While it may not feel like it yet, Spring is here. In fact, I most associate spring with opening day of Major League Baseball, which is today. Along with the arrival of spring comes the most common word associated with spring, cleaning.

Interior shutters are generally easier to clean than window blinds, shades, curtains, or drapes. We suggest swinging the shutters open, rotate the lovers to a full horizontal position, and wiping the louvers with a soft damp cloth free of dust. Don’t use furniture polish or other types of chemical cleaners that may leave a film on the surface.

Quality wood shutters with a professionally applied finish are often the easiest to clean. Many manufactures fail to sand the wood and/or the primer sufficiently to achieve a smooth finish. This rough surface will not only appear and feel unattractive, it will trap dust making it difficult to clean.

Both painted shutters and stained shutters should be consistently smooth. Patches that feel like sandpaper or wood defects immediately identify an inferior shutter.

Plantation shutters are generally easier to clean than traditional shutters because the louvers are wider, so there is more space between louvers.

Even through the most spring rose-colored lenses, cleaning is a dirty job.