Inspecting Fabric Blinds and Shades

No self respecting blind cleaner wants to see a honeycomb shade morph into a pleated shade on their drying rack!  If you want to make money in this business, learning to do careful pre-inspections is one skill that must be mastered.  Then you will be in a position to best evaluate whether your cleaning methods, knowledge and equipment allow you to profitably offer them one of your services as a solution to their need.  Taking on a job that isn't a good fit to your skill set or capabilities, or when the results won't meet their expectations, is to simply invite problems.

   Without a carefully executed thorough pre-inspection, you are apt to miss things that will come back to haunt you later.  For instance, sun rotted shades may look just fine on the window - just don't try to really touch or handle them.  Better to establish the existance of a problem and its cause with the client before you clean a blind, than to try to explain things later, when they are apt to blame your cleaning for the now much more obvious problem.   The first critical step, therefore, in successfully cleaning any type of blind or drapery is a qualifying pre-inspection.  Whether done during an earlier appointment to quote the job, or prior to setting up to do the actual cleaning, a careful inspection of every piece to be cleaned should be executed before any work is performed on the product.

   One of the first things that should be assessed in your inspection is the age of the shade.  The effects of time and aging have multiple implications, as we will discuss later in this article.  Have you asked the resident how old it is?  Is it subject to direct sunlight all day long?  A shade in a sunnier climate, like Florida, will likely have a shorter effective life than one in northern Canada.  With age, some fabrics change color, plastics discolor or become brittle, and other changes occur that all impact your ability to safely handle and clean the blind.

   Next, check the composition of the blind.  Is it a room darkening shade?  Is it a spun woven fabric composed of sythetic fibers, or does it contain natural fibers?  Some polyesters and other materials darken or change color over time when exposed to the sun.  Other fabrics may become brittle (sun rot, etc.) and disintegrate or tear when touched - even lightly.  If the shade is a room darkening fabric with metalic layers, if water soluable glues hold the layers together, or if ultrasonic cleaning is under consideration, then one is just inviting disaster.  If cotton or natural fibers are present, there are implications that must be considered in the cleaning process.  Browning due to slow drying, or an imbalanced pH after cleaning, can be avoided if one is knowledgeable in the proper techniques for the various fabrics.  Using dry cleaning solvents with an injection-extraction method may be the best alternative for some fabrics - when laminated layers which are water sensitive, or which are damaged by ultrasonics exist. 

   How is the fabric held together?  While the type of glues used by the fabricator may not always be known, sometimes you'll find clues.  Check the glue lines for evidence of pending failure.  Put a bit of stress on them near the top of the shade, and see if there are any signs of cell separations.  Some older glues brown as they crystalize with age, others don't.  Many honeycomb fabrics used by Hunter Douglas and other fabricators have a natural indicator built into the shade, because of this phenomenon.  The glue lines in these fabrics are clearly seen as two clear stripes down the side of new honeycomb fabrics.  As the shade ages and the glues dry out and crysalize, or are damaged by UV, the glue line color shifts to yellow, then amber and finally brown.  The color may vary from shade to shade, and even zone to zone within the same shade, depending upon how they are used.  Don't forget the back of the shade, near the top or the center, may be far worse than the front due to more direct sun exposure.  Cleaning an old shade with dried brittle glue can be a risky proposition at best.  As the glue absorbs water, its crystals break and the weakened adhesive fails, creating a pleated shade to finish drying.  Don’t get caught with any liability for attempting to clean shades that should be replaced.

   Is there any damage to the fabric?  Are their any tears in it due not just to sun rot or deterioration, but from abrasion to the fabric?  Check the back of Silhouette shades for holes from window levers or handles.  Are there any snags or slashes from the cat, kids, or the cleaning lady’s vain attempt to stick a vacuum into a cell chasing dead bugs?

   How is the shade operating?  Don't assume that it works, or that it works smoothly.  Better to point out a problem needing repair before you clean it, than to be surprised when you go to adjust the shade during or after cleaning.  If the shade operates with flat tapes (Easy Rise, Easy Lift etc.) or internal strings, can you assess whether or not they are about to fail or in good shape?  If it is driven by a cordless motor, does it operate smoothly throughout the full range of it's movement, or is it loose at the top, or harder to pull when nearly open?  Are cord loops showing signs of fraying where they are fused together?  On corded blinds are there strings that are flat, spiraling, or with fuzzy edges?  Check them in both open and closed positions.  Top-down bottom-up shades are used differently in each home.  Are the edges of the cord lock showing evidence of wear, such as grooves or channels from the cords?  On older Easy Rise shades, the flat tapes can degrade into fuzzy strands that may still operate, if the outer tapes are still holding together.

   How about the surfaces of the top and bottom rails of the blind?  Is the paint dull or oxidized, scratched, or otherwise compromised?  Are plastic end caps cracked or missing?  What about cord plugs or other plastic parts that may be split, become brittle, or go missing over time?   

  If you find a cleaning sticker from another company, or signs of water on the paper manufacturer’s tags, be cautious.  Were they cleaned before?  How?

  Finally, assess the prospective customer's expectations?  Are you reasonably confident that the outcome will be satisfactory to them?  It isn't worth the risk to your business risk to do the job, if they aren't likely to be happy with the work that was performed.

  When you've finished your inspection, review anything you've found that may be of concern or should be brought to the attention of the customer.  Only after you have established the existing conditions and what the extent of your liability will be (if any) should problems arise, should an agreement for providing services be signed.  If you overlook existing problems, they very easily can become your problems in the customer's eyes, and the solution won't be cheap.