Shutters are a great way to let light into your home while still allowing you the control to direct the light wherever you need it to go, such as to the ceiling during the time of day when the light streams directly through the windows. This will allow you to continue to use your laptop and other devices that have screens comfortably without glare as well as keep your cooling costs down since the heat from the light will be redirected to the ceiling where it can easily disperse.

However, because your shutters are inevitably exposed to a lot of sunlight, there's a good chance that they are going to fade with time. This will cause them to look less aesthetically appealing. When this happens, you have two options. You can either replace the shutters entirely or you can restore them. Here are some tips if you choose to go with the latter option.

1. Use a Concentrated Cleaner

Find a concentrated cleaner that matches the material that your shutters are made out of. This will allow you to remove the chalky, white dust that might have built up on your shutters over time. This white, chalky substance is titanium dioxide that is released when your shutters degrade after being exposed to UV rays for an extended period of time. Follow the dilution instructions on the cleaner. Then, apply the concentrated cleaner to a rag and start rubbing the shutter vigorously. Rub in the direction of the grain if there is one. This should remove the chalky substance that is on the shutters.

If you find that the cleaner is not removing everything, reduce the amount of water that you are using to dilute the cleaner by one third. Keep doing this until the cleaner is satisfactorily removing the chalky substance. Be sure that you spot check the cleaner in an area of your shutter that is unnoticeable to make sure that it isn't staining it.

2. Scratch Your Shutters

After you have finished removing the obvious chalky substance, take your nail and gently scratch the shutters. If your nail leaves a white mark, this means that there is still some titanium dioxide left on the shutters and that you should keep scrubbing. Repeat this test each time you finish scrubbing until the mark that your nail produces is either very light or nonexistent.

For more information, talk to a company that specializes in shutters like Phoenix Window Fashions.

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