Mini blinds are a perfect choice for practically any décor and they can be used with, or without, other window treatments.  These alternative to the window shade are decorative, easy to use and can be purchased for as little or as much money as you want to spend.

These blinds have slats that can be opened or closed with the flick of a want.  The mechanism used to adjust the blinds can be a  simple chord, a chain or even an electronic remote control.  They will insure your privacy by keeping people from seeing in at night and will also block out sunlight during the day.  Not only that but they will add beauty and style to your décor.  Mini blinds come in  a wide range of styles and you can even make your own if you are creative!

You can buy mini blinds stock off the shelf in a variety of styles, sizes or colors.  If your needs are more specific, you can custom order them for a perfect match.  You can buy them with different width slats and in different materials.  You can raise or tilt the slats to let varying amounts of light and breezes into the room.

One popular style of mini blinds has two sheer layers of fabric, one on either side of the slats.  This serves to diffuse the light even when the slats are open.  If you want full light, you can still roll them up all the way and see right out the window.  Another variation of this has the slats laminated to a single layer of fabric and this acts more like a curtain than anything else.

Mini blinds come in a variety of materials, wood, vinyl, faux wood, aluminum.  The more you want to spend, the better looking the blinds will be.  Wood will give you that beautiful warm look and will come in a variety of stains as well as painted.  Vinyl is durable and will last forever and you can even get vinyl blinds in a faux wood style.  Aluminum is the most cost effective and comes in a huge range of colors.

Today, mini blinds are one of the most popular window treatment choices and there are so many different styles and materials it’s hard to decide on the perfect mini blind for your home.  Most people narrow it down to two types - wood or vinyl mini blinds.

Today’s mini blinds bear little resemblance to those of the 1970’s that were thin slatted and of low quality.  Today, blinds can be of very high quality and many homeowners choose to go with a blind that has 2” slats which gives your home the elegance and charm it deserves.

Mini blinds offer a variety of colors and woods.  You can get them painted or stained and the vinyl ones even come with embossing to make them resemble wood.  These blinds are a big decorator item today and they go wonderfully with most any decorating scheme.  You can find budget blinds and you can also order custom blinds that might blow your decorating budget but will look fabulous in your room.

But the question still remains, should you choose wood of vinyl mini blinds?

There is no right or wrong answer and it largely depends on where you will be installing them and your own preference.  Each type has it’s pros and cons.  The biggest difference you will find between the two is the material, of course, and the choices in color.  The wooden ones will typically be a lot more expensive then  the vinyl.

If your current windows are trimmed in stained wood, then you probably want to match your mini blinds to the color of the stain that you have.  A dark wood blind against light wood window moldings probably won’t look so good.  If you match your window treatments precisely you will create  nice warm look in the room that will look like a designer had a hand in it.  You can get blinds to match in both wood and vinyl.

Wooden blinds have an advantage with large windows, however, because they are lighter than the vinyl and if you have a double or triple window, you won’t have to worry about them bowing in the middle due to weight.  You can have either wood or vinyl custom cut to fit in any  size window.

One thing you will want to think about is the humidity in the room where you are installing the blinds and this could dictate whether you buy wood or vinyl mini blinds.  Wood blinds will not hold up well in an area that has a lot of humidity, so if you are installing them in a bathroom or beach house, you’ll probably want to opt for the vinyl.

Mini blinds come in many different materials, but perhaps the most sought after are wooden mini blinds.  The wood  gives a warm glow to the room and the natural materials really enhance many styles of décor.
Although they are the most expensive type of mini blind, wooden blinds are well worth it for their rich appeal.  You can buy them in different stains and wood grains and they can also be custom made to fit your particular windows perfectly.

But while they look great in your room, wood mini blinds have other advantages as well. Wood is a natural material and, therefore well suited to any home, you might be purchasing your blinds to look good from inside the room, but wood blinds will also look great from the outside!  Plus, wood is a great natural insulator so you will be helping to keep the cold out in the winter and the heat out in summer.

You have two choices of wood for your wooden mini blinds - ramin and bass.  Ramin is the least expensive but still many people prefer it over aluminum or vinyl. The bass wood blind is the better option for discriminating consumers because it has a better grain and can be stained to match any décor.  It is also a much stronger wood and will hold up better.

One thing to think about when buying wood blinds is that size of the slats.  Typically, you can buy 1” slats or 2” slats and the option is really up to you, but consider how each will look in your room before making your decision.  If you are looking for something wider, you might want to consider a plantation shutter which goes great with tropical or West Indies style décor.

Some other things to consider when buying wooden mini blinds includes the appearance of the blind, the light control offered with the blind and the privacy it affords.  Also, you want to try them out to see how easy they are to operate.  In addition, pay careful consideration to the wood stain or color you want as you want to be sure it matches your current window frames.

Wooden mini blinds are a great option for any window, but if the room is very humid such as the bathroom or even the kitchen vinyl mini blinds might work better.  Not only are they easy to clean, they are also resistant to fading from the sun and  will not warp like wood blinds might.

If you think that the vinyl blinds won’t be as nice as the wooden ones, then you might want to reconsider since they make them in very high quality designs today.  Wood tones and embossed prints can be just as beautiful as the wooden ones  but you also have many more options in color and design with vinyl.  You can also buy them in many different sizes to fit any window.

You can buy vinyl mini blinds in all price ranges but if you are on a budget you might consider some of the lightweight versions that you can purchase for as low as $5.99.   Make your decisions carefully however, since some of the lower end blinds can sag plus the cords are not made with as good quality materials so they might shred and the mechanisms have a higher chance of malfunctioning.  You might consider going with a little better quality and for double the price you can get blinds that will darken your room better , work better and be more durable.

If money is no object, you can choose from a wide array of vinyl blinds.  If you love the look of wood, you can buy faux wood blinds made of PVC or a hardwood and polymer composite.  These look just as nice as the wood blinds but are ideal for areas with high humidity. You can buy vertical or horizontal slat blinds and in a variety of slat sizes.

Installation of vinyl blinds is easy and all the parts usually come color coded so they look great even if you don’t use any other window treatments.  However, if you still like the soft look of a valance or a curtain these also go great with mini blinds and will allow you the look of a “finished” window along with the privacy and light blocking qualities of the mini blind.

Cleaning your vinyl mini blinds is easy!  Simply use a lambs wool duster to attract the dust off the blind or buy one of those ready made mini blind dusters that are made to sweep through several slats at one time.

Venetian blinds, while they may sound exotic are really just another name for mini blinds and are perhaps one of the oldest styles consisting of plastic slats that are quite economical but still make a nice covering for any window.  Like mini blinds, the Venetians come in many colors and are easy to install.

Perhaps one of the big drawbacks of these blinds is that they are rather difficult to clean.  Those thin strips of plastic that make up the slats seem to attract all kinds of dust and they are flimsy so bend when you try to clean them.  That included with the cord system which seems to always get tangled up is a big drawback.

However, if you are looking for a cheap solution for your windows, Venetian blinds can’t be beat and if you make sure they are hung properly then you will have less trouble with them getting tangled up.  It’s important that you hang them level so that the pulley system can function properly and equally important you close off the end caps of the brackets so the blinds don’t pop out of the window.

If you are going for a retro look, then the Venetian plastic style might do, but for a little more money you can get aluminum or vinyl blinds that will look better and wear better as well as collect less dirt and dust.

Today, you can find Venetian blinds in a variety of colors and you can even get cool metallics like silver and bronze.  There really is a wide variety of choices to suit any decorating theme.  No more boring blinds with these new choices - you can even go for neon if you want!

If your blinds are a bit outdated, you might consider adding a valance or some drapes to the window.  Blinds go great with any and all of these and a valance and some nice matching drapes can really add some zip to your décor.  Depending on the look you are going for in your room, a window with just blinds can be very bare and cold looking so think about getting some curtains in colors that match your decorating scheme and buy your blinds to match.

Venetian blinds are a mainstay in the window treatment world, but today’s blinds have more taste and style so you might feel your old Venetians are outdated and you are probably right.  Why not spring for some new blinds and bring your window into modern times?  You can get nice mini blinds inexpensively and they’ll make a huge different both to the inside and outside of your home.

Measuring mini blinds properly is critical to installing them successfully.  If you are buying custom blinds, in particular you’ll want to be sure you measure precisely as you may not be able to return them if you give out the wrong measurements.  Even buying stock blinds, you’ll want to be sure to get the right size to avoid having to make a trip back to the store to exchange them.

The first thing you need to decide is whether you want them mounted inside the window frame or outside it.  An inside mount fit’s the blinds right into the casing so they are inside the frame of the window. It will look more customized and has a nice modern look since you can see the entire window frame around it.  Unfortunately, not all window frames are made to accommodate and inside mount and you may have to mount it to the outside if you do not have at least 1” of  flat space on the frame to mount the brackets.  An outside mount will have the added benefit of blocking out more light.

For an inside mount you want to measure the distance between the inside frame at the top, bottom and middle.  Hopefully these will be the same measurement but if your window is warped you may have a problem getting the blind to fit.  Use the narrowest width for the width measurement of your blind.

To get the length, measure from the inside top of the window to the bottom sill.  You can add a little bit on if you want extra length on the blinds for some wiggle room, it will just roll up on the bottom if it is too long.

Measuring for mini blinds that have an outside mount is a bit different.  You want to find the right width to cover the window so you need to measure the window itself and then add anywhere from ¾” to 1 ½” on each side of the window (1 ½” to 3” total) to the width.  This way you can install the blind to cover the window space and then some allowing for maximum blockage of light.

The length is measured the same as for an inside mount, but in this case since it is on the outside you might choose to go past the sill of the window.  It is entirely up to you.

Measuring for mini blinds is a very important step in buying blinds as the measurements are critical to purchasing the right size blind for an easy install.

Mini blinds can be a great choice for window treatments and installing mini blinds is so easy that most anyone can do it themselves!  With the wide array of colors and options in mini blinds they will look great in almost any window, but one important thing you must thing about is where, exactly, you want to put them on the window.

You can install mini blinds either on the inside or outside of the window frame.  If you put them inside the frame, which most people do, they will have a more custom look.  If you put them outside, they will control light better.  The decision is up to you, but you must decide before you buy the blinds and measure accordingly so you can get them in the right width.

If you are mounting the blinds on the inside, figure out where the brackets will go - usually at the top of the window.  Keep in mind that at least 1” of flat surface is needed to attach the bracket to so if your frame is not that wide you may have to install it on the outside of the window directly to the wall.

If you are installing mini blinds outside the frame you want to measure the width of the window including the frame and then add 1 ½“ to each side.  This is necessary of your frame does not have at least 1” of flat space to hang the blinds inside the casing.

After you have measured properly and purchase the blinds you want to take the brackets and install them either inside the casing or outside a the top of the window.  If you are installing outside the frame, leave 1 ½” on either side of the window so the blind will be larger than the window, thus blocking out the most amount of light.  Screw the brackets in using 3 screws that came with them.

Slide the blind into the bracket with the wand on the left and the cord on the right, then secure the caps over the opening in the bracket.  Test the blinds out - they should work fine!

There, you have it, installing mini blinds is an easy and simple task but one that makes your windows look so much better!

Mini blinds are one of the most popular window treatment options and it’s no wonder with their wide array of colors, styles and prices.  What isn’t so popular, however is cleaning mini blinds which can be quite a chore considering that all those slats have a way of collecting dust and dirt.

In order to clean your window blinds properly, you should close the slats before you start to clean them.  You probably want to stick to a weekly schedule which will get any grime off their quickly before it gets a chance to become too unsightly.  Using a lambs wool duster is your best bet since the lambs wool material will attract the dust right off the blinds.

If you don’t have a lambs wool duster, then try cleaning mini blinds with a paintbrush (minus the paint, of course!).  This method will work well to reach between the slats, but it won’t attract the dust so you might find a lot of it on the floor beneath the blinds.  You can put something on the floor to catch it or simply vacuum up afterwards.

A couple of times a year, you might want to give your blinds a really thorough cleaning and you may want to take them down all together and clean them in the sink or bathtub.  If you do, be careful to dry the chords since you don’t want the water to deteriorate them.

Another option is to use an all purpose cleaner, like windex or Lysol in a spray bottle and spray the blinds.  If they are really grimey and greasy then let the cleaner soak in for a while.  Then wipe the blinds clean with paper towels or a soft cloth.  You can clean one side and then the other, but you might have to go back over the first side again if some of the dirt has dripped back on to it.

Some people simply use cotton gloves to clean their mini blinds.  Here you can use an old pair that can be purchased quite reasonably or even found laying around the house.  Just make a solution of cleaner and water then dip your gloved hands right in.  Run your fingers over the blinds and you’ll be able to reach all the cracks and crevices easily.

If you don’t have a lot of grime to scrub off and only minimal dust then using the vacuum cleaner for cleaning mini blinds is an easy option.  Use one of the hose attachments and simply close the blinds then vacuum.  Afterwards, try running a dryer sheet over the blinds to help repel dust for easier cleaning next time.