Blind Brite > Reviews > The Merchant for Venetians

Author's product rating:   

Value for Money	Reasonable
Effectiveness	Effective
Ease of Use	Satisfactory

Advantages:	Purpose designed
Disadvantages:	A bit fiddly

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

This is a boring but necessary review. Boring because you'd all much rather be reading about DVDs or perfumes; necessary because now the spring sunshine is streaming in, have you seen the state of your venetian blinds?

This is a purpose-designed gadget for a notoriously fiddly job. There are two parts to it: the brush and the anti-static fluid, so you get a twin-pronged attack on the wretched things. The brush looks like a huge, thin toothbrush with 6 "bristles". Each bristle rotates and is covered with a woolly yellow fibre (don't know what it is and the packet doesn't say). The fluid is in a 375ml spray bottle. Spray a little of the fluid on to the brush, then pull the trigger underneath the brush handle which pulls the bristles apart. Slide the bristles of the brush between the slats of the blind and release the trigger. The brush now has a grip on the blind and the fluid-soaked fibre is in close contact with the slats. Move the brush backwards and forwards along the slats to clean, the bristles rotate as you sweep. Pull the trigger to release the brush. The woolly yellow fibre will now be a dull grey colour but it is easily rinsed off, then left to dry. If it is really grubby you can pull the fibre fingers off the spokes and wash them in the washing machine.

So does it work? Yes, although not brilliantly. It has two main advantages. Firstly, with its six bristles you can clean five slats at a time so the job is done five times faster. Secondly, the anti-static spray means the slats are cleaned more efficiently and stay clean longer. As it says on the pack, venetian blinds are a magnet for dust. You can say that again. It's even worse when they are in a bathroom area where the steam acts as a kind of dust superglue. So a sensible combination of tool and cleaning medium. However, getting the brush latched on to the slats is not as easy as it looks. My first attempt took quite a bit of fiddling and I was ready to consign it to the cupboard of useless gadgets. But patience won, for once, and in fact I got the knack quite quickly. You have to hold the blind taut with your other hand, as the brush grips tightly and you risk bending the slats. And, of course, it doesn't magically work its way round the string controls which run down both sides of the blind, and the middle of wider ones.

But it's better than the alternatives. I've tried hoovering them with a suction attachment, but this doesn't remove the magnetically-charged, superglued dust, and anyway with the slats tilted closed you can't get at the bits that are covered. Washing them in the bath is recommended but that is a major undertaking and how do you get them dry? And what about the soap and water in the controls? And I'm worried about scratching my bath. That leaves a cleaning cloth, slat by slat, section by section, so this solution is a definite step forward.

It is not just a one-purpose wonder - the brush and spray do not need to be used in tandem. The brush can be used simply as a duster if your blinds are fairly clean, or on any slatted or louvred arrangement such as ventilators or cupboard doors. Equally the spray can be applied to any surface where static attracts dust, such as TVs.

There is no list of contents on the bottle, but it seems fairly benign and reassuringly lacking in large exclamation marks or capital letters. Rubber gloves are not required.

It costs £6.95 from Scotts of Stow and £7.95 from Lakeland, both of which have catalogues and on-line stores, and Lakeland now has a number of high street shops. You can't buy the brush and spray separately, but you only need a little at a time, and presumably there are other anti-static sprays available.

So, ladies and gentlemen, it's spring. You know you want to. Go clean your blinds!