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How do you clean ceiling fans in a flash without dust bunnies flying everywhere? I’m so glad you asked. My new house cleaning tips get those fans sparkling in minutes without the crazy mess. Be sure to see to catch the video near the end too!
How do you clean?
I’m asking. How do you clean ceiling fans? I’ve always dreaded the deed of cleaning them because the nasty dust that comes off would go everywhere. I’d use a vacuum cleaner and a rag and it makes the biggest mess for sure. Well, no more, sister. Here’s how to get it done.
Tools
The supplies you need are simple. Depending on how thick the dust has accumulated on your fan [no judgments here], you may need one to three pillowcases to do the job. That’s right, your main tool is a plain old pillowcase. The only other tool is a dot of water to dampen the pillowcase if the ceiling fan is especially dusty. You don’t want them soaking wet though!
Instructions
Turn off ceiling fans. Grab your pillowcases and drape them across the chair or ladder you’ll be using to reach your ceiling fans. Open the pillowcase and slip it over one blade of the ceiling fan – all the way to the base. Carefully and slowly pull the pillowcase back off of the blade while pressing down on the top blade with one hand so that the dust falls into the case. Simultaneously press your other hand against the bottom blade while removing the pillowcase. The idea is to neatly “catch” all of the dust WITHIN the pillowcase. Repeat on each blade. After cleaning all of the blades, I’ll typically close the opening of the pillowcase and carefully wipe the underside of the blade with an outside part of the cloth.
Easy Peasy!
See how fast it really is?! What I’ve discovered is that I do not dread and “put off” this cleaning chore hack now because it literally takes only minutes and is mess-free. Woohoo!
UPDATE: a smart reader of the blog had this question…
What to do with a pillowcase filled with gross, ceiling fan dust?
If my pillowcase is not too bad, I simply toss it in the washing machine by itself {or with cleaning towels} and run them through a pre-wash before washing with other towels in a normal wash. If the pillowcase is really covered, I step outside, turn the pillowcase inside out, and shake it like a rug before throwing it in a pre-wash load in the washing machine.
I’d love to know. How do you clean ceiling fans? Will you try this method? Let me hear from you in the comments!
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Published on HuffPost, Okefenokee Living Magazine, and more, Shan is a Family Travel Journalist with a passion for helping women lose the overwhelm of planning family-friendly trips in the south. She shares travel reviews & insider secrets that Women REALLY want to know about Georgia, Florida, & the Carolinas vacations.
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I seriously need these tips! I am so bad about forgetting to clean things I cant see!
A nifty little hack I need to do!
Yes! Needed these tips. We have 2 ceiling fans that are in desperate need of cleaning. Thanks!
Great idea! I would have never thought to use a pillow case!
Fans should come with a self-cleaning feature. Maybe a super high speed where the dust all blows off. 😆
What a great idea! I usually use the vacuum cleaner, but still end up sneezing and itching because of all the dust that ends up falling on me. Thanks for the great tip!
Great idea! My ceiling fans have WAY too much dust on them…definitely need to do this
Why have I never thought of this before? This is awesome!!!
Oh my goodness, this is such a great idea!
I needed to see this! Mine is so dirty lol!
Lauren
I can’t even begin to explain how dusty my ceiling fans are!
That’s a smart fan cleaning trick I wish I knew before. Anyways, thank you for sharing such an cool idea.
What a clever trick!
Author
Thanks, Julia, a.k.a., Mama Moe! I checked out your site and love it. 🙂
shan
This is genius! Definitely one of those “how come I didn’t think of that?” tricks!
Wow this is a great idea. I have so much problems with dust spreading around.. Great article!
Author
Awe. Thanks, Stephanie! It tis the season! 😉
shan
Amazing! This is an incredible post. Such a great idea! I use the vacuum, but still, wind up sneezing as well as itching due to all the dirt that eventually ends up falling upon me. I appreciate your great suggestion!