Make sure your outdoor roller blinds last as long as possible with these handy tips.
Adding outdoor roller blinds to your home is a huge step.
It’s a big enough process without having to worry about extra costs to fix your blinds later down the track.
That’s why we’ve come up with this ‘how to’ of cleaning and maintaining your outdoor roller blinds.
Follow these simple steps and you’ll (hopefully) never need to spend your hard-earned cash repairing your investment.
Maintaining your outdoor roller blinds
Bella Bronze and Bella Crystal
Clear and tinted café blinds, such as the Bella Crystal and Bella Bronze from Australian Outdoor Living, are a great modern way of turning your outdoor area into a space that you can enjoy all year round.
They’ll protect you from the sun, wind and rain, all without blocking the view of your beautiful backyard.
Since they protect you, it’s only fair you put in the effort to protect them as well.
Taking steps to prolong the life of your café blinds will not only save you money in the long run, but it will also keep them looking their best.
Our first handy hint is to regularly wash your outdoor roller blinds with a sponge or chamois, as well as warm soapy water.
If you allow a build up of dust and dirt, your blinds could become scratched during the rolling process.
Avoid using anything abrasive to wipe your blinds – this could also result in scratching.
On top of this, ensure that your blinds are free of creases during the rolling process.
The easiest way to do this is by operating your blinds while they are warm.
Like all plastic, café style blinds are affected by changes in temperature.
They will expand and contract according to the heat of the day, and could become stiff if exposed to cooler temperatures.
If this occurs, it’s important to be careful when operating your blinds.
Don’t force the mechanism – be gentle.
Bella Vista and Bella Opaque
Shade blinds, such as the Bella Vista and Bella Opaque from Australian Outdoor Living, have the potential to transform your outdoor space into a year-round entertaining area.
As we outlined earlier, properly maintaining your outdoor blinds is important if you want to get the most out of them.
Since shade blinds are a lot harder to scratch, caring for them actually requires less effort than caring for café style blinds.
Despite this, they still need regular upkeep if you want them to last for a long time.
It’s important to mention that your blinds may have loose threads on them when they’re first installed.
This is normal – they’ll fall off eventually!
Wind them up or keep them down?
Our entire range of outdoor roller blinds is fitted with various operation systems that make winding your blinds up and down as easy as opening and closing a window.
But in which position should you keep your outdoor blinds?
There are times when it’s better to keep your blinds in a particular position to ensure safety and durability.
Outdoor roller blinds are designed to be extended, so it’s best to keep them in the lowered position as much as possible.
This will allow the material to maintain its shape.
It’s important to remember that your blinds may begin to lose some of their shape in the middle if they are kept too tight.
Simply loosen the tension to allow the blind to properly fill out.
Should your area experience heavy gusts or high winds, your blinds should instantly be rolled up.
Leaving your blinds down during extreme weather can cause damage to both the blinds and potentially even your home.
Our warranty won’t cover damage of this nature.
Most experienced outdoor blinds suppliers will not cover this under their warranty either.
One of the most important habits to get into is making sure your blinds are completely dry before rolling them up.
If moisture is caught in the rolled up material, the sun could filter through and heat it up, possibly causing irreparable damage.
This could also end up voiding the warranty, so make sure you thoroughly dry your blinds before rolling them up.
How to make your blinds last
Don’t leave foreign matter such as dirt, bird droppings or tree sap in contact with the material of the shade blind for an extended period of time.
Keep your blinds unsoiled by regularly cleaning both sides of the material using a soft cloth and water.
Here is our recommended cleaning process:
- Remove any particles on the shade blind material to avoid scratches when wiping with a cleaning cloth.
- Wipe gently with a soft fabric cloth using diluted warm water mixed with a water-based cleaning detergent. A good rule for this is one part detergent to ten parts water. Avoid hard scrubbing which may otherwise damage the surface of the material.
- Rinse completely with fresh water and wipe dry with a soft lint-free cloth or sponge.
- Allow to dry completely before rolling up.
It is also a good idea to occasionally hose your shade blinds with fresh cold water to keep them looking clean and crisp.
Be careful with the detergent you choose for your shade blinds.
Natural detergents work best.
Avoid non-diluted detergents, cleaning fluids, soap, insecticides, garden sprays, petrochemicals, solvents and bore water.
If you have tougher stains:
- Mix a weak concentration of household detergent with lukewarm water at the ratio of one part detergent to 20 parts water. Make sure you avoid detergents with solvents!
- Use a soft cloth or sponge to wash the fabric.
- Rinse off any residue with fresh cold water.
Regularly tending to your shade blinds ensures you’re getting the most out of the product.
Prolonged neglect of your blinds could potentially result in damage to your blinds material and may even shorten its lifespan.
With a regular wash, you’re ensuring years of trouble free protection from the sun and the weather.
Click here to find out how outdoor blinds can protect your outdoor furniture from damage.
Australian Outdoor Living is passionate about helping people love their life outdoors. We offer a range of products, including:
- Outdoor blinds
- Artificial grass
- Roller shutters
- Carports
- Timber decking
- Pergolas, verandah and patios
- Outdoor Kitchens
Have you been thinking about renovating your home? Fill out the free measure and quote form at the top of this article and a member of our dedicated sales team will be in touch.
