In this post we’re going to talk about how to clean a fan before you put it away for the season or before you bring it back out of storage in the spring.
It’s that time of year again! The air is getting (slightly) cooler, the days are getting shorter, and I think it’s finally time to put all of our fans back down in the basement. We try to just open our windows up in the evenings and use our fans to cool off as much as possible when we can during the summer so we have quite a few of them around the house. If you’ve noticed that your fan is looking a little icky and you thought you’d better figure out how to clean a fan properly, you’ve come to the right place. Today I’m going to walk you through the steps as I clean one of mine before putting it away for the fall and winter.
Step One to Clean a Fan: Vacuum
If you’ve been using your fan all season, your fan will probably have quite a bit of dust build up. Before you start taking it apart and really getting into deep cleaning it, unplug it and go over the whole thing with your vacuum. The soft dusting brush attachment works really well for this if you have it handy.
Seriously though, isn’t it amazing how much these fans can pick up just from sitting in the corner of a room and spinning for a few months?
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How to Clean a Fan: Disassembling the Fan
If you’ve never taken a fan apart before, you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how easy the whole thing is. Find the little latches around the perimeter of the fan cage first and left them up.
Once those are all lifted, you should be able to pull the front part of the cage off. Again, make sure that your fan is unplugged before you do this! You may need to lift the cage slightly or wiggle it a bit to get it off.
Next you want to remove the blade. To do this, simply unscrew the cap located at the centre of the blade. Wipe the cap down and set it aside in a spot where you won’t lose it.
And now your fan is disassembled and ready for its deep clean!
How to Clean Your Fan
The actual cleaning part of the process is beyond simple and really just takes a little soapy water. Run your fan blade under some water to rinse away most of the dust, then wipe it down with a soft cloth dipped in warm, soapy water.
Make sure your fan blade is thoroughly dry before you put it back in place.
When it’s time to re-assemble your fan, take your vacuum again and vacuum out the inside of the cage really well. Make sure you get both the inside of the front cover and the back piece too.
Then just put your fan blade pack in place, screw the cap back on and replace the front cage cover. And your fan is ready for storage!
It’s a good idea to slip a plastic bag over the top of your fan before you put it away so that it will be nice and dust-free for you in the spring when you bring it back out. All you’ll need to do is wipe down the base!
Have you put your fans away for the season yet or are they still going strong where you are?
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Courtenay Hartford is the author of creeklinehouse.com, a blog based on her adventures renovating a 120-year-old farmhouse in rural Ontario, Canada. On her blog, Courtenay shares interior design tips based on her own farmhouse and her work as founder and stylist of the interior photography firm Art & Spaces. She also writes about her farmhouse garden, plant-based recipes, family travel, and homekeeping best practices. Courtenay is the author of the book The Cleaning Ninja and has been featured in numerous magazines including Country Sampler Farmhouse Style, Better Homes and Gardens, Parents Magazine, Real Simple, and Our Homes.