# Who the fuck invented blinds? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 18, 2007, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-the-fuck-invented-blinds/412221 "2007-07-18T03:25:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2007, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-the-fuck-invented-blinds/412221/21 "2007-07-18T15:53:12Z")
I like blinds, but I replaced the blinds in my office a year or so ago, and they are falling apart now (I went to close them, and pieces just fell off). I’ll take half the blame for buying the cheapest crap I could find, but falling apart after a year on the window (and it’s not even on the side that the cats look out of)? That is some serious cheap material. I think they would be lasting longer if they were actually made of cardboard. I guess I’ll replace them with the second-to-cheapest crap. See how that goes. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Mellivora\_capensis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Mellivora\_capensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mellivora_capensis)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2007, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-the-fuck-invented-blinds/412221/22 "2007-07-18T16:00:04Z")
[QUOTE=Frank] Well, the tricky part is pushing the cord the other way when you want to close them. [/QUOTE] You know, I read this twice before I went WAAAAAAAAAhahahahahah… ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2007, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-the-fuck-invented-blinds/412221/23 "2007-07-18T16:30:07Z")
[QUOTE=Guy Betty] Now, see, that’s just goddamned funny. I love this place, there are a lot of reasons for joining. But when I do **Vinyl Turnip** is gonna be at the top of that list. [/QUOTE] I fear I appear at the top of many people’s lists, but I do appreciate your kind words. ---
**Author:** ![NicePete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ee7513/32.png) [@NicePete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NicePete)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2007, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-the-fuck-invented-blinds/412221/24 "2007-07-18T16:34:06Z")
**Who the fuck invented blinds?** Moe Howard. _Pick two!_ ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2007, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-the-fuck-invented-blinds/412221/25 "2007-07-18T16:49:27Z")
[QUOTE=Idlewild] Is that like how you make a Venetian blind? [/QUOTE] Lots of ways. Poke his eyes out. Throw acid in his face. Bury him up to his neck facing the sun and slice his eyelids off. Show him the Roseanne Barr sex tape. (Go ahead and let him use the goggles. It won’t matter.) ---
**Author:** ![fuffle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c37758/32.png) [@fuffle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fuffle)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2007, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-the-fuck-invented-blinds/412221/26 "2007-07-18T17:32:44Z")
Blinds are the devil’s own buttplug. I have blinds on my back door. The cats are constantly crashing into them or playing with them and messing them up. That means every SINGLE goddamn time I want to use the back door, I have to oh so carefully untwist every last one of them just so that I can push them open. I just want to go outside! And they’re ugly. They’re hideously ugly. I’ve seen some new ones that are okay-looking, but I have the 70’s rental models that actually can cause you to go blind by looking at them too long. I swear, the second I buy a house, if the house has blinds, I’m ripping those fuckers out and doing a dance on their hideous corpses. ---
**Author:** ![Sunrazor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sunrazor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunrazor)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2007, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-the-fuck-invented-blinds/412221/27 "2007-07-18T17:45:08Z")
[QUOTE=tdn] **With** finesse, it’s just a matter of time before the whole kaboodle, and its accompanying kit, comes crashing down. [/QUOTE] You have to install the kaboodle separately. Do not use the same mounting brackets that you use for the kit. This is a common error. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2007, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-the-fuck-invented-blinds/412221/28 "2007-07-18T18:28:37Z")
[QUOTE=I’m Ron Burgundy?] it’s hot as hell down here and it always has been! [/QUOTE] Forget the blinds. To deal with heat, what you need is [awnings](http://www.awningshelp.com/history.html). ---
**Author:** ![Encinitas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Encinitas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Encinitas)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2007, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-the-fuck-invented-blinds/412221/29 "2007-07-18T18:38:37Z")
[QUOTE=silenus] We’re in the process of replacing all the curtains in the place with blinds. Much easier to maintain, much brighter in the house, and the neighbors have yet to complain about my casual nudity. [/QUOTE] But what about your Hawaiian shirts? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2007, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-the-fuck-invented-blinds/412221/30 "2007-07-18T18:41:42Z")
[QUOTE=silenus] We’re in the process of replacing all the curtains in the place with blinds. Much easier to maintain, much brighter in the house, and the neighbors have yet to complain about my casual nudity. [/QUOTE] Well, so long as you do it casually, you know. I get very OCD about the vertical blinds leading to our back yard. There are a couple of slats that never want to line up properly, and as much as I try to walk away, I find that I can’t help but spend five minutes fiddling with them to make them complete the shield. All this, and I’m fully aware that the only creatures that could see into the house from outside are the spiders and occasional stray cat that wander through the yard. Still, I know those cats are looking at me and laughing. I can’t help it – I just got out of a cold shower! Leave me alone! ---
**Author:** ![scout1222](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/34f0e0/32.png) [@scout1222](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scout1222)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2007, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-the-fuck-invented-blinds/412221/31 "2007-07-18T19:08:13Z")
My blinds do a fine job of keeping out the sun or the heat, or whatever I’m using them for. But damn do I hate keeping those fuckers clean. So **silenus** , since you’re relatively close, you can come over and keep mine clean, right? Hell, I’ll even let you clean them whilst casually naked (or clad in a Hawaiian shirt). Just let me know and I’ll leave a key under the doormat. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2007, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-the-fuck-invented-blinds/412221/32 "2007-07-18T19:09:57Z")
We’ve had the same vertical blinds for 26 years and they still work just fine. The secret is to get rid of all children and dogs and buy quality goods at the outset. Smug smiley goes here if only we had one. ---
**Author:** ![Anaptyxis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/anaptyxis/32/3171_2.png) [@Anaptyxis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaptyxis)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2007, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-the-fuck-invented-blinds/412221/33 "2007-07-18T19:19:26Z")
[QUOTE=fuffle] I swear, the second I buy a house, if the house has blinds, I’m ripping those fuckers out and doing a dance on their hideous corpses. [/QUOTE] Psst, **olivesmarch4th** , you’re wondering where those footprints came from? ---
**Author:** ![BMax](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bmax/32/4267_2.png) [@BMax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMax)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2007, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-the-fuck-invented-blinds/412221/34 "2007-07-18T22:21:29Z")
This summer I replaced all my venetian blinds with matchstick/bamboo blinds. I fucking love my blinds. I have windows in almost every room in my house, one of the things I like about it. Blinds let in more light than drapes, and if my neighbors don’t want to see me walking around in my drawers, they shouldn’t look in my windows. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2007, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-the-fuck-invented-blinds/412221/35 "2007-07-18T22:25:11Z")
[QUOTE=scout1222] My blinds do a fine job of keeping out the sun or the heat, or whatever I’m using them for. But damn do I hate keeping those fuckers clean. So **silenus** , since you’re relatively close, you can come over and keep mine clean, right? Hell, I’ll even let you clean them whilst casually naked (or clad in a Hawaiian shirt). Just let me know and I’ll leave a key under the doormat. 😃 [/QUOTE] Actually, we’ve replaced most of the curtains with [these](http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/sr=1-5/qid=1184797242/ref=sr_1_5/602-5618180-0427003?ie=UTF8&asin=B000CPA3VY). They attract much less cat hair and clean with a blast of canned air. I appreciate the offer, but if the wife discovers that I clean in the nude, she’s gonna start expecting me to do it while she’s home, and then I’ll **never** get any work done! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![scout1222](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/34f0e0/32.png) [@scout1222](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scout1222)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2007, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-the-fuck-invented-blinds/412221/36 "2007-07-18T23:25:44Z")
Well, there’s one good thing come of this. I had never considered cleaning blinds with the ol’ canned air. Thanks for the tip! ---
**Author:** ![El\_Zagna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d2c977/32.png) [@El\_Zagna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Zagna)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2007, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-the-fuck-invented-blinds/412221/37 "2007-07-18T23:45:23Z")
As a landlord I have had to clean lots of blinds after tenants moved out. The best way to do it is to take them outside, hang them up by attaching them to a gutter or a privacy fence and then just hosing them down. You can spray on a little 409 and gently wipe them if they need it. ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2007, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-the-fuck-invented-blinds/412221/38 "2007-07-18T23:49:17Z")
No, the best way to clean blinds is to hire a cleaning service. That said, if you’re worried about people peeping in your windows, or excess light coming in (which was my problem), I recommend tinfoil. It’s reasonably opaque, and an artistic statement besides! ---
**Author:** ![dogbutler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dogbutler/32/428_2.png) [@dogbutler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dogbutler)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2007, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-the-fuck-invented-blinds/412221/39 "2007-07-19T00:08:06Z")
My dog just ripped mine down so she could yell at a beagle whizzing on “her” lawn. I always buy the cheapest one I can, because they end up with holes punched in them at pet eye level. ---
**Author:** ![Solfy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@Solfy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Solfy)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2007, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-the-fuck-invented-blinds/412221/40 "2007-07-19T13:38:45Z")
If you need to clean blinds in the winter in the north east and don’t want blindsicles, give them a bath! Drop them in the filled tub with a little Mr. Clean. Rinse them with the shower. Or leave them dirty and try not to look too hard at them. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-the-fuck-invented-blinds/412221.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-the-fuck-invented-blinds/412221.md?page=3)