Cleaning your ceiling fan can be a pain, but it’s something you should do regularly. It not only keeps your home looking clean, but it keeps the air in your home healthy. Ceiling fan blades attract a lot of dust, dirt and grime. And when the fan is turned on, it’s flinging all that gunk around the room which can lead to allergies and breathing problems.
How often should you clean your ceiling fan?
Well, that depends. Cleaning schedule factors include how often you use the fan, where it is in your house, and how generally dusty your house is. A ceiling fan in the living room may require less frequent cleaning than one in the kitchen, which not only picks up dust, but grease as well. A general rule of thumb, especially in the summer when you are using your fans more, is dusting once a week. You should also do a deep clean on your fans at least once a month or if your fan is especially caked with grime. I’ll go though that method at the end of this post.
3 ways to dust your ceiling fan
There are actually quite a few ways to dust your fan. I’ll go through a few below from easiest to hardest level of difficulty. Depending on your agility and comfort level, you can choose the right one for you. Always be sure your fan is turned off before you begin.
Ceiling fan duster: Easy
There are several different ceiling fan dusters on the market that make dusting your fan a breeze. These tools usually involve a long or extendable pole with a duster on the end. This way you can remain on the floor while you are dusting.
My personal favorite is the Swiffer Dusters Heavy Duty Extender. It is lightweight and extends up to 3 feet. The head also adjusts at different angles to get hard to reach places. If you have high ceilings with a fan, Swiffer also makes an extendable duster (Amazon, $11.89) that is up to six feet long.
Swiffer Dusters: Heavy Duty Extender Starter Kit (3 ft)
How to dust a ceiling fan with an extendable pole duster:
- Attach your duster to the extension pole. Be sure to fluff up the duster a bit.
- Extend the pole to the desired height. Make sure it will reach the top of the motor and fan blades.
- Dust from top to bottom and inside to outside. You’ll want to dust the top of the motor first and work your way down. Be sure to dust the tops, sides and bottom of the fan blades and fan brackets. Also inside and outside of the light fixtures and light bulbs. A dusty light bulb can dim your room by 20%.
Pillow case method: Medium difficulty
Cleaning your fans with a pillow case is a neat trick to dust your fans fast and without making a mess. You will need a pillow case and a sturdy ladder.
How to clean your fans with a pillow case
- Find an old, but clean pillow case.
- Set up a ladder underneath the fan (be sure the ladder is secure. Having someone hold the ladder for you is a good idea).
- Slip the pillow case over a blade of the fan. Then slide the pillow case off, trapping the dust inside. Do this for each blade.
I still recommend wiping the motor and light fixtures as well.
Ladder and microfiber cloth method: Hardest difficulty
This is the most difficult way to clean your ceiling fan. It requires climbing on a ladder and manually wiping each blade by hand. This will get you fan very clean, as this is the only way to deep clean your ceiling fan, as we will see below.
How to deep clean your ceiling fan (and turn your blades white again)
Sometimes just dusting your ceiling fan won’t get all the stuck-on dirt and grease off of it, especially if you have a ceiling fan in the kitchen. And if you have a white ceiling fan, that gunk shows up in a big way.
The deep cleaning method is a little more involved, but it will have your ceiling fan looking like new again. For this method, you will need a ladder, old rag, Dawn Dish Soap and a Magic Erasers.
How to deep clean your ceiling fans
- Perform the steps above from one of the methods to dust your ceiling fan. You’ll have to get off all the dust before the next steps.
- Get a ladder and position it under the celling fan.
- Take your rag and wet it with water so it is damp and squirt a bit of Dawn Dish Soap on it. Climb the ladder so you can reach the fan blades. Wipe the entire fan blade, top, bottom and sides. Also, the fan arms and brackets. Dawn is a degreaser and will take all that grime right off. The Dawn Powerwash Spray is a great product for this. Be sure to spray directly on the rag and not on the fan blades as the soap will fall to the floor and make it slippery. Also, stay clear of the motor as you don’t want to get any water inside of it. You can use the Magic Eraser on the sides if it is dirty in the later steps.
- Unscrew the light fixtures and clean them in the sink.
- Wipe the chains.
How to turn your fan blades white again
- Perform all the steps above for dusting and deep cleaning your fan
- Wet a Magic Eraser and wipe the entire fan blade, especially the sides that collect all the dirt and dust. Wipe the outside of the motor housing if necessary. NOYE: You can spray a bleach solution on your magic eraser before wiping to get blade even whiter!
- Wipe blades with a dry rag to remove any dirt left by the magic eraser.
Magic Erasers are great at removing stains and your white fan will look like new again!
Find out more great tips to clean your ceiling fans.
About The Cleaning Lady
I’m a professional house cleaner with 20 years of experience cleaning houses under my belt, and I’ve learned a lot about cleaning, organizing and how people react to these tasks. I’ve worked with hoarders, people will mental disorders and the young and old. What I’ve learned is everyone has different levels of “clean” and most people hate to clean. I give you cleaning and organization tips that are easy to use and don’t take all your time. And I am a fan of gadgets that will help you clean. My motto is “Clean smarter, not harder!”