Maintaining Your Shutters

Wood vs. Vinyl

Don’t worry: vinyl shutters require very little maintenance. Unlike wooden shutters, they won’t crack, peel, or fade in the sun. They literally last for years! This makes vinyl shutters a great value. However, like everything else on the exterior of your home, shutters need regular cleaning to look their best. Let’s take a quick look at how to clean vinyl exterior shutters.

Cleaning

Let’s start with your cleaning solution. In a bucket, mix 4 parts water with 1 part strong dish detergent. Find a good scrubbing tool, like a large bristle brush. If you have hard-to-reach windows, consider using a mop with a long handle. If you need a ladder to reach upper-story windows, be careful not to extend your cleaning tool too far from the center of the ladder.
Now that you have your tools, you can get started. Set your garden hose to a jet-like setting and rinse your shutters down. This will knock off most of the dirt, making scrubbing easier.

Once your shutters are rinsed down, scrub them with the soapy water mixture. Scrub top to bottom, so the dirty mixture doesn’t run over clean areas. After you’ve scrubbed off all the dirt, rinse your shutters again. Make sure you wash away all the soap residue so your shutters look clean when they dry.

What Else is There?

Now that your shutters are installed and maintained it may be time to consider accessories. Click here to see what else you can do with your shutters.