Shutters, also known as plantation shutters, are made from hard wood or wood-like materials.
Real Wood Shutters
1. Furniture Polish
Real wood shutters provide unparalleled beauty, and should be cleaned much in the same way as you would clean your wood furniture. Before you pull out the lemon pledge, take a close look. It’s important to know the material that makes up the visible parts of the window treatment. You might have real wood shutters, with real wood frames and louvers. If this is the case you can use the furniture polish on the entire window treatment but if it is not the case you need to use the furniture polish on only the real wood.
2.Dust Them
Sometimes cleaning shutters is as simple as dusting them. You can use a traditional feather duster or even just a clean dry cloth.
3. Dryer Sheet
You can actually run a dryer sheet over the louvers, and it will help prevent dust from sticking in the future. It’s a quick tip that can save you time down the road.
The other end of the spectrum is that your plantation window treatments could be made from faux wood.
Faux Wood Shutters
Faux wood shutters are like wood in appearance, and can even be made with the same kind of embossed irregularities and grain, but they are some kind of vinyl or plastic. This is no reason for concern or despair. Faux woods can add the same warmth and comfort as real wood, but they are more affordable, and can withstand extreme temperatures and temperature swings, including high humidity levels, better than real wood ones.
Real wood ones feel like real wood, and faux woods don’t! Check out the frame and the louvers. It is very possible that you have real wood frames with faux wood louvers for the insets.
1. Damp Cloth
Use a warm, damp cloth to clean your faux wood plantations. It’s that simple!
2. Vacuum Attachment
To get your faux wood plantations sparkling clean, use your vacuum’s brush attachment and gently slide it along the louvers.
3. Mild Detergent
If you need to spot clean your window treatments, use mild detergent and a slightly damp cloth. Make sure to wipe off the detergent when you’re finished.
