I've had Duette shades for almost 10 years and have been vaccuming to keep them clean. They were hanging in my kitchen and finally had to be tossed or physically cleaned. I searched the GardenWeb and found several cleaning tips. With nothing to lose, I finally bit the bullet and stuck them in the tub w/ warm soapy water, soaked for about 20 minutes, swished them around a bit, rinsed w/ cold water and layed them on a clean sheet outside in the sun. They look brand NEW!!!! Thank you to all who wrote in back in February '09.