Ewwww - What Are Those Things Growing On Your Blinds?

When was the last time that you cleaned your blinds?  Was it yesterday?  Last week? Last month?  I’m willing to bet (with a fair degree of certainty) that you probably can’t even remember the last time that you cleaned your blinds.  Though it’s certainly not the end of the world, if is important that you clean your blinds at least once a month. 

If you neglect to clean your blinds you are opening yourself up to a whole world of problems:

• Bacterial and viral growth
  Blinds are not a very suitable location for bacterial growth due to their location and exposure to sunlight.  While that may keep most strains of bacteria from flourishing, some that are resilient to light exposure and high temperatures will begin to grow.  As well, many viruses will grow on the layer of dust as well.
  
  If left unattended, the dust collection on the blinds will eventually result in a large collection of bacterium and viruses.  If any of these can be spread via the air (or when the dust is displaced) it can also become a source of infection.  Avoid the whole dilemma by cleaning your blinds fairly regularly.  Remember, it will take some time for bacteria and viruses to set up camp, so it’s not like you need to disinfect your blinds on a daily basis.
  
  
• Mold
  Oh yeah, the same kind of stuff that can have serious health problems.  Mold is no joke- once you’ve got it you’re exposing yourself you a myriad of potential health concerns, respiratory problems, hearing impairments, and possibly even death.  Avoid this problem by getting rid of mold as soon as it starts to grow- a bleach/water solution isn’t always enough to kill it, so you should invest in some commercial mold killer (found at most hardware stores).
  
  Mold likes to grow in humid environments that are rich in food sources.  Your blinds will be a great spot because of the constant collection of dust, along with dead skin cells and other forms of munchables that the mold can feed off of.  Keeping your blinds clean will prevent the growth of mold.
  
  
• Foreign invasion
  If you don’t clean your blinds you are exposed to invasions from a number of different sources: terrorists, creepy crawlies, and even the Loch Ness monster!  Okay, so I’m going a bit overboard here, but the bottom line is that your windows are a source of airflow, and having dirty blinds allows bacterial, fungal, and viral growth to be directly in front of that airflow, sending the infectious invaders all over your house. Stay clean and stay healthy. 

Luckily, cleaning your blinds is actually quite simple.  After the initial clean/disinfection all you really need to do is dust them every couple of weeks and ensure that no layers of crud or slime build up on the blades.  This will save you from having to go back and spend a lot of time cleaning them later and will help reduce how much dust is floating around your home.