Why Is It Important To Clean Your Ceiling Fan Regularly?
Keeping your ceiling fans clean is not just a matter of keeping your home looking good. It’s also a matter of health and protecting your fans from damage. Domestic cleaning agencies ensure that ceiling fans are cleaned because they know this. Since fans are rarely used, many people reduce expenses by keeping their cleaning out of the purview of domestic cleaning agencies. This makes sense, but even if rarely used, they need to be cleaned occasionally.
Dirty fans mean dust with germs and pollen waiting to be blown all over the room when the fan is turned on. Also, the dust on the blades could affect the balance of the fan, making it noisy, putting more strain on the motor, and damaging the ball bearings.
Cleaning your ceiling fan is as easy as you make it. Don’t let their lofty location be a deterrent to giving your ceiling fans a thorough clean when they are dirty. Ideally, they should be cleaned every two months. To keep dust to a minimum, a weekly dusting is recommended. You can do your weekly dusting using a long duster to eliminate everyday build-up. Some modern vacuums come with attachments that can be used to clean ceiling fans but to do a thorough job; nothing beats getting up close and personal.
What Tools Will You Need?
- A tall stepladder suitable to work from safely
- Paper towel
- All-purpose cleaner
- Newspaper
Tips For Cleaning Your Fan
- Turn off the ceiling fan.
- Spread sheets of newspaper on the ground directly under the fan. This will catch most of the dirt falling off when the blades are being cleaned.
- Climb up to reach the fan, and use a hand towel dampened with the all-purpose cleaner to clean the blade. Do this for each blade, using a fresh piece of hand towel. (If you use a ladder with a base, pour the cleaning liquid into a container, and use a cotton glove or socks on your hand to clean the blades. Rinse out the glove or sock after each blade has been cleaned)
- If there are light fixtures attached to the fan, you will need to remove these. Clean them before replacing them.
- Waxing the blades with car wax will prevent dust from sticking to the fan blades and make future cleaning easier.
It will take approximately thirty minutes to one hour to clean, depending on how dirty the fan is. If your ceiling fan is in your kitchen, you may need a cleaner to remove grease easily.
When cleaning the fan, do not saturate the blades with water or other cleaning fluid. Too much moisture can result in warping if the blades are made of wood. Read the fan’s manual because some materials, such as iron, should not be cleaned with water. A dab of polish can add a nice sheen to wooden blades, but be careful not to use too much, as it may attract even more dust.
Since your ceiling fan has a motor and runs off electrical power, keeping the motor and parts dry while cleaning the fan is essential. Failure to do so can result in electrical shocks and damaged motors.
Note: If you do not have an all-purpose cleaner or would instead make your own, you can combine warm water, a little dishwashing liquid, and white vinegar and mix well.
