Skip to main content

Monday Motivation: Clean your ceiling fan



The weather is getting warmer and pretty soon we'll need to turn on the fans around the house. 

My house is a passive-solar house and our ceiling fans play a big role in cooling our home in the Summer months. 

So big, in fact, that we have no less that 13 ceiling fans.  We have them in every room (sometimes 2 per room), in our bathrooms, and on our screen porch.  We likey our fans!

                          (This one is in our downstairs guest bathroom.  It has a pull cord with a seashell/starfish design)

Some of you know that one of my pet peeves is a dirty ceiling fan.  I was once traumatized by flying debris flung off of the blades of a dirty ceiling fan.  I'm just joking. . . kind of.

Here's what I do. 
1.  Turn off the fan.  I know this seems logical, but I have to say it.

2.  Use a sturdy ladder or step stool.  Don't try to balance on a chair or kitchen island.  Trust me on this one.

3.  Wipe with damp cloth.  If there is a lot of old gunk up there, use a degreaser or dishwasher detergent.

4.  Dry with a dry cloth.  Don't use furniture polish.  It leaves a film that attracts dirt. 

5.  While you're up on the ladder, you might want to clean the light fixture if your fan has one and also check for any burnt out bulbs.

6.  If your ceiling fan has reversible blades, turn the switch so the blades will turn to blow air directly down on you. During the winter months you can switch them to circulate heated air, forcing some of the rising hot air down into the room.

Well, I'd better get going.  I have a lot of fan blades to clean.   
Labels:

Comments

  1. LottieMay 17, 2010 at 7:14 AM

    Thanks for today's timely Monday Motivation. I looked up at my ceiling fans and...oh...my... goodness! Thanks for the inspiration.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Flannel Jammies FarmMay 17, 2010 at 7:34 AM

    So blessed by your motivation... I always forget about anything over my head (I'm about 5 feet tall) so this is a good reminder to look up and clean those fans!!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Tidy Brown WrenMay 17, 2010 at 7:19 PM

    I know what you mean, Donna Rae. I'm 5 feet tall and I have to remind myself to clean the top of the fridge!

    ReplyDelete
  4. TiffanyMay 18, 2010 at 10:00 AM

    I didn't know not to use furniture polish on the fans. I clean them once a week when I do my major house clean. I was watching Designed To Sell (or something like that) and they were dusting the fans and it was gross all the dust that fell off of the blades!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

I'd love to know what you're thinking. Please feel free to leave ideas and comments.

Popular posts from this blog

How To Make Your Own Exercise Bike For Next To Nothing

Remember back in April when I had a kidney transplant?  Well, the kidney is doing great (thanks, Cathy , for taking such good care of it when you owned it).  There was one little glitch, however.  During surgery, the retractors they used caused some nerve damage in my right leg.  When I woke up from surgery, I couldn't move or feel my leg.  The docs felt like the feeling would come back but the paralysis had them stumped.  A visit to a neurologist ruled out a stroke and a CT scan showed some fluid which was pressing on L4 and L5 (medical talk which means I couldn't feel or move part of my leg).  The prognosis is good and I'm recovering pretty quickly.  In fact, I've left my cane behind and I'm walking freestyle without falling.  My next goal is to be able to drive. I've been itching to get back to exercising (physical therapy doesn't count) because my medication causes me to gain weight and I need to burn some calories.  Running? - nope.  Walking? - can&
45 comments
Read more

A Designer's Secret For A Taller Bed

  Several years ago Hubs and I spent almost a year looking for a bedroom set that we both loved.  He wanted clean lines and dark wood.  I wanted curves and a "tall" bed.  Of course, there was no perfect bedroom set but we were able to compromise on a set that we both liked.  My main wish was for a bed that I could "climb up into".  The problem with that wish was that most of the "tall" beds were four poster beds and Hubs was not in the mood for that.  We found a Thomasville bed on display at a local furniture store and it fit the clean lines that Hubs wanted and it was "tall"  enough to suit me.  The problem was that once we received the bed we ordered in our home, it wasn't as tall as I had remembered it being.  My heart sunk!  I went back to the furniture store to look at the display.  Their bed was much taller than our bed.  Hmmm. . . what was different? I got nosey and lifted up the comforter on the bed.  It revealed their secret
10 comments
Read more

Plans For A DIY Exercise Bike Stand

  Thank you to so many of you who emailed me about plans for the DIY Exercise Bike Stand .  I apologize that it has taken me so long to get the measurements to you, but they are finally here!   The wood was purchased at Home Depot and the bike pegs were purchased at Walmart in the bike section.    The bike we used for this project is a 24" 12 speed bike (I'm a shorty).  I used the hardest gear while riding, but this set-up does not allow you to really get much resistance (for building muscle).  It was great for getting my legs moving after some nerve damage.  I also wanted to burn calories and get my heart rate up and this did the trick.    If you have any questions, just shoot me an email.
40 comments
Read more