Preserve the Beauty of Your Plantation Shutters
BWS Design • January 21, 2019

There are reasons people prefer plantation shutters over blinds. Cleaning is definitely one of them. No matter how clean we keep our homes, dust does accumulate. Regular dusting of your plantation shutters will help deter sticky buildup. When we forget to add them to our routine cleaning, we may find them dirtier than we expected with caked-on grease and dust. 

The Best Way to Clean Plantation Shutters

There are dusters that can help you keep the dust off your indoor, plantation shutters like the  round Swiffer  that you can bend and extend. Depending on what material your shutters are made, there are  different cleaning methods  to follow when there is more than just a little dust to wipe away.

Wood Shutters

As you may or may not know, water can warp wood, and harsh chemicals can ruin your wood shutters. To clean wood shutters, use a vacuum with a brush attachment, a dry dusting cloth, a soft-bristled, dusting brush, and a small brush that you can slightly dampen.

  1. Vacuum all the loose dust.
  2. Wipe each slat with your dusting cloth or dusting brush to remove any dirt that wasn’t vacuumed away.
  3. For noticeable dirty spots, use the small brush dry first to see if the spot(s) brushes away. If not, dampen your brush and gently scrub.
    1. Dry off immediately.

Polywood Shutters

If your synthetic shutters are not very dirty, simply follow the wood shutter cleaning directions. If they are quite filthy with noticeable dust and grime buildup, you can add water and/or cleaner.

  1. Vacuum away loose dust.
  2. Wipe with dusting cloth dampened with soapy water or window cleaner.
  3. Dry off after you clean to further remove loosened dust and grime.
  4. For those dirty spots, use a small, dampened brush to scrub away the dirt.
  5. Wipe dry.

Outdoor Shutters

You may be dealing with dirt and mold buildup on your outdoor shutters. A garden hose with a good spray nozzle or a pressure washer may remove most of the buildup. It might be a good idea to  include bleach into the water  to help clean away any mold. If the water spray doesn’t do all the work, you may also have to scrub or wipe them off with a brush or cloth. The worst part of dirty, outdoor shutters is when they are out of reach, and you have to use a ladder.

Staying Safe on Ladders

Picking a sturdy ladder for working outdoors is important for safety. If your ladder is not high enough to easily reach the shutters, you should consider buying a better-suited ladder as found on  Morning Chores . If you don’t want to invest in a new ladder, you may want to contact a rental business.

Businesses that Rent Equipment

Maybe you need to rent a ladder and a pressure washer to tackle the stuck on dirt stuck on your outdoor shutters.

  1. Home Depot offers  rentals  for almost anything do-it-yourselfers need from ladders to trucks.
  2. Your local Ace Hardware may offer rental equipment.

A Decorative Way to Reduce Indoor Dust

Certain plants have air filtering qualities that you may want to add into your home’s décor. There are plants known to reduce dust as found on  Hunker .

Understanding the All of the Beauty of Plantation Shutters

Cleaning plantation shutters are definitely easier than cleaning blinds, but there are other reasons shutters are appealing to many people as found on  Everyday Health . With routine dusting, you can keep your shutters looking new, and enjoy the additional benefits: “aesthetics, privacy, ventilation, durability, energy savings, child safety, furniture and carpet preservation, capital home improvement, and can be used as room dividers and cabinetry.”

At  Just Blinds, Inc. , we have been helping our customers, both homeowners and contractors, with the best in window treatments to add quality and beauty in homes and offices. Plantation shutters do add an extra beauty to any home or office, and  we are here  to answer any questions you may have.

Expert Advice by Just Blinds

May 29, 2025
Windows give a home warmth, light, and a view of the outside world. But with the right treatments, you can also use your windows to make your home feel cozy. Coziness is a semse of comfort and familiarity. It defines a charm that feels like home, whether it's the coziness of a warm room in winter, your movie den in the summer. When we think of coziness, we often think of couches, candles, and throw blankets. But your windows play an equally important part. After all, it's your window treatments that frame the light, add softness to your walls, and set the mood for every room. The right window decorations can make your home feel warm and inviting. Using Windows, Drapes, and Shades to Create Coziness  Window treatements create a vibe for your entire room. Drapes, shades, and shutters can be used to create a backdrop of texture, color, and style. They also allow you to control the light levels in your home and even the color of the light. This means that your windows are the best place to start when making a room feel cozy. Layering soft drapes in rich colors is a great way to add that sense of comfort and warmth to a room, while cheerful blinds in soft neutrals can help a room to feel relaxed and welcoming. You can also use drapes or blinds to add a splash of color as a bold accent in any room. These touches combined with glowing sunshine during the day create a cozy and comfortable space. Plants as Cozy Window Decor You can use other types of decor to evoke a sense of coziness, too. We particularly love plants. Leafy green plants love the sunshine as much as you do and thrive when placed in a sunny window. Place an elegant snake plant in the windowsill or hang creeping ivy from a hook near the top of a window frame to make your room feel cheerful and alive with green energy. Plants make a home feel natural and vibrantly lived-in which is perfect for your cozy vibe. For a cozy kitchen, you can even grow fresh herbs in a box on the windowsill that add a delicious aroma and tasty fresh seasoning along with their natural visual appeal. Enhance Your Space with Aromatherapy Speaking of aromatics, you might be surprised how much your windows can take part in cozy aromatherapy. Window treatments like drapes and blinds are fabric that can help purfumes and essential oils linger in the room for days. Cozy scents are often warm aromas like cinnamon, vanilla, lavender, almonds, and coffee. But fresh fruit or floral scents that smell like "home" to you can also add a sense of coziness to each room. Simply spritz your curtains with your favorite scents and each room will subtly carry that comforting smell of home that makes you want to snuggle into the couch and relax at the end of each day. Moody Shade and Maximizing Light When we visualize coziness, light levels often play a role. Your minds eye may see a sun-drenched cottage or a gently lit library as your mental idea of a room that is perfectly cozy. Window treatments allow you to set the mood by reducing or maximizing light to the perfect levels. Well-designed shades and drapes can pull back attractively to maximize light, bathing your room in the warm welcoming glow of sunshine. Or if you prefer a more relaxed coziness, you can use translucent drapes or cellular shades to filter the light exactly the right amount. Diffuse and reduced light filtered through fabric of a warm color can make you feel safe and at peace. Increase Your Happiness with Window Design Your home should feel welcoming, relaxing, and cozy. The right window treatments can help set the stage for a delightful welcome home each night, rejuvinating weekends, and an overall feeling of at-home coziness when you are relaxing in your favorite place. To achieve this goal, you can experiment with home decor changes, including your windows, to achieve your ideal at-home bliss. Contact us today for custom drapes and blinds to complete your cozy room design.
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