When your Hunter Douglas silhouette shades and other types of window shades need cleaning, you can't always tell just by looking at them. However, your cleaning specialist will be able to spot right away if your shades need to be cleaned, and can use the appropriate steam cleaning and other tools to make your shades good as new again.

Here are some tips and tools to help you know if it's time to clean your window shades. Your cleaning services specialist will schedule a time to clean your shades and can clean other things in your home as well, such as your upholstery and other hard-to-clean surface materials.

Your shades smell musty or dusty

Lots of dust and debris accumulate in your window shades over time, especially if your shades are over an open window. If your Hunter Douglas silhouette shades look clean, give them a quick whiff. Hair, dander, dust, and other debris will leave your shades smelling dusty or musty. Kitchen and dining room shades may even smell like food or oil because of where they are.

Your shades look unevenly colored

There are a few reasons why your window shades might look unevenly colored, and one of them is filth in some areas. Your shades may be darker or duller up top where they gather since these are fine areas for dirt and stains to accumulate over time, and the bottoms of shades are likely to get debris and stains on them as well. This is especially true if the shades touch the ground.

Don't attempt to wash or treat your window shades on your own lest you risk damaging the materials and making them worse. Your cleaning specialist will use special steam cleaning and other tools to make your shades look great and more evenly colored again.

Your shades are in dirt-prone areas

Shades in child rooms, dining rooms, kitchens, and other dirt-prone areas can be more likely to get dirty than other shades in other parts of the house. You can schedule just your dirtiest shades to be cleaned, or have a regular time set aside to have all your Hunter Douglas silhouette shades and other types of shades treated at once.

Your window shades will last longer and look more beautiful if you have them treated regularly by a professional cleaning service. Continue regular maintenance of your shades by vacuuming or dusting them when you vacuum and shake out rugs in the home.