Linda, Blinds do two basic things, keep people from seeing in, and keep sun out.
What kind you have is your choice. Curtains do much the same thing, except they can be better at keeping heat out if that's an issue for you. Depending on the curtain, they can surely keep people from seeing in. One difference between your work place and home might be there could be better air filtering at work and thus less dust to accumulate on the blinds there. I've seen aluminum slatted blinds with lots dust on them but as you say they might be easier to clean than the plastic. I don't know of any easy way to take that type of blind down, as they're usually put up with screws. You might try a little white vinegar in water for cleaning the plastic ones, but yes they're known as a pain to clean. Of course curtains can get grungy too but if you choose the correct hanging systems, can be taken down and washed. It's still a job. Tom Fowle
