The Secret To Cleaning A Ceiling Fan Without Making A Mess
I try to clean ceiling fan blades at least twice a year, usually in the spring and fall. But for the longest time, every time I cleaned our fan blades, most of the dust I dislodged ended up all over the place, no matter how careful I was. What a mess!
In spite of that mess (and how hard it can be to reach the fan to clean it), I do recognize that ceiling fans are a great way to keep your house comfortable — in both hot and cold weather — and save money on utilities. By flipping the small switch that changes the direction the blades rotate, a ceiling fan can push cooler air down into the room to help keep you cool, or pull it up toward the ceiling to keep you warm.
Regardless of the season, however, you don’t want your fan blades to be showering the room with dust as they spin! And you won’t have to once you know the best way to clean ceiling fans (and just as important, how to clean a ceiling fan without making a mess!)
Related: 11 Clever Cleaning Shortcuts That Will Save You So Much Time
Note: We got rid of our one ceiling fan when we installed new light fixtures in our living room, but luckily my friend Michell was kind enough to let us use her fan to take photos for this post. Her fan blades were already pretty clean, but rest assured that this cleaning hack works on even the dustiest blades!
How To Clean Ceiling Fan Blades The Easy Way
What You’ll Need
Related: I’ve Tried Lots Of Pillows, But This One Is The Best
Directions
When cleaning anything that runs on electricity, the first thing you should do is cut the power to it, and it’s no different with ceiling fans. Go to your circuit breaker panel, determine which circuit your ceiling fan is on, then flip that breaker to the OFF position.
Grab a pillowcase, as well as a ladder or step stool, if necessary, and slide the pillowcase over one of the blades. Use your hands to press the pillowcase against the top and bottom of the blade, then slide it toward the end of the blade.
As you slide the pillowcase, all the dust and dirt will come off the fan blade while staying inside the pillowcase, both cleaning the blade and containing the mess! After repeating this process with each fan blade, take the dusty pillowcase outside, shake the dust out, then toss it in the wash to clean it.
Finishing Touches
If the fan’s motor housing looks dusty too, use compressed air to clean it. (It’s a good idea to hold your pillowcase open around the motor housing as you do this to help reduce dust.)
If you want to go the extra mile and keep your fan blades dust-free longer, I recommend wiping your clean fan blades with a soft cloth and a dusting spray after removing the loose dust. (This is an optional step, but it’s quick and easy to tack onto the end of the cleaning process!)
The Takeaway
Using this method to clean your ceiling fan and ceiling fan blades is so easy and effective that it will make your head spin. The entire project only takes about five minutes from start to finish, so take a few minutes in the near future to get your fan cleaned up; you’ll be glad you did!
Related: 45 Of The Best Home Cleaning Hacks For Every Inch Of Your Home
Do you use your ceiling fans all year?
More Ideas You'll Love
Honestly, I can’t see how it even makes a difference which way the fan is running, as long as it’s running on the lowest speed.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.If your fans are old and have the pressed wood (or as they now call it, “engineered wood” that is actually made from sawdust that’s held together with resin, like the stuff that most inexpensive (think Sauder) furniture is now made of, you don’t want to put wet fabric on them. That will cause them to swell up and be destroyed and it never resumes its original form once it dries. Most newer fan shave blades made of plastic so it wouldn’t be an issue for them.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’m definitely going to try this. Until now I’ve always done it the hard way with a sponge and a bucket of water with a small amount of cleaner in it. Given that we have five fans scattered around the house, this should be much easier and faster.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I hope it makes this task easier for you, Al! :-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Has anyone purchased fan blade covers and had success? They seem like an easy solution. Just take them down and throw them in the washing machine. I understand if you paid a great deal of money for a fancy fan this solution wouldn’t work. I have cheap white fans inside the house and no matter what, I have to scrub them to get them clean.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Some times degreasers don’t work. I use a wet cloth dipped into a small bowl with baking soda in it. The baking soda will cut the grease in seconds. After cleaning blades, wipe off blades with clean wet cloth a couple of times. No more grease and beautifully clean blades.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Great tip! Thanks Yvette!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.OMG !!! What a terrific idea !! and easy cause mess is in pillow case !!! You are my life saver for cleaning my fans!! Thanks 4 all of your great ideas and Help around my house and my life !!I started using essential oils after reading your pages about them!! has made my life so much easier to live !!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Now THIS is a unique idea I’ve never heard! Thank you!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Thanks for the idea!! Was just looking at mine the other day wishing, I could figure out a different, less time consuming way to get them clean. This, I’m sure will do the trick and you can bet, I’m gona do it!! :)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Place colour complimenting knee-high stocking over each blade. Then wash/ discard as needed
Please log in or create a free account to comment.AussieMel – that’s kinda brilliant.
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