Care Guide

Tilt the louvres flat so the full face is exposed. Run a microfibre cloth or a soft feather duster across the louvres in one direction from one end to the other.

Switch the tilt halfway through and dust the other side. Two minutes per window is usually enough.

Why bother? Dust settles into the staples that hold the louvres to the tilt rod, and over time it can make the pivots feel gritty. A weekly dust helps prevent that.

Use warm water and, if you need to lift marks, a tiny amount of mild washing-up liquid. A lightly damp cloth wrung out thoroughly - never a soaking-wet one.

Wipe each louvre individually, then run the cloth around the frame and the tilt rod. Dry off any moisture with a clean cloth, especially on Hardwood.

Hardwood note: hardwood basswood shutters are real timber and do not tolerate standing moisture. Never use a wet cloth, and never use bleach, vinegar, or all-purpose sprays - they strip the painted finish.

Once a year, put a single drop of silicone lubricant (not WD-40, not oil) on each hinge pin and on the connection points where the tilt rod meets each louvre.

Operate the panel a few times to work the lubricant in. The action should feel quieter and smoother.

For shutters in bathrooms and kitchens (Polycomposite), do this every six months. Humidity is harder on the pivot points.

Use the tilt rod (or, on hidden-tilt shutters, the edge of a louvre) to move the louvres. Never push or pull louvres directly - it loosens the internal staples and shortens the lifespan of the shutter.

Open and close panels by the edge of the panel, not by gripping a louvre. The hinges are designed to take the load at the panel edge.

Close panels gently. Slamming a shutter is the single fastest way to pull a tilt-rod staple or loosen a hinge fixing.

Solvents and harsh cleaners: no bleach, no vinegar, no all-purpose sprays, no glass cleaner on the louvres. They strip the painted finish and damage hardware.

Abrasive cloths or scourers: microfibre or soft cotton only. Scourers scuff the finish and once it is scuffed it stays scuffed.

Soaking Hardwood: lightly damp cloth maximum. Anything wetter risks the finish lifting and the timber swelling.

Hanging anything from the louvres or the tilt rod: louvres are not designed to carry load. Hanging a curtain, a hook, or a Christmas decoration from a louvre will pull the staples out.

Panels catching on the frame: alignment has drifted, usually fixable with a small hinge adjustment.

Louvres falling open or refusing to hold position: tilt-rod tension needs setting, or staples need replacing.

Stiff or sticking operation: hinges need cleaning and lubricating, or in humid rooms the frame may have moved slightly.

Cracked or split louvres: individual louvres can be replaced without replacing the whole panel in most cases.

Most of these are one-visit repairs. We assess the fault in person before quoting any work.