Cleaning venetian blinds

Metal, narrow, venetians in the kitchen. Probably not ideal to have there with steam, grease etc. Whats the best tricks to clean them please? Such a messy job.
Thanks MrsG

Remove them and hang them on your clothes line, with a couple of cords or straps.

Make up a solution of warm-hot sugar soap and with the blind tilted closed apply this to the blinds with a soft car brush, including to the cords and the components inside the headrail. Let the detergent soak in and 'work' for a few minutes and then softly brush them over again. This should remove all greasy deposits on the blinds.

Carefully tilt the blind the other way out to allow access to the areas previously overlapped. Repeat the above process.

Rinse off the detergent with a spray from the garden hose and then allow to dry and refit them.

DO NOT revert to scrubbing the blinds as this will buckle the slats. Let the sugar soap do the cleaning by itself. Trust me, I used to do this as a business.

Hi harm less,
I have some wooden ones, would your process work for them too? Thank you in advance.

Not recommended. Better to do them slat by slat with a damp cloth, with a little sugar soap in the water if the blind is greasy but either way go over the slats when dry with a good quality wood dressing oil like tung oil or a specialist product from a blind supplier. Fiddley but that's the reality of a natural product in direct sunlight I'm afraid.

ETA: Afterthought is that for the likes of the white painted wooden blinds the oil dressing probably isn't required.

I do mine slat by slat. Never thought to oil them afterwards so will do so next time they need a clean.

Thank you very much harm_less. That makes perfect sense and reminded me of seeing my dad tie them onto the clothesline and helping mum clean them. I wonder if they used sugar soap.
MrsG

Ah, wooden blinds! So classy, so chic, so... greasy? Yes, unfortunately, even the most elegant of window treatments can fall victim to the scourge of grease. Fear not, my dear reader, for I have braved the trenches of greasy wooden blinds and emerged victorious, armed with tips and tricks to help you reclaim your windows from the tyranny of grease.

First things first: let's assess the damage. Are your blinds merely lightly coated in grease, or are they practically dripping with the stuff? If it's the latter, you might want to consider a more heavy-duty approach, like hiring a professional cleaner or just burning the whole house down (I'm kidding... mostly). But for lighter grease build-up, there are a few simple steps you can take to get those blinds shining like new.

Step 1: Dust 'Em Off

Before you start scrubbing away at your blinds, you'll want to remove any loose dust or debris that might be clinging to them. You could use a feather duster, but where's the fun in that? Instead, try blowing on them like you're a big, bad wolf trying to blow down a house made of... well, wooden blinds. Bonus points if you make sound effects.

Step 2: Get Sudsy

Now it's time to break out the big guns. Fill a bucket with warm water and add some dish soap or vinegar (or both, if you're feeling wild and crazy). Dip a clean sponge or cloth into the sudsy water and start scrubbing away at your blinds, paying special attention to any areas that are particularly greasy. You might want to wear gloves for this part, unless you want your hands to smell like vinegar for the rest of the day.

Step 3: Rinse and Repeat

Once you've scrubbed your blinds to your heart's content, it's time to rinse them off. You can use a clean sponge or cloth dipped in plain water to wipe away any soap or vinegar residue. Then, take a step back and admire your handiwork. If there are still some stubborn greasy spots, you can repeat the process or try using a specialized wood cleaner.

Step 4: Dry 'Em Off
Finally, it's time to dry your blinds. You can use a clean towel or even a hair dryer (on a low, cool setting) to speed up the process. And voila! Your wooden blinds are now gleaming and grease-free.

Cleaning greasy wooden blinds might not be the most glamorous task, but it's a necessary one if you want to keep your windows looking their best. So roll up your sleeves, don your gloves, and get scrubbing. And if all else fails, just remember: there's always the option of burning the whole house down. Kidding... mostly.

Sugar soap is only required for greasy kitchen blinds, or with smoke residue from open fires or smokers. Otherwise just use a good detergent and if you want a great result use a wash & wax car detergent.

A good strong citrus cleaner in a spray bottle would be good also as the citrus easily breaks down the grease and fat. That's all I use for stove top.

Citrus based cleaners can be quite agressive and companies including Englefield advise against using them on their shower enclosures. Don't think I'd be game to chance ruining the finish on venetian blinds. Sugar soap is tried and true, and recommended for painted/powder coated surfaces.

Pulling the blinds up rather than using them to exclude UV from your home's interior sort of defeats the purpose of having them don't you think?

Your bedsheets won't need washing or wear out if you keep them in the cupboard too.