Window slats are dust magnets, and you don't want all of that grime to fall onto your windows. You can give aluminum or vinyl blinds a bath. First check that it's safe to submerge them or follow these easy (enough) Good Housekeeping steps:
* Lower your blinds all the way and close the slats.
* Grip the bottom rail, and wipe slats from side to side with a cloth dampened in a mild detergent solution. Rinse the same way with a clean damp cloth. Reverse the slats, then stand behind each blind. Angle it out in front of you and repeat wiping. Open the slats and allow to dry.
For even faster results, just "dust" them with the soft-brush attachment of your vacuum cleaner. Or try Swiffer's 360 Dusters ($4.29), which you can pass between the open slats to clean both sides at once.
To keep blinds cleaner longer, wipe them with a new fabric softener sheet to help repel dust.
Now that your blinds are clean, you're ready to tackle the windows. Put away the ladder and try these fixes:
The challenge: Dirty sills and frames.
The solution: Before going at the glass with the cleaner, pull back the blinds or curtains and open the window. Inspect the sill, frame and tracks for obvious crud and cobwebs. Sweep out debris using the small-handled brush that comes with your dustpan. (Skip this step, and you risk a mess later because the loose dirt can stick to your wiping towel and smear the glass.)
The challenge: Dusty, grimy screens.
The solution: If you leave your screens in year-round, give them a once-over now. Otherwise, all that dried-on dirt may blow into your house when you open the windows for ventilation.
The good news: You don't need to take down the screens and hose them off. Just run your vacuum with its dusting-brush attachment over the side that faces in. (Side to side, top to bottom is the speediest method.)
* On another matter: A pool alarm can alert you before an accident turns fatal. The Good Housekeeping Research Institute tested seven pool alarms (they tell you when the water is disturbed) and six gates (installed around your pool, they sound when the gate is opened).
The gates all passed, but only four alarms did: MC International Sensor Espio ($699), RJE Technologies AquaGuard ($495), MG International Swim Alert ($299) and Poolguard PGRM-2 ($260). The remaining three gave false alarms and didn't always register water disturbance: SmartPool PE22 ($180-$200), Driven Designers Pool Patrol PA-30 ($200) and Allweather Pool S.O.S. ($58).
