Household chores can be quite tedious at times. They become especially tedious when they involve those parts of your home that are hard to reach. These are the places you probably do not take care of everyday, but when you do have to clean or maintain them, they are significantly more difficult compared with your floors or countertops.
One of the parts of your household that are hardest to reach are your ceiling fans. These are one of the most taken for granted appliances that hang above your head and keep you cool on those warm days.
The problem is that if the appliance that is constantly blowing wind in your face gets dirty enough, it can be a real health hazard. This is why it is crucial to regularly clean your ceiling fan to prevent the accumulation of dirt, dust, and grease.
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What’s the Best Way to Clean Ceiling Fans?
Cleaning a ceiling fan is not as straightforward as wiping down any other appliance because your goal is to prevent the dust from the fan from falling on your furniture. However, the best way to clean ceiling fans is not that difficult. All you need is a ladder, a pillowcase, a household cleaner that is effective at removing grease, handkerchief to cover your nose from dust, and some tape. Someone to help you out would also be recommended for safety reasons.
1. The first thing you should do is tape the fan’s switch.
This is to prevent anyone unintentionally turning the fan on while you are inches away from its blades. There are multiple ways to do this such as switching off the power to the fan completely, but taping down the switch is simple, adequate, and easily reversed.
You might think that no one would dare turn on a ceiling fan when they see someone cleaning it, but you want to be absolutely sure and safe, as you never know when someone has made it part of their subconscious routine to switch the ceiling fan on without surveying the room first.
2. The next thing you should do is move the furniture that is under the ceiling fan away.
While you will be able to prevent majority of the dust and dirt from falling to the floor, it would still be prudent to make sure your furniture does not get any dirt on it. It is best to clear the area about twice the size of the circle made by the blades of the fan.
3. Then, position your ladder under the ceiling fan.
The height of the ladder depends on the distance of the fan from the ground. Sometimes a step ladder is enough, but sometimes you need something much taller. Have your helper hold the ladder as you climb up as this makes sure you are stable even if you shift your weight a little.
4. Then, take your pillow case and insert one of the blades as if it were a pillow.
Slowly remove the pillow case, wiping the top of the blade along the way. This allows the pillow case to catch all the dirt that might have otherwise fallen. Repeat this with the other blades. Watch the video below on how to remove dust with pillow case.
5. Use the household cleaner to remove the grease.
While this gets rid of all the loose dust, there is often grease and grime that acts as an adhesive, making dirt stick to your ceiling fan. This might leave you perplexed as how to clean greasy ceiling fans, but do not worry. Simply spray your household cleaner on the cloth of the inside of your pillow case and repeat the same process as you did with the loose dirt.
Closing Thoughts
Your ceiling fan is now clean, and you need not worry about it until you feel it gets dirty again. Make sure you wash that pillow case inside out. That way, you will never even suspect that is was used for such a dirty purpose.
It would be best to repeat this often, as waiting longer in between clean ups makes it more difficult to clean your ceiling fan. Doing it once a month or six weeks should be enough. Keep in mind that you should not wait for dirt to be visible on your ceiling fan to do it. In the end, you will be quite pleased with the result, as a clean ceiling fan results in much cleaner air keeping you cool.
