You've just walked in the front door, and there they are, your lovely vertical blinds. Hold on a moment though. Something isn't quite right!
Someone has gone and made just one of the louvers crooked, and you're struggling to keep your OCD impulse from taking over and letting out a horrified scream.
Breathe. Just breathe.
While this issue can be annoying, it is completely fixable. Just follow these simple steps, and your blind will be back in perfect order in no time.
How to Fix Crooked Vertical Blinds Louvers
It's important to know what type of vertical blind you have before you start working. Designs vary by manufacturer, and some instructions won't work for certain types of blinds. The easiest way to figure out the type is to remove the shade from the brackets and examine the label on the back of the blind's headrail. You'll be looking for a manufacturers name on a paper sticker or label(it should look something like the picture below). If it says "Levolor," then move to method 2. Everyone else, stick with method 1.
Method 1:
A. First, you'll need to remove the vane from the clips. Take a credit card or drivers license and slip it up into the clip holding the vane in place. This will allow you to remove the vane without breaking the thin plastic that runs across the top.
B. After all the vanes are removed, take a look at the end of the blind which houses the tilting/turning controls. Rotate the control, all the way to right, then all the way to the left, then all the way back to the right. After you've done this, the carrier stem should be back in alignment with the rest. It's it's not, then try again. Sometimes this will take up to 3-4 tries to get all the carrier stems in alignment. Once the carrier stems are back where they're supposed to be, simply reattach the vanes, and you're back in business.
By twisting the tilter back and forth, you're causing the gears of the misaligned blind to snap back into place right where they should be. This should only be done when the vanes are out of alignment, as doing this too much may cause the gears to wear out and have further issues.
Method 2:
A. If you're working with Levolor blinds, you'll need a pair of pliers. This is a relatively uncomplicated fix, but it will take a little work. Simply remove the vane from carrier stem (see the image below for detailed instruction) and set the vane to the side, being careful not to break the top piece of the vane.
B. Next, carefully take hold of the carrier stem with the pliers and push it upward into the rectangular hole with the pliers. (This rectangular part is hard to spot, but look up into the headrail where the hanger is, and you'll see a round circle, with a rectangular cut out) Now operate the rotation wand or strings. The stem which you have raised will not rotate. Turn all the other stems so that they are lined up with the one being adjusted.
After everything is lined up as it should be, take the pliers, grip the top of the carrier you're aligning, and pull downward to move the stem back into place. The stem will pop back into place, and you're good to go! (Check out this quick video below detailing the instructions you've just walked through)
If the hanger resists, or makes any untoward noise, stop immediately, and call our award winning customer service team at 1.800.505.1905. They will walk you through the repair, or assist you in getting a replacement headrail. Most of the time, these are factory errors or defective pieces, and are easily replaced.
These Options Not Working?
Have an old blind that came from who-knows-where, and need to have it replaced? Either give us a call, and we'll help you purchase a new one, or visit our friends over at www.going-vertical.com and they can get you set up with a brand new headrail.
