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Ceiling fans spin around, circulating air, completely forgotten and abandoned when it's time to do chores and clean the house. They are way up there, keeping you cool, and collecting every bit of dust and grime your home can muster. Then, out of the blue, you notice extra dust balls that seem to land in the oddest places. You look around, noticing that although you have a smooth layer of dust on your furniture, there really aren't many dust balls to speak of, except right under your ceiling fan. Ugh! It must be time to do some heavy cleaning, much to your dismay.

Cleaning ceiling fans is tedious, but not that hard to do if you keep it up regularly. There are also a few secrets to make it a little less messy in the process. The first thing you want to do is move things out from under them. "Oh, sure," you say, "like that's going to happen. I'm not moving my bed just to clean a ceiling fan." Obviously you shouldn't be expected to rearrange your furniture every time you need to clean your ceiling fans. But you can move little things out of the way, and it's probably a good idea too.

For the things that can't be moved, it's wise to put a large sheet over them, under the ceiling fan, to catch the dust and debris that falls to the floor when you wipe down the blades and foundation of the fan. This can then be shaken outside in the yard before washing it.

There are ceiling fan blade wipers. They have bristles bound around wire formed into a loop. The loop is closed tightly to create a nice slit that your blades will slide between. The handle extends so you don't have to use a ladder. These are great to loosen caked on dirt in thorough cleanings and they also work for maintenance cleanings. They are primarily used for dry dusting.

Once you've loosened the dirt and dry dusted your ceiling fan, you need to get on your ladder and use a damp cloth to remove grime and dirt from your blades. Use a mild soap that can cut through grease. Dish soap works well, and so does most household cleaners. You'll need to consider what your blades are made of to determine the right cleaner for them.

As you wipe down the blades with a damp cloth, make sure you dry them so they don't warp or get water stains. Wipe down the hanging mechanism too, using a small brush if necessary to clear debris from any of the little vents in it. Once your ceiling fan is clean, it will work much better because it won't be carrying all the dust and debris it has gathered between cleanings. Ceiling fan efficiency means energy savings, and it might just prevent you from turning on the big air unit sooner than you'd like.

Learn more about this author, M. J. Joachim.
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