Keeping your ceiling fans clean throughout the year is an important factor in improving air quality throughout your home. The common mistake that Toronto homeowners make with regard to their ceiling fans is that they barely pay attention to them unless it is hot outside and they are trying to keep the room a bit cooler.
Ceiling fans can be beneficial in the winter as well. Reversing the flow of the fans can help to push the hot air that remains at the top of the ceiling back down into the room, which can help to reduce the amount of heat your furnace has to generate during the day. This is especially important for rooms that have high ceilings or are considered vaulted.
Even when the ceiling fan is not spinning, dust can fall from them when they are not cleaned consistently. The moment you turn the ceiling fan on, though, the dust will begin to fly and that can cause health issues and make it uncomfortable for you and the rest of your family.
Below are four tips to help you keep your ceiling fans clean throughout the year.
Use a damp cloth.
Using a stepladder or other ladder to help you reach the ceiling fan in a safe manner, use a damp cloth to wipe along the top side of each fan blade. Have someone balance the ladder if you need to reach 10 feet or more to access the ceiling fan.
Ceiling fan cleaning brush.
You can purchase an extendable rod cleaning brush that is bent at a 90° angle, which is designed to clean ceiling fans. The drawback to this is that by doing so you will stir the dust up into the air. If the cleaning brush is damp, it can help reduce the amount of dust the falls down from the ceiling fan.
Use a pillow case.
Turn an old pillowcase inside out, spritz it with a cleaner, turn it back inside out and place it over each of the ceiling fan blades. Squeeze it over the ceiling fan blade and pull outward. This will clean the entire ceiling fan blade.
Use a vacuum cleaner.
If you have a long extension hose on your vacuum cleaner, and your ceiling fan is not higher than 8 feet, you can use a stepladder and some assistance and the furniture upholstery attachment of your vacuum.
No matter what cleaning method you use to take care of your ceiling fans, it is best to clean them on a consistent basis, ideally once a week.
