Winter Care for Your Shutters Uncategorized 10.01.2024 As the winter season draws in, bringing colder temperatures and harsher weather, it’s essential to pay extra attention to the maintenance of your home’s features – including your shutters. At Aspiration Blinds, we understand that shutters aren’t just accessories; they are investments in the comfort, privacy, and aesthetic appeal of your Bolton home or anywhere across the North West. That’s why we’re committed to helping you protect and maintain them through every season. In this blog post, we’ll share valuable tips on caring for various types of shutters during winter – from full-length grandeur to the charming café style. Whether you’ve adorned bay windows, incorporated track systems, opted for special shapes, selected solid shutters for their timeless appeal, enhanced your conservatory, or enjoyed the versatility of tier on tier shutters, we have your winter care covered. Full-Length Shutters Full-length shutters are a stunning feature in any home, offering unparalleled privacy and insulation. During winter, it’s vital to ensure they are clean and free from moisture that can lead to warping or mould. Regularly wipe down your shutters with a dry cloth and if needed, a small amount of water mixed with gentle soap to remove any residue or buildup. Bay Window Shutters Bay windows are architectural highlights of many North West homes, often fitted with bespoke shutters. The key to maintaining bay window shutters in winter is to prevent condensation that can damage the window sill and shutter frame. Ensure your room is well-ventilated and that the shutters are occasionally opened to allow air flow. Track Systems For large windows or doors, track system shutters offer graceful functionality. In winter, it’s crucial to keep the track clean from debris that can accumulate more quickly. A soft brush attachment on your vacuum cleaner can be perfect for this task, ensuring smooth operation all season long. Special Shapes Special shape shutters are bespoke to your unique window styles. These require a gentle touch when cleaning – use a soft duster to maintain their unique angles and curves, protecting the integrity of their design during the chilly months. Solid Shutters Solid shutters provide excellent insulation, which is particularly beneficial in winter. To maintain their strength, keep the moving parts lightly lubricated (with a suitable silicone spray) and the wood treated with a quality wood conditioner to prevent drying and cracking. Conservatory Shutters Your conservatory can be a cosy retreat in winter with the right care for your shutters. Make sure that any accumulated moisture from increased heating is wiped away regularly from your conservatory shutters to protect their finish and functionality. Café Style Shutters Café style shutters offer a combination of privacy and natural light, ideal for less extreme winter weather. They typically cover just the bottom part of your windows, so ensure that the exposed window areas are also well-insulated to maintain a warm and comfortable living space. Tier on Tier Shutters Tier on tier shutters give you control over light and privacy. In winter, they can help insulate your home by allowing you to close the bottom tier for privacy and insulation, while potentially leaving the top tier open to let light in during the shorter days. Benefits of Shutters Absolute Light Control Operating a tilt rod or shutter louvre (Silent Tilt option) you can control the dynamics of each shutter panel to suit the light conditions outside. A remote control option is also available as an upgrade, enabling multiple shutter panels to be adjusted in one easy action. Remote controlled shutters are perfect for difficult to reach windows, or large window spans. Ultimate Privacy We all are entitled to our own privacy, especially in our own home. The beauty of shutters is their ability to provide total or partial privacy. It’s up to you. Our design consultant will discuss with you the options suitable for your insulation and your criteria. However, a popular option is to split shutter panels up using a horizontal shutter privacy bar (mid-rail). This effectively splits the control options of your shutter panels creating two sets of louvres that can be operated individually. Privacy Bars are perfect for street facing or on-street windows where you may experience a higher pedestrian footfall. Eye-level shutter panel louvres can be closed to prevent nosey neighbours whilst the upper shutter panel louvres can be left open, to maximise the natural light levels into your room. Fantastic Insulation Insulating and thermally dynamic timber shutters are the most effective option of the entire traditional window furnishing solutions, reducing heat loss by 51%. This is an astonishing figure and indicates why in times when efficiency is the future, many households are now choosing shutters instead of curtains. Guaranteed Quality Aspiration Blind’s shutters are manufactured to the highest quality standards by the World’s largest shutter manufacturing facility. Our shutters are engineered to last and finished to perfection and this is why we offer a 3 Year Guarantee on all our shutter panels. Low Maintenance Easy to clean and easy to maintain, our shutters offer the best of both worlds. Unlike curtains they do not need to be machine washed and because of their high quality finish and durable louvres they are easy to clean and dust. Simply follow our simple maintenance instructions to ensure your shutters are always looking fantastic. Here at Aspiration Blinds, with over 10 years of expertise crafting and installing the finest blind and shutter technology, we offer our services for indoor or outdoor projects on both commercial and private locations. If you need any guidance on our products and systems, or would like to book a free home appointment, please don’t hesitate to contact us today!