Offering a convenient means of ventilation and air circulation around the house, there is a range of electric and battery-operated fans that are available in Pakistan for homes. However, the constant whirling motion of the fans also means that they collect a lot of dust and dirt over time, which might not be visible when they’re turned on, but will definitely affect your home’s beauty as soon as you turn them off. Thus, here are some of the best ways to clean fans to keep your interior clean and tidy.
Top Ways to Clean Fans at Home
Fans covered in dust will not only make your home seem untidy, but also affect the air quality of the indoor environment, so it is essential to clean the fans around the house in the right manner. We’ve covered cleaning methods for some of the most common fans in Pakistani homes. Here are the fans you might find challenging to clean and their upkeep made easy:
- Ceiling Fans
- Table/Pedestal/Wall Fans
- Exhaust Fans
- Wall Fans
The first thing to remember before cleaning the fans is to turn off the fan and to ensure that it comes to a standstill before you begin cleaning. Let’s now discuss cleaning methods for each type of fan below in detail.
Ceiling Fans
We’re beginning with ceiling fans because these are the most common types of fans found in homes in Pakistan. Cleaning ceiling fans can appear challenging, particularly in a house with high ceilings. But in reality, the upkeep is fairly simple. All you need is a ladder, a dry cloth, and a wet cloth dipped in a soap and water solution. Here’s what to do:
- Place the ladder underneath the fan, ensuring that the fan is at a complete standstill before you climb up.
- Ensure that the ladder is steady or get a family member to hold it for you.
- Take the wet and dry cloth with you when you climb or have someone at the bottom of the ladder to hand them over to you after you’re in place.
- Once the fan is at arm’s reach, clean each blade with a wet cloth, rotating the fan by hand to get access to each blade.
- Clean both the lower and upper sides of the blades.
- Once you’ve wiped the blades down with the wet cloth, use a dry cloth to wipe the solution off and give a final polish to the fan.
- Don’t forget to clean the central part of the fan as well.
- Sweep the floor for any dust bunnies or grime that has fallen down from the fan during cleaning.
- Turn it on and enjoy cleaner air once more.
- Rinse the wet rag and dip it into the soapy solution once more, before cleaning the next ceiling fan.
For occasional and less thorough cleaning, you can use a long mop or duster with an extendable handle to reach the fan and swipe the upper side of the blades with it to throw the dust down to the ground, from where you can sweep it up. This trick also works for those who either have a fear of heights or do not have a ladder at home to reach the fans. You might also be able to find customised tools for cleaning ceiling fans in the market, such as an oval-shaped duster with a cut in the middle and a long handle, which you can slide over each blade to clean both sides of it at once.
Table/Pedestal/Wall Fans
Most table, wall, and pedestal fans have a plastic or metallic grill that covers the rotating blades and offers protection against injuries. The trick to cleaning pedestal fans, wall fans, and table fans, is to know whether your fan has a removable grill. If the grill can be detached from the fan, it becomes relatively easier to clean it. Here’s how to clean table fans, wall fans, and standing fans at home:
- Make sure that the fan is unplugged/turned off, and the blades are stationary.
- Remove the grill of the fan, which will be clogged with dirt and grime if it hasn’t been cleaned for a while.
- Use a ladder or a step stool to reach up and clean the wall fans.
- You can either wash the grill with a soap and water solution under a running tap or use a wet rag to wipe it down and dry it before keeping it aside.
- Detach (if possible) and wipe down the blades of the fan with a wet cloth first and then a dry cloth.
- Make sure that no water enters the mechanism and motor of the fan.
- Clean the back grill (detach if possible) in a similar manner, as that is usually fitted into place.
- Make sure all the parts are dry before moving on to reassembling the fan.
- Attach the blades (if they were removed) and the grill firmly.
- Turn on the fan and check for optimum functioning.
- If a banging sound accompanies the whirring of the fan, you might have to readjust the grill into place.
- Don’t forget to clean the base of the table fan or wall fan, and the stand of the pedestal fan, too.
- Sweep the floor or wipe the tabletop for any residual dirt and dust particles.
If the grill is not detachable, use a duster or a vacuum to clean both the front and the back of the grills. Use a slim duster to reach the blades and clean them up as best as you can. Air blowers or even hair dryers can work wonders in this case, if you can’t reach the blades easily, to remove dust from the blades. If you’re blowing out dust from a wall fan, cover the wall behind it with old newspapers so that the dirt does not stick to the wall and ruin the paint job.
Exhaust Fans
The third type of fan used commonly in Pakistan is exhaust fans, which are fitted into a box-like frame and set into a square opening in the wall. While the models may vary, an exhaust fan usually has a fan on one end and a grill on the other that you can open or close by pulling a string. This type of fan is best if you want ventilation in a room or bathroom that has no windows. Cleaning exhaust fans is trickier because you cannot take them apart as easily as the other fans we’ve discussed. Here’s how you can do it, though:
- Make sure that the fan is turned off and that the grill is open.
- Use a ladder or a step stool if the fan is located high on the wall.
- Then use a wet cloth to wipe down the fan blades and the interior of the box frame.
- Wipe the entire fan dry before moving to the other side of the fan.
- Since the grill is already open, it will be easy to wipe each panel individually with a wet and dry cloth to remove the grime coating the frame.
- You can also detach the grill if that is possible and clean it under running water for optimum results.
- Turn on the fan once it is dry (and the grill is reattached), and you’ll be able to bring fresh and clean air indoors once more.
Above, we’ve gone with the assumption that you can reach both sides of the exhaust fan for cleaning, but that might not be the case if you are living in an apartment building on the 3rd floor and the fan brings in fresh air from the outdoors. In this case, wipe whichever side of the exhaust fan is easily accessible.
Moreover, if the space is cramped or it is difficult to reach the exhaust fan, use a vacuum to suck out the dust or use a blower/hairdryer to blow out the dirt. Both of these methods should ideally be applied from the fan side of the frame, but it will work just as well from the other end, as long as you ensure that the grill is open beforehand, to give you maximum space to blow out the dust from the fixture.
You now know the best ways to clean fans at home, irrespective of which type of fan you own. So, get started on cleaning the home and making it spick and span using our tips and tricks. You can also check out this deep cleaning checklist for any other cleaning tasks that you may have missed.
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