Cleaning Ceiling Fans

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Tips on Cleaning Ceiling Fans

How to Clean Your Ceiling Fan

Your ceiling fan is probably dirty.

Since the layer of dust is on the top of the fan and seldom seen by anyone, you probably put cleaning your ceiling fan low on your list of house cleaning priorities.

Did you know, however, that a dirty, dusty ceiling fan can cause your fan to become loud, wobble, and even ruin the motor?

With some easy ceiling fan cleaning and maintenance tips, you can keep your fan running quietly and smoothly.

Weekly Cleaning

There are several efficient ways to clean your ceiling fan as part of your weekly household cleaning.

The method you chose depends upon the height of your ceiling fans, the amount of dust your home collects, tools you have available, and whether or not you have allergy sufferers in your home.

The following methods are the most common ways to clean your ceiling fan on a regular basis:

• Pledge or Swiffer dust wipes
• Microfiber cloths
• Paper towels and all-purpose or wood furniture cleaner
• Vacuum attachment specifically for ceiling fan blades
• Feather or static duster
• Special ceiling fan duster on a stick

Height of Your Ceiling Fans

If your ceilings are quite high, it will probably limit the tools you can use to effectively clean your ceiling fans on a weekly basis. A step stool comes in handy for cleaning most ceiling fans, but you have to be careful of climbing too high. It’s easy to get dizzy or experience vertigo when you are on a ladder or high stool looking up at the ceiling fan and trying to keep your balance.

If your step stool doesn’t allow you height enough to look down on the ceiling fan as you clean it, you’ll need to use protective eyewear to keep dust particles from falling into your eyes.

If you plan on using a vacuum attachment while on a step stool, be sure your attachment hose is long enough to keep the vacuum safely on the floor without pulling as you climb. You can find hose extensions for most vacuum cleaners.

Do not try to carry an upright vacuum on a step stool as you clean your ceiling fan blades. For the majority of people with high ceiling fans, you should settle for a telescopic duster (or a homemade version with duct tape and broom handles).

Afterward, you can vacuum up any dust that falls. It might seem like a hassle, but you have to consider your safety first!

Special Ceiling Fan Cleaning Tools

You’ve probably seen tools specifically designed for cleaning ceiling fans. Some people swear by them, but they don’t work as well for everyone. There are two basic types available – manual ceiling fan cleaners and ceiling fan cleaners that attach to your vacuum cleaner hose.

The manual tools are fairly self-explanatory. You fit the duster around the ceiling fan blade and pull outward, bringing dust toward the outer end of the blade. Most tools have a platform to keep the dust from falling onto you and the floor. You’ll usually find a stiff, plastic platform meant to hold the dust. The problem is that the plastic can sometimes flip and spill. To control this problem, you can tape a Pledge or Swiffer disposable dust cloth to the platform. It will collect and hold the dust a bit better.

The vacuum attachments are very nice in theory. The dust is sucked up away from you and the floor. There are problems, however, with ceiling fan vacuum attachments. They are usually not easily stored on or in your vacuum cleaner, so you either forget about the attachment or have to stop your weekly cleaning to find it in a closet. Some of the vacuum attachments use brushes that are too rough and can scratch painted finishes or blade veneers.

The most common problem with the attachments is that most vacuum cleaner hoses are not long enough to easily clean the ceiling fan blades, especially with upright vacuums.

Before purchasing a special tool, ask yourself how easy and effective it would be for you personally.

Allergy Sufferers

Cleaning your ceiling fan can be a terrible event for allergy sufferers. Even if the person who has allergies is not the one who is doing the cleaning, the dust particles you release into the air can take hours to settle.

If you or someone in your home reacts to dust, you need to take special precautions when you clean the ceiling fans in your home.

You should use a step stool and a damp cloth in addition to a Pledge, Swiffer, or some other dust-collecting cloth. Use the damp cloth to clean off the blades, and use the dust cloth to catch as many particles (or clumps, if it’s been a while!) as possible when you reach the end of the blade.

Unfortunately, it’s best if you go over the blades a second time with a cloth or feather duster to get any additional dust. Before you vacuum the floor underneath the ceiling fan, run the fan for at least half an hour on medium speed. If possible, the allergy sufferer shouldn’t be around the fans for at least an hour. This gives tiny dust particles that you’ve missed a chance to settle on another surface.

More Detailed Ceiling Fan Cleaning

Every month or two, you should do a more thorough cleaning of your ceiling fans, especially if you only dry dust them weekly.

Make sure your ceiling fan and light are turned off, and you might even put a piece of masking tape on the light switch to prevent accidentally turning them on before you are through.

Most ceiling fans have a compartment surrounding the motor that you can slip down toward you. Open the compartment and use your vacuum hose or canned air to get the dust and dirt near the motor.

Close the compartment and get any cobwebs and dust on the ceiling around the fan with a feather duster.

By now, the light bulbs should be cool enough to touch. Just in case, use a cloth to remove the bulbs, and one by one, take the globes off the ceiling fan. Put them in a plastic pan or in your sink with soapy, warm water to soak. Meanwhile, clean the ceiling fan blades with a cloth that is damp or lightly sprayed with all-purpose cleaner. Never spray cleaner near the ceiling fan motor.

When you’re finished, wipe out the light globes, rinse them, and replace them with the light bulbs.

Your next weekly cleaning will be much easier, the light in the room will be brighter, and your fan should run quietly!