My Slat Blinds Won't Raise

Dirty Gears

• Your slat blinds use small gears and pulley systems to draw up the blinds. These gears are typically hid well in plastic sheaths behind your valance. However, dust and grime can collect in these gears, eventually causing them to stick. Lift the valance and use a pipe cleaner or similar tool to clean and oil your gears to see if this restores function.

Tangled Cords

• Behind the bracket is also the box or section in which your blinds are pulled when you raise them. In some cases, the cords running lengthwise into the headrail can become tangled with each other, in which case they will refuse to pull properly. You will need to take your blinds down, open the brackets at either end and carefully untangle the strings to solve this problem.

Trapped Cords

• Sometimes the cords are not tangled at all, but actually trapped between the framework, gears, headrail and other materials. When the cords are squeezed like this, your blinds will seem stuck or may move only with force. Loosening or unhooking cords from where they have become stuck will solve this problem.

Old Materials

• Sometimes the problem comes down to age. If your slat blinds are at least several years old, they could be feeling the effects of air and sunlight. The cords can become stiff and brittle, leading them to break. Gears can corrode, in which case rust stops them from working. In this case, there is no quick fix. You'll need to replace either the damaged components or the entire blind set.