How to Clean Dusty Ceiling Fans
Cleaning a really dusty ceiling fan can be intimidating. The Domestic CEO has a handy tip to clean your blades without getting the dust and grime all over your floors and furniture.
Every once in a while we here at Moxie Girl Household Assistants have the “pleasure” of walking into a home with super dirty ceiling fans. When I say super dirty, I mean they are so dirty that it looks like there is a small, furry animal hanging out on top of the blades. If your fans are this dirty, they can be intimidating to clean. After all, if you use a duster, you are going to knock all that dust onto the floor or your furniture, right?
Not to worry, I’ve got the trick to cleaning them without dirtying the rest of the room. All you need is a step ladder, a pillowcase, and a damp rag. Someone to hold the ladder as you climb up is highly recommended. Here’s what you do:
Climb the ladder until you can reach one blade without overextending yourself. Take your pillowcase and put it around the blade (just like you would a pillow). Then, as you pull the pillowcase off the blade, wipe all the dust from the top so it falls into the pillowcase. Turn the fan and repeat on each blade. Once you have the bulk of the dust off, use your rag to wipe each blade and remove any residual dust. In less than 5 minutes, your fan is clean! And more importantly, the rest of your house isn’t covered by a layer of blade grime.
To clean the now nasty pillowcase, take it out to your trash and dump the dust bunnies in the can. Turn the pillowcase inside out and shake it a little to get rid of most of the dust, then toss it in the wash inside out. By the time it comes out of the dryer, you’ll never be able to tell that it just did your dirty work.
For more of Domestic CEO’s tricks for your toughest cleaning jobs, check out: