Page 1

Giving Your Home Comfort And Beauty

How To Fix A Broken Roller Blind Chain

In this video:

00:16 – How roller blind chains get broken

00:52 – Taking the blind off the bracket

01:39 – Placing the chain back into the control mechanism

03:08 – Sliding the cap back into the tube

03:21 – Putting the blind back up on the bracket

Get professional service and high quality blinds

Let us check your home and give you a FREE quote

Like our page on Facebook

Alright so what we’ve got here is a roller blind with the grate chain system which really makes

the blind easy to pull up and down, very simple. Now it’s very hard for the chain to come off if

used properly. If used properly, the chain really should be pulled straight up and down, in-line

with the blind. But what will happen is occasionally some people will reach over or kids will use

it and they’ll pull the blind on a little bit of an angle. And what this can do is the chain will get

caught in the top cog and it becomes quite hard to pull so you know that you’re actually sort of

doing the wrong thing. If you keep pulling, eventually the chain will pop off the mechanism and

you no longer can control the blind.

Page 2

Fixing Broken Roller Blind Chain

Fixing the problem chain

So first of all, what we need to do is to grab this little plastic wheel here and it will spin in one

direction. It might be a little bit hard to grab but just spin it around and it will eventually get to a

point where the pin will retract and it will stay enclosed. That means that you could simply slide

the blind behind – off the bracket and then pull it away from the control end and the control end

will simply come off the little pin from the other bracket, it’s easy as that. Then what you might

like to do, if your blind is in the down position still, maybe just roll it up until it’s all one nice

little roll so it’s easier to move around. So we now have our blind and we have our chain that

we’ve removed from the blind, so just put that to the side. Now, the end that the chain goes on –

you have the control mechanism – and that should simply just pull out of the end of the blind,

very easy.

Now what you will see is, inside here we have a little screw, now we need to remove this screw

with a Phillips screw driver which will remove this little cap on the end of the mechanism which

means we’ll then be able to put the chain back on. So we just remove the screw. Usually it will

take a couple of turns and then what you’ll find is the mechanism will pull apart. Simply just

grab your chain, put it back onto the groves where the chain sits, push the cap back on, and once

you’ve done that, put the screw back into the middle and line the screwdriver up. It should be

easy then tighten the screw back up. While you’re doing that it’s a good idea just to hold your

finger on the other end because this part can slide out once the screw is released, so just sort of

keep a bit of a grip on that while you remove the screw. Once you’ve done that, it’s basically just

a matter of sliding this back into the tube – like so – give it a bit of a tap to get it in. And now we

have the chain back on and we’re right to go to put the blind back up onto the brackets.

Re-mounting the blind

So now we have our blind with the chain back on, it’s just a matter of simply putting it back up

on the brackets. One thing to remember is the little wheel that we’ve retracted earlier to take it

down, just give it a little bit of a flick and the pin will pop back out. This pin is spring loaded and

will be sliding into this bracket at the end. So what we have to do first is to slide the control

Page 3

mechanism in, back onto the bracket here and it is important to make sure that the top of the

mechanism here stays at the top when you put it on the blind. You don’t want to install the blind

with this piece at the side or at the front because the chain won’t run smoothly through the

mechanism. So we simply pick that at the top. Line the hole up with the pin on the bracket – you

may have to just wobble it left and right slightly to line it up. Then the right hand side – you just

push the pin on the slot and it slides back on, and we have our blind operating as good as new.

Beautifying Homes’ Exteriors With Awnings – Melbourne Decorators Suggest

Popular Styles

Creating a nicer look for your home does not always require a full renovation. According to

professional home decorators, simple additional accents can do great wonders in upgrading your

home’s exterior. Setting up potted plants beneath your windows can create an illusion of better

landscaping around your home. Another great idea, which also provides much comfort,

protective and styling benefits, is installing awnings; Melbourne home decorators claim that

every style provides a unique charm. Listed below are some of the really popular styles and ideas

for using them in your home.

1. Folding arm awnings – These come in different sizes and prints. Most of them are used

to cover backyard patios or porches. Many households use them for their outdoor dining

areas or pool cabanas. For households that want to extend their living space, folding arm

awnings are an easy solution. They’re very durable and can easily be adjusted to provide

the suitable amount of shade to any space. They also work great for homes with no built-

in garages; by installing it on one side of the house, a shaded parking space can instantly

be created.

2. Circular entrance awnings – These are often used for walkways leading to the door.

Aside from being a cute detail in front of the house, it provides great protection from

direct exposure to sun, rain and snow. They can be installed straight from the gate to the

front of the door.

3. Traditional style awnings – This type is typically used to provide extra shade for

windows but bigger versions can also be used to provide enough shade for a porch.

Makers make use of nice fabrics to increase their aesthetic contribution to a home’s

exterior appearance. Stripes are still very popular and using bright colours is quite the

trend especially for homes with kids.

Page 4

4. Dome – This somewhat resembles an umbrella and most are probably more familiar with

this style as a lot high end boutiques in Europe go with this design for their narrow

display windows. It provides just enough shade for one person and would be nice to

install over back doors or kids’ bedroom windows. To elevate their style contribution,

makers use different prints and colours that work really well with the quirky shape of this

style of awnings.

5. Convex – These awnings are slightly similar to the dome style and can be used for

exterior window treatments. A lot of “slender” homes have this awning over their front

doors. At times, they’re made of fibre glass, while some have them custom-made so

impressive wood is used. However, the most popular material is still acrylic fabric.

The Style And Convenient Advantages Of Custom Roman Blinds

If you’re looking for an incredibly versatile window blind, one of your best bets would be to use

custom Roman blinds; you get the luxurious appearance of draping curtains combined with the

convenience of the blinds mechanism.

The premier attractive quality of custom Roman blinds is that you can play with patterns since

the main material is fabric. You have a wealth of choices to select from that will fit the design of

your rooms; there’s no limit to the prints, colours and even material! You can use thick canvas

for that minimalistic style or you can go with vibrant-coloured silk cloth for a grand old world

appeal. Aside from the patterns, colour and material, there are also various ways that you can

style these blinds through their unique cord mechanisms; you can create single draping (this is

when the fabric makes the soft M-shape) or multiple drapes just like the style used in grand

hotels.

There really is no limit to the styling potential of these Roman blinds. Accessories can also be

used to enhance their beauty, as well as create volume. Valances with prints that complement the

fabric of the blinds can create the look of elegant curtains. Another great idea would be to turn

the blinds into valances and let them rest on top of long curtains set underneath them.

Page 5

Another styling idea would be to use ribbons to emphasise the draping style of the blinds. During

the Christmas season, these ribbons add a more festive appearance to window treatments. The

ribbons can also be accessorised with holly, poinsettia, bells and even Christmas balls.

In addition to all the great style advantages, custom Roman blinds also present other cool

benefits. With the right size and material, these blinds can provide maximum privacy for you and

your family, and they are also better at completely blocking out light. Now, if you want to let

light come in, mounting these blinds above the window frame will allow them to be drawn

completely out of the way so light can enter your home brilliantly through your window.

More benefits include how they are great for keeping out the heat and insulating your room

during the warm season, while in the winter, they help retain heat by completely covering

windows where heat usually escapes. Cleaning them is also very easy since most fabrics used are

washable. The thing is, washing is not even included in the frequent cleaning routine for Roman

blinds – vacuuming and spot cleaning are typically the only things you need to do for regular

cleaning. You would only need to wash the blinds when they are already heavily soiled.

Plantation Shutters – Melbourne Manufacturers Provide Easy Cleaning Tips

Plantation shutters are charming window treatments that can often be found in country, colonial

and tropical homes. Typically made of wood, they can last decades with proper care and

maintenance. However, they tend to accumulate a lot of dirt and can look shabby especially

when they are installed as exterior window treatments. In some instances, they become homes

for tiny insects that eventually create damage on their overall appearance and structure. In order

to maintain or preserve the fine quality of your plantation shutters, Melbourne manufacturers

issued easy cleaning tips.

You would require a vacuum cleaner with a soft brush attachment (a duster and old toothbrush

are fine substitutes if you do not have a vacuum cleaner), chamois or dusting cloth, and

commercial wood polish. With your vacuum cleaner you can easily get rid of dust and other

particulates that settle on the slats of the shutters; the brush attachment will gently “sweep” away

dirt stuck to the slats.

Page 6

After cleaning away loose dirt, you can further clean and polish the shutters using the chamois

and commercial wood polish. With gentle wiping, you can pick up embedded dirt and restore the

finish of the wood. Some wood polishing agents have the ability to temporarily protect the wood

from water and even humidity, and there are also some that have the ability to repel insects. If

you wish to provide more protection to your shutters, get the advice of the manufacturers about

great wood polish products that you can use. However, most manufacturers nowadays treat the

wood they use in creating shutters so they are water- and insect-resistant; all you really require is

the usual commercial wood polish (like Pledge) available in the market.

Now, for really hard-to-reach dirt that’s settled in the crooks and crannies of the shutters, use a

soft toothbrush and moisten it with wood polish. Narrow head toothbrushes are particularly

effective in getting dirt from corners and the wood polish will make sure that dirt’s really stuck

to the toothbrush.

Shutter manufacturers strictly advise against using soap and water in cleaning wood shutters as

these two elements can morph wood and compromise not just the appearance of the window

treatment but also its overall quality. Some people like to use soap and water to achieve a raw

and rustic finish but this will make wood brittle and prone to breakage.

The key to maintaining the beauty of your plantation shutters is to clean them regularly; clean

them every two weeks and you’ll have great-looking shutters for many years to come.