How often should I clean my solar shades?

Do you have solar shades installed in your windows? If you do, you probably realize that they offer many benefits including providing privacy, protecting furnishings, artwork, and floors from UV exposure and the fading associated with it, as well as reducing heating and cooling costs by limiting heat gain and loss through the windows.

Solar shades, like all window treatments, need periodic maintenance to remove the buildup of soot, dust, dander and other pollutants that circulates in homes and offices even if the windows are rarely if ever opened. If by chance you live in Manhattan and do leave your windows open, a clear line of soot will form in a very short time and heavy accumulation will certainly occur that most often will cause some level of permanent discoloration.

To help avoid permanent discoloration it is best to remove the soot every 1-3 years. Some solar shade fabrics are more serviceable than others and will clean very well even if left unmaintained for 10 years while other fabrics will become permanently discolored in a much shorter time.

The best way to clean most solar shades, depending on the actual fabric, is to immerse them in long tubs and let them soak until the caked on soil loosens. Once the soils have loosened the fabric needs to be brushed and wiped down. Following the scrubbing and wipe down the shades must be repeatedly rinsed to make sure all the soil has been removed. If the shades are not properly rinsed any remaining soil will simply redeposit itself on the fabric leaving streaks or blotchy spots.

While immersion is certainly the best way to clean solar shades, especially heavily soiled ones, there are processes that can be used onsite to clean motorized shades. If motorized shades are routinely maintained they can remain looking great for a very long time. With the cost of hard wired motorization so high, it only makes sense to maintain the shades before they need replacement.