CLEAN WINDOWS LEADS TO OTHER CONSIDERATIONS

Ah, you know what they say about getting something new, i.e., the new makes what’s already there look old. Well, it’s sort of happening to me, but not quite in the way I planned.

Last weekend, AJ and Haley came over to give me a hand with moving stuff away from the windows because my window-washer, Tony, was coming on Thursday to make my windows sparkle. As part of this effort, I decided the drapes I had purchased way back in 1997 and hung in the living room needed to go away. Over the years, I’ve had them cleaned and didn’t want to do so again…the last time it was $2.00/pleat. So, they took the drapes and the rod down.

I didn’t realize just how big the front window was until it was sans cover…102 inches by 84 inches or at least that’s the size I’m using for the drape replacements. It seems HUGE only because I feel like I’ve been living in a fishbowl since Saturday. The fishbowl will be recovered today, again by Haley and AJ. I’m replacing the drapery rod with just a plain round rod and the heavy drapes with a bunch of sheer curtains, burgundy on the sides and white in the middle. I’ve always had white sheers in the middle so that won’t be a change.

When Tony came to clean the windows, he said it looked as though I was having a garage sale…and it does. All the glass in the windows is piled on various tables and counters, the furniture is all moved back from the windows. It’s a huge mess, but will look wonderful once everything is washed and sparkling from its proper location.

In the process of clearing Tony’s access to the windows, I had to raise the blinds on the three windows they cover. To my dismay, I found the strings, or whatever you call them, had failed on two, possibly all three of the blinds. Now, I hate levelor blinds in any case because they’re so dang hard to clean. In the past, John removed them from the windows and I scrubbed them while they laid on the deck. Obviously, I haven’t done this in the last five years because John hasn’t been available to remove and replace them. I did, of course, dust them off on occasion.

          To facilitate Tony’s access to those windows, I used painter’s tape to tape them up out of his way. I wasn’t sure how they’d respond when I removed the tape and allowed them to fall back down. Fortunately, they fell down and back into place so I can close or open them. Still, they're not very clean and I think I want to replace them.

I’ve done my research. I’ve measured, but did I measure properly. I guess I’ll have AJ check my measurements in case I do decide to proceed with replacement. If I do decide to eliminate the current levelor blinds, do I replace them with the same kind? In my research I found there are blinds that do not have strings and are a solid piece which crinkles up and down…they’d be much easier to clean. Or, should I purchase three new rods and some kind of curtains…there are ones that are supposed to keep out the cold and light better when closed.

I guess what my decision will be affected by a couple of things. First, the cost. Will the blinds cost more than new rods and curtains? Will AJ be inclined to return at some point to take down the old blinds and install whatever I end up purchasing? Probably because he’s such a good guy. So, stay tuned. Funny how the decision to get the windows cleaned has led to so much other confusion and need for consideration.