Plantation shutters are dust magnets — flat louvres collect more than horizontal blinds. The good news: 95% of cleaning is dry dusting. The bad news: we still get calls about ruined finishes from people using kitchen sprays and 'multi-surface' wipes. Here's the right way, by material.
MDF (Antigua) — dry only
The wrapped polypropylene finish is sealed against humidity, not against solvents. Dry microfibre cloth or vacuum with a soft brush head. Once a year, a barely-damp lint-free cloth with plain water is fine. Never use Mr Sheen, Pledge, Method, or any "multi-surface" spray — the carrier solvents eat the surface coating.
Hardwood — gentle and infrequent
Real wood shutters take a damp microfibre easily, but follow the grain. Avoid silicone-based polishes — they leave a film that yellows under UV. Once a year, a beeswax-based wood feed on stained finishes brings them back. Painted hardwood: same rules as MDF.
ABS waterproof — anything goes
The only material you can genuinely scrub. ABS handles bathroom cleaners, mild bleach, even acetone. In showers, give them a wipe-down weekly to stop limescale building on the louvre edges.
Three products that ruin painted shutters
- Furniture polish (Mr Sheen, Pledge). Silicone builds up over months and turns the finish blotchy.
- "Multi-surface" wipes. The wet citrus solvent dissolves poly-wrap finishes within a year.
- Bathroom mould spray on MDF. Hypochlorite bleaches the white panels yellow — irreversible.
Frequency
Bedrooms: every 6–8 weeks. Living rooms (open fires / candles): every 3–4 weeks. Bathrooms (ABS): weekly wipe. Kitchens: monthly damp wipe to remove grease film.