In a Few Easy Steps, You Too Can Have It Made in the Shade

Window shades are easy to install and maintain.

They are sold by width, measured from the tip of the round pin at one end of the roller to the tip of the flat pin, or spear, at the other end. The pin and spear fit into mounting brackets placed inside the window frame, on the face of the frame or on the wall.

The shade itself is stapled or taped to the roller, which is usually made of wood or cardboard and has metal end caps. One end of the roller is hollow and contains the shade’s spring. The lower the shade is pulled, the more the spring’s tension increases. When the shade is raised, the spring uncoils rapidly, wrapping the shade around the roller.

A window shade is held in place by a pawl, a small latch that locks onto a ratchet tooth to stop the roller from turning. When you draw the shade down, it pulls the pawl away from the tooth and frees the roller. When you stop the shade, the pawl drops onto the ratchet to hold it in place.

Here are tips on window-shade maintenance:

Cleaning

* To clean a washable window shade, unroll it and spread it on a clean flat surface. Scrub both sides with detergent and hot water and a brush or cloth. Rinse with a clean, damp cloth and let the shade dry thoroughly before rerolling.

* When shades that can’t be washed are dirty, first vacuum them to remove all loose dirt. Then try rubbing them gently with a dough-type wallpaper cleaner or with an art-gum eraser.

* Worn or stained shades can be turned top to bottom. Carefully pry out the staples holding the shade to the roller. Turn a hem on the old top to make a new bottom. Tack or staple the worn bottom to the roller.

Up-Down Trouble

* If a shade rolls up too fast, the spring may be too tight. Loosen tension by rolling the shade up and removing the roller from the brackets. By hand, unroll the shade halfway. Replace the roller in the brackets.

* If the shade rolls up too slowly, the spring may be too loose. Remove the shade from the brackets and roll it up by hand. Replace the shade on the brackets.

* If the shade can’t be raised, the spring may be fully uncoiled. Remove the roller from the brackets. Unroll the shade halfway. Grip the flat spear with pliers and twist it until you feel tension. Then back off so the pawl hooks onto the ratchet. Adjust the tension by rolling the shade by hand and replacing it in the brackets.

* If the shade can’t be pulled down, the ratchet is probably locked in place. Remove the roller from the brackets. Grip the flat spear with pliers and twist it clockwise to free the pawl, then release quickly. As the coil unwinds, the pin will spin counterclockwise. Readjust the tension by rolling the shade by hand.

* If the shade won’t stay down, the ratchet may not be locking. Remove the shade from the brackets and take off the metal dust cap from the spear end. Brush off the pawl and ratchet and lightly lubricate them with penetrating oil.

Brackets and Pins

* If the shade is crooked, the brackets are not in line. Place a carpenter’s level on the roller. If the level’s bubble is not centered, remove and reposition one of the mounting brackets.

* If the shade binds, the brackets may be too close together. Try to reposition the brackets farther apart. As a last resort, shorten the pin with a hacksaw.

* If the shade falls from the brackets, the brackets may be loose and the screws or nails holding them may need to be secured again. Or the brackets may be too far apart; reposition one or both of the brackets to move them closer. Shim brackets mounted inside the frame.

* If a shade wobbles, the round pin may be bent. Straighten it with pliers.