Graber Blinds Quote - Costco vs. Blinds/Drapery shop
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9 years ago
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laurarosenberg3
6 years agolaurarosenberg3
6 years agoRelated Discussions
Just washed my Silhouette blinds: how I saved $700.
Comments (98)Like others, just wanted to give everyone thanks for the ideas and to show my experience (based on everyone’s suggestions). Was always afraid of cleaning my HD’s as they appear so shear. Even though my HD Silhouettes have been up for just over 20 years now, I have been hesitant to professionally clean due to costs (over $1000 dollars estimated-was told it was this or spend over $6000 to replace). Given inspiration by this thread, I decided to do it myself and wanted to “payback” the thread with my experience. Given the cost of professional cleaning, I decided to DIY since it I messed up, I would replace with something else that was not so delicate (called HD and they would not sell “replacement” fabric so would have to replace all units). I could not use the bathtub method as many of my shades are too large (7ft W x 5ft L). Also, did not want to use sheets on the ground or swimming pool method as I did not wish to risk tearing/delaminating the shade vanes and it would have been tough to get to the center of the shades to clean and rinse. I did purchase then returned a cheap $39 inflatable pool but decided it was not worth the effort. Bissel was an option but some said it was messy and I didn’t want to risk dripping onto white/beige carpet if using when shades were still hung. Instead, I hung the shades up on a pergola in my backyard with some bungie cords and 1” nylon webbing with plastic buckles I bought on Amazon for $7. I rinsed the shades (first with the vanes in an open position, then again on each side with the vanes closed) to get rid of as much grime as I could using a variable spray garden nozzle (started with flat spray, and increased to a jet spray). I then sprayed each side (vanes closed) with about 1/2 ounce Dawn (as degreasing detergent) mixed with 1:2 Oxyclean/water in a spray bottle. This was followed by a thorough rinse on each side using the garden hose on jet spray to get rid of all the remaining grime and stains (started from the top, working out from the middle to ”eject” the dirt out to the sides). I followed up by using a leaf blower to dry the Silhouettes so I could immediately hang them back up. I already had a cheap one that I use to blow excess water out of molding/crevices and grill work when I clean my cars but a SunJoe electric leaf blower can be purchased on Amazon for as little as $19. Again, I started blow drying from the top, working my way out from the middle to the sides to expel all the water (and get any excess water out of the headrail and bottom rail). I found that this worked best first with the vanes closed, then a light going over with the vanes in the open position. Because the material (at least of the standard Silhouettes) is some form of polyester, the material dried very quickly, with no puckering nor delamination. A couple of observations. First, much to my surprise, the polyester material (at least on the standard) Silhouettes is not as delicate as I first thought. I can’t speak for any other brand or material, but the Hunter Douglas standard ones are very resilient, just don’t poke the shear material! You can be quite vigorous with the water pressure, much more so than I thought, to thoroughly clean and rinse the shades. They are a quality product (at least the ones I bought over 20 years ago, and the price I guess reflects that). Secondly, I would recommend leaving them in a “down” position with the vanes in an open position once you hang them back up to ensure they thoroughly dry. They will not pucker so you don’t need to roll them up as one person suggested as this may lead to the headrail components remaining wet and the shades not completely drying. From removal to reinstallation, I got it down to about 20 minutes per shade (had a lot of practice, lots of shades, lol). For those that were asking for photos: Before (right side before cleaning), after cleaning (on left) of two adjacent shades, left side started even worse than right side (see second photo) since left side window opens. After is back to original color #128 misty almond: Another before photo of the left side (pretty gross!) Hanging from pergola before cleaning: After cleaning: Variable spray hose attachment: Spray mixture and bottle: Summary: about $35 worth of equipment used (plus the cost of soap and water) vs. over $1000. Can’t imagine that the +$1000 method would have significantly better results. Anyway, sorry for the long post. Hope it helps someone, YMMV....See MoreFaux wood blinds vs real wood..???.
Comments (23)[Hi Bob. Thanks for the clarification. I'm more likely to listen to a professional painter's explanation of why Brand A paint is better than Brand X than I am to an explanation by a paid spokesman for Brand A, and the same thing goes when it comes to blinds. An independent voice with no vested interest in selling me something carries a lot more authority. Here's the cause of my misunderstanding: the link that you posted went straight to your blog's specific discussion of the real-vs-faux question & skipped the page--and I'm assuming there is such a page: if not, there ought to be--that explains that while you install blinds, that don't sell them, and that we can't order them from you. Maybe such a one-line disclaimer at the top of each secondary page would eliminate that uncertainty for people like me, who don't arrive via the main page of your blog, where that's probably all made clear. Please accept my apologies for the confusion, and my error in thinking that you were a manufacturers' rep. Actually, going by your comment today, it sounds like you & I are somewhat in a similar position, and that we offer similar sorts of service: that is, what we have to sell is not product, but expertise. Some decorators--including those shop-at-home people--offer "free" consultations, but that just means their actual costs (and, face it, none of us can afford to work for free) are hidden in jacked-up prices for the products they sell: in your case, blinds & curtains, in my case, those things as well as to-the-trade accent pieces & gussied-up throw pillows made out of discontinued fabric samples. I don't sell that stuff. All I've got to offer are my taste, my eye, my knowledge, my experience & my ability to put all the pieces together to help people create a good-looking room. Makes it much easier at inventory time. Likewise, it's probably easier for to to sell your expertise than it would be to always be dusting samples of different manufacturers' Venetian blinds. Best wishes for your own continued success. M.]...See MoreBlinds for windows? What to put on door?
Comments (18)Practigal, Sorry I did not see your link at first. Probably trying to read too fast. I took a look at your link and Graywing's link, and the idea of enclosed blinds is quite intriguing. I would have to see how they look in person and how well they would coordinate with my other blinds, not to mention finding out the cost. However, it probably won't work in my case, as the site only lists their product availability for full length or 1/2 length windows. We have ordered 3/4 lite windows, so one would be too long and the other too short. Thanks to both of you, though, for providing the links. Annztoo, I'd never heard of Luminettes. Not sure I totally understand them. Are they panels? I wonder how completely you could open up a window wall if they are? They are attractive, but I suspect they also will be quite spendy. I'm looking for not too expensive alternatives, as we are building our future retirement home and watching our budget very carefully. This is a modest (but I think very nice) build, and we haven't hesitated to choose less expensive finishes to keep costs down. Erinsean, I like the grommet top drapes, too, and didn't realize they're not in style anymore. Not that it would matter to me if I like them, which I do. We have some good sized windows facing the front, and I thought the blinds would provide a more cohesive and cleaner line from the outside than drapes. Also, I would like the drapes to be lined so that on the outside they would all be the same. That will add to the cost, as well. I have considered adding some grommet top drapes later to the blinds, but I need to be careful adding much fabric, as I have severe allergies/asthma. 2pups4me, What kind of blinds would you switch out your wood and faux wood blinds for? Wouldn't they present the same challenge to clean?...See MoreBlinds or curtains in guest room?
Comments (50)Love the navy curtains, and it looks good with the cushions, though I would definitely want at least one set of pillows/cases in a print, either navy/white or the gray/white Ikea bedding set, which would also work for me. Add a throw in navy, like this from Nautica at Nordstrom, and you're done, By the way, a cheap alternative to a window shade are the temporary paper shades (I think Redi-Shade is one brand) they sell for when you've just moved in. We have one shade that we've kept because it's not unattractive and the price was right (about $5). It stays up with a clip on each side. That might work for you under the curtain if you want to hide the view when guests come to stay....See Moreannaneve
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