean is one of my go-to products to white just about anything. Making a solution of Oxi-Clean powder and hot water, I soak the cords for a few minutes. Using a small brush, I scrub the dirt out of the braiding and then rinse with clean water.

You can visibly see the dirty water from soaking just one cord. Pretty gross.

What a difference cleaning the cords makes! Now they blend into the painted window trim and look brand new. An added bonus is that the wooden pull is also clean and a lighter color.

This project takes a relatively small amount of time but with big results. Since the five sets of windows makes a big visual impact in the kitchen, this area now clean and sparkling. And I don’t feel so guilty about neglecting the Roman shades for all these years.

Happy Wednesday! Thanksgiving is just 8 days away. Will you be cooking? I am meal planning this week and gathering ingredients locally in anticipation of our mountain cabin turkey day.

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