Care & Cleaning Guide
How to clean shutters
This is a question we get asked a lot, so the simplest way to answer it is to show you how we clean our own shutters at home. Most of the time it takes a duster and a few minutes. Once in a while it takes a little more, and we worked out the best way to do that the hard way, over several years.
Watch First
Cleaning our shutters at home
David Browne walks through both jobs in under two minutes: the duster kit we use for everyday dust, and the solution we use when the shutters need more than a wipe. The video is captioned, so you can follow it with the sound off.
Everyday Care
If your shutters are just dusty
Most of the time it is only lightly settled dust on the louvres, and nothing more is needed than a microfibre duster.
We use a kit rather than a single duster, because different parts of a shutter suit different heads. Ours has a microfibre cloth, a furry duster head, a bigger furry head, which is our favourite of the lot, and an extending wand for anything above head height. The microfibre picks up a static charge as you work, so it lifts the dust and holds onto it rather than pushing it about.
The method
Start at the top. Work down the shutter, so anything you disturb falls onto louvres you have still to reach rather than onto ones you have just done.
Work along, not across. Run the duster the length of each louvre in long light strokes. The furry heads are soft enough to follow the shape of the louvre and get around it as you go.
Use the wand for height. Tall windows, stairwells and anything above head height are what the extending wand is for. It saves dragging a set of steps about, and it keeps you off them.
Finish the frames and panels. The stiles, rails and frames gather more dust than people expect. The flat microfibre cloth takes care of them in seconds.
Worth Knowing
Treat it as a quiet ritual rather than a chore and it stops feeling like work. Give yourself the time to get absorbed in it. A set of shutters that gets a light dusting now and then never needs the deeper clean at all.
The Deeper Clean
When a duster is not enough
Grease in a kitchen, insect marks in a sunny bay, fingerprints around a door: these need more than dusting, and how best to shift them without harming the finish taxed us for a few years.
The answer turned up while we were cleaning our windows. We had worked through the supermarket window sprays, and through methylated spirit and crumpled newspaper, and every one of them left streaks to some degree once the sun struck the glass. Then we came across Unger's Liquid, a pH-neutral window cleaning concentrate used by professional window cleaners for a low-foam, streak-free finish.
It is a concentrate, diluted at 1 part solution to 100 parts water, so a single bottle goes a very long way. Being pH-neutral, it rinses easily and is kind to skin, and that is exactly what makes it safe on a fine shutter finish. We tried it on our own shutters to see how they fared, and the marks simply glided away.
The method, step by step
Dust first. Always. Wiping a dusty shutter with a damp cloth turns dry dust into a smear you then have to work at.
Mix the solution and close the slats. Make it up at 1:100 in a bucket of water, then tilt the louvres closed so you have a flat run to work along.
Wring the cloth out well. This is the part that matters most. We do not soak our shutters the way we soak glass. Put a fresh cloth in the solution and wring it out until it is only just damp, never wet.
Wipe the panels and louvres. Give them a good wipe along the length of each louvre, then tilt the louvres the other way and do the second face.
Finish with a chamois leather. A good chamois takes off any remaining moisture and leaves the panels gleaming, exactly as it does on glass. Never leave a shutter to dry damp of its own accord.
By Material
Each material is a little different
The dusting is the same whatever your shutters are made of. It is the damp stage where the material matters. If you are not certain what yours are, check your paperwork or give us a call and we will tell you.
Wood
A soft damp cloth and a mild solution is perfect. Avoid harsh chemicals, which are not needed and typically do more harm than good. Dry immediately, because you do not want to leave timber louvres damp at all.
Composite and vinyl
These tolerate moisture far better, so you can be a little more vigorous with warm soapy water than you would ever be with wood. Even so, do not leave them soaking. It does them no good.
Aluminium
A gentle detergent brings these up beautifully, but avoid abrasive cleaners. Aluminium is water resistant so there is less to worry about, though it will smear if you skip the drying, so we still recommend it.
Please Avoid
Put the polish down
Go back to your grandparents' time and the smell of polish was a regular thing. It is a hard habit to shake, but shutters are one of the places it does not belong.
Avoid: furniture polish
Most interior shutters, timber ones included, are finished with a paint, lacquer or stain that needs no polish at all. Polish builds up, leaves streaks and makes the surface slightly tacky, which then attracts more dust than you started with. Used regularly it can damage the finish over time.
Avoid: harsh chemicals and abrasives
Bleach, solvents and scouring creams have no place near a shutter finish. A pH-neutral solution on a barely damp cloth lifts anything a household shutter is likely to collect.
Avoid: leaving them wet
Soaking a shutter, or letting it dry damp on its own, is the quickest way to shorten its life. Wring the cloth out, and dry as you go.
Moisture & Humidity
Bathrooms, kitchens and Scottish weather
Unless your shutters are a water-resistant material made for wet rooms, they will not enjoy getting wet. In Scotland humid rooms are common enough that this is worth a little attention. It is why we only ever advocate waterproof shutters in bathrooms.
Wipe condensation off as soon as it appears, whatever room the shutters are in. Leaving it there even for a short while shortens their life. Keep the air moving too: crack the window a little even in colder weather, and if your extractor fan runs off the light switch, leave the light on for five or ten minutes after you leave the room. In rooms with heavy condensation and poor ventilation, a dehumidifier earns its keep, and it keeps mould away as well.
Once a Year
Two small habits worth keeping
Vary the louvre angle
Your shutters are the first line of defence against UV, and over the years they take some of that themselves. Changing the angle of the louvres from time to time means the strongest light does not always land in exactly the same place. It is a small thing that helps a lot.
Check the hinges and moving parts
Shutters are made to move, so give the hinges a quick look once a year. If anything feels stiff, a light application of silicone spray on the metal parts keeps it sweet. Apply it sparingly and keep it off the louvres, where it can leave marks. Tighten any screws that have worked loose while you are there.
When to Call Us
If in doubt, leave it to us
Well looked after, your shutters will last for many years, but accidents happen. If the cat has taken some paint off, or someone has leaned too hard and broken a louvre, it is worth getting it sorted without too much delay rather than living with it.
If a mark will not lift, if a panel has stopped sitting square, or if you are simply not sure what your shutters are finished with, ask us before you try anything stronger. We would far rather take a look than put right a finish that has been cleaned with the wrong thing.
Have blinds as well as shutters? Cellular and Duette® blinds are cared for quite differently, and we have a separate guide for those: how to clean Duette and cellular blinds. If something is not working as it should rather than simply needing a clean, our aftercare team will pick it up from there.
Not sure how to tackle a mark?
Give us a call and we will talk it through before you start.
0800 086 2989This guidance reflects how we clean our own shutters and those we have fitted across Scotland, and is offered in good faith to help you look after yours. Finishes and materials vary from shutter to shutter, so test any damp cleaning on a small, out of the way spot first, and if you are ever unsure about your own, please check with us rather than risk it. We cannot accept responsibility for cleaning carried out at home, but we are always glad to help.
Our Five Year 'Perfect Fit' Promise
When you choose our family run business, you get the highest quality workmanship and a long lasting shutter or blind solution designed perfectly for you.
Accurately Measured
Precision survey by our trained specialists
Meticulously Fitted
Expert installation by our own team
Guaranteed for 5 Years
If you have a problem, we solve it
What Our Customers Say
"I don't often give out five stars, but this 5-star review is completely justified. Quick response, expert advice, great communication throughout, and a superb installation."
David Corbett
"The shutters and blinds are simply amazing and really dress each window so well, producing an outstanding finish to each room. The products are of such high quality and were installed with such care, attention and professionalism."
Julie Sangster, Portlethen
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