The Ultimate Guide to Cleaning Your Plantation Shutters

Cleaning your home is a daily practice, but you might not give your plantation shutters the attention they deserve. Don’t worry. Cleaning your custom shutters is an afterthought for many homeowners. However, it is time you gave your plantation shutters a proper cleaning and routine maintenance if you wish to get the life you expected when you installed them.

Plantation shutters are one of the most popular choices for interior shutters on the market today. These custom shutters include wide, operable louvers that instantly transform any room into an elegant space. To maintain the beauty and ensure the brightness of the plantation shutter’s finish, you must clean them regularly, whether you have vinyl shutters, wood shutters, exterior shutters, or another variety. In fact, doing so might even make you fall in love with your home all over again.

But before you grab your duster and rag, there are a few do’s and don’ts that you need to know about cleaning your plantation shutters. Each shutter has a cleaning process that works best for cleaning, depending on its material make-up. Clean your custom shutters wrong, and you might cause more harm than good. That is why the plantation shutter experts at Stanfield Shutter put together a guide to cleaning every type of shutter on the market.

Follow these shutter cleaning tips to ensure you are using the right cleaning products and avoiding any techniques that will damage your vinyl, wood, or engineered plantation shutters. Here is what you should know about cleaning your custom shutters.

Cleaning Engineered Wood Shutters and Faux Wood Shutters

Engineered and faux wood shutters have a wood-like appearance, but they are made of engineered material. Also known as composite shutters, these plantation shutters include a medium-density fiberboard design wrapped in a vinyl coating. Many homeowners opt for these plantation shutters because of their resistance to weather and humidity. They also look just as luxurious as real wood but come with a lower price tag and a decreased risk for future moisture problems. Another bonus to their appearance is their easy cleaning.

Follow these steps to easily-clean your engineered and faux wood shutters.

1. Use a Warm, Damp Cloth to Clean Your Faux Wood Shutters
2. Then with a soft dry cloth wipe dry the shutters, so that you leave no water spots behind.

Cleaning Basswood and Knotty Alder Shutters

Basswood, knotty alder, and various wood shutters are the gold standard of plantation shutters. These custom shutters are unbelievably light but still incredibly strong. Many homeowners enjoy choosing these wood shutters because they come in different types and sizes.

You can also stain or paint your wood shutters in any way you want. Overall, wood plantation shutters offer the highest degree of design versatility, durability, and strength possible. Unfortunately, one of the biggest problems with wood plantation shutters is the cleaning process.

Follow this quick and easy break-down to make it exactly that– quick and easy.

1. Dry dust your plantation shutters with a traditional duster.
2. Follow up with a vacuum brush attachment.
3. Wipe surfaces with a microfiber cloth and spray furniture polish.
4. Use a toothbrush and polish to remove dust from hard-to-reach spots.
5. Run a dryer sheet across your shutters for extra protection.

Caution: Do not use soap or water on plantation-style shutters.

Cleaning Vinyl Plantation Shutters

Vinyl shutters are a great addition to any home’s interior. In fact, many new homeowners opt for vinyl plantation shutters over-engineered and wood options. Like wood, vinyl shutters come in a wide selection of colors and textures. There are also many natural color options, including blacks, whites, reds, and more.

Another benefit of vinyl shutters is affordability. Vinyl shutters are also easier to maintain and work well in humid climates. However, when your vinyl shutters get too dirty, it is hard to clean the build-up. Follow these steps to make your vinyl shutters shine like new.

1. Dust them as you would wood shutters, with a traditional feather duster and vacuum, soft-brush attachment.
2. As needed, use a soft bristle brush to gently scrub the shutters with the same mild detergent used on the composite wood shutters.
3. Then with a slightly damp cloth wipe the shutter clean and wipe dry with a dry soft cloth to prevent water spots.

When Cleaning Your Shutters Isn’t Enough

Despite all of these cleaning solutions, sometimes plantation shutters lose their lust and shine. Luckily, Stanfield Shutter Company offers a limited lifetime warranty on all our products. You can browse our collection of all shutter types, including plantation shutters, wood shutters, vinyl shutters, and engineered.

Whatever you need, count on Stanfield Shutter Company. Our team will focus on getting you the best shutters for your home. No matter which option you choose, each of our shutters use the most advanced and proven methods to mill, assemble, finish, and install shutters. This includes custom shapes for arches, angles, circles, ovals, octagons, and square/rectangle shaped windows.

So, when cleaning just doesn’t cut it anymore, choose Stanfield. Contact us today to request a quote on our plantation shutter services.