In Singapore’s humid weather, we often turn to aircons and fans to keep us cool from the heat.
Ceiling fans are popular not only because they tend to circulate air evenly, but also because unlike standing fans, they help save space in the room.
However, with regular use, dust and dirt can accumulate on the fan blades, leading to reduced performance and spreading dust particles throughout the room.
Hence, cleaning your ceiling fan is essential not only for maintaining its efficiency but also for ensuring a healthy and dust-free environment.
In this step-by-step guide, we’ll walk you through the process of cleaning your ceiling fan efficiently and effectively.
Before You Clean A Ceiling Fan – Prepare Tools and Ensure Safety
Before starting the cleaning process, ensure your safety. Turn off the ceiling fan and let it come to a complete stop. If your ceiling fan is connected to a wall switch, switch off the power to the fan for an added safety measure.
Here is our recommended list of tools to best prepare you to clean the ceiling fan efficiently and safely:
- Secure and Stable Step Ladder With Rubber Soles
- Extendable Duster
- Pail or Bucket
- Dishwashing or Mild Soap
- Damp cloth
- Pillowcases
- Microfiber duster
- Vacuum Cleaner – Handheld Preferred
- Newspaper or Table Cloth
Did you know?
According to Singapore’s Regulations based on MOM’s Workplace Safety and Health guidelines, harnesses need to be worn for cleaning areas more than 3 meters. However, as a safety precaution, most cleaning companies set the standard maximum to be the regular HDB ceiling height of 2.6m.
With the use of harnesses and proper licensing, this process requires properly licensed workers present, which increases costs and prices of course. However, what if you want to save costs?
Here is a quick getaround solution to cleaning WITHOUT a ladder, whilst ensuring safety for the helper and cleaner:
How To Clean Ceiling Fan WITHOUT A Ladder (in 3 Steps)
Need to clean your ceiling fan quickly and without fuss?
Lacking a ladder? Fret not, here we teach you how to dust down the ceiling fan without a ladder in just 3 steps:
Step 1
First, line your floor with table cloth or newspaper.
In the process of cleaning, you can keep the surrounding floor area clean by lining the floor with newspaper or cloth to protect the surfaces. This saves you the hassle of having to pick up all the dust on the floor after!
Step 2
Secondly, use your extendable duster!
Nobody wants dust bunnies or particles flying all over the room. Hence, to avoid this, consider purchasing an extendable duster to reach your ceiling fan!
Use your extendable duster to clean each fan blade properly. Clean the top of the fan blade first before repeating the same step for the bottom side.
Hat trick: you can manually push and rotate your fan blades to clean all of them without moving your own position too much.
Step 3
Thirdly, wipe down the blades again.
To do this, use a damp cloth soaked and wrung with mild soapy water to wipe the remaining dust particles off the fan blades. This should leave your fan clean! Be gentle while cleaning to avoid bending or damaging the blades.
In fact, be cautious too as certain blades, especially old, metal and rusty ones, can cause cuts and injuries!
How To Clean Ceiling Fan WITH A Ladder Thoroughly
Next, cleaning your ceiling fan using a step-ladder is even more thorough as you get to clean your fan while inspecting it from the same eye-level. This is our RECOMMENDED method!
Step 1
Firstly, position your step ladder under the fan such that you can minimize movements and maximize your safety.
A tip is NOT to place it directly under the fan as you need space to maneuver. Avoid climbing high near outdoor areas, wet floor, or precarious positions near the window.
Depending on each house’s condition, and personal experience, this exact position will vary. Experiment for the first few times. After all, practice makes perfect.
A tall ladder would be ideal too as it’ll allow you to see all the areas properly and clean it thoroughly.
Step 2
Refer to our 3-step process above mentioned, in “how to clean ceiling fan WITHOUT a ladder”. This process can be much easier now with a ladder in place!
Step 3
Now, use your pillowcase to enclose each fan blade.
To do this, put a pillowcase over the blades then slide them off. This action will pull the dust and dirt back inside of the case! Easy peasy!
Step 4
Rotate your ceiling fan and repeat the step above.
Yes, to ensure that all fan blades are equally clean, rotate your fan either in a clockwise or anti-clockwise manner and do the same for each blade.
Step 5
You are almost done!
Now, whip out your vacuum cleaner to get rid of all remaining dust.
If you still see dust on the fan blades despite using the pillowcase, opt for a handheld vacuum cleaner to help clean up whatever is left!
Step 6
While cleaning the blades, don’t forget to clean the fan housing or motor casing.
Indeed, dust and dirt can accumulate here as well. Use either your vacuum or wet cloth to clean the housing carefully.
Avoid introducing too much moisture near electrical components.
Step 7
Next, clean the fan pull chains and light fixtures if there are any.
These can be simple or complex depending on your ceiling fan design.
In general, if your ceiling fan has pull chains or light fixtures, give them a quick wipe-down with the soft cloth and cleaning solution. These areas can also collect dust and grime over time too, and are important to address.
For ceiling fans with more complicated or intricate designs, MEIDE.SG recommends that you engage our ceiling fan cleaning experts to assess and do the cleaning for you. Remember to send us photos!
Step 8
Lastly, remember all the dirty cloth, pillowcases and newspaper around?
It is time to pack it all up!
To finish, clean up and wash your pillowcases and cloth in the washroom or shower area.
Simply shake the dirty pillowcase out and make sure all the dust is out before dousing it in water.
Oh, and remember to clear out your vacuum filter too.
Ensure that all components are free from moisture before re-connecting electrical supply and using the fan.
Congratulations, you have completed your thorough and efficient ceiling fan cleaning!
Want more educational materials and great learning articles free of charge? MEIDE.SG delivers it to you fresh from the oven, specially for our subscribers only. Sign up now (it’s free)!
How Often Should You Clean the Ceiling Fan?
To start off, MEIDE Singapore recommends you clean each ceiling fan at least once a month.
This is so that your fan works effectively and circulates the air flow evenly. Now, you would not want to turn on the ceiling fan to see dust speckles being blown everywhere, would ya?
The frequency of cleaning ceiling fans also depends on your location. In Singapore’s context, lower floor units – those situated nearer to the ground level, tend to accumulate dust more readily. Hence, you can clean the ceiling fan once a fortnight to maintain the hygiene.
Additionally, if your residence is near to roads, highways, or construction areas, it further predisposes your ceiling fan (and everything else) to dust accumulation. In such cases, we recommend weekly cleaning!
Remember, regular cleaning will help prevent heavy buildup of dirt, and make the cleaning process more manageable for each session too.
When To Engage Ceiling Fan Cleaning Experts?
Honestly, with our detailed instructions here, many able-bodied homeowners would be able to D.I.Y. However, there can be scenarios where you need extra help, such as for post-renovation, post-HIP, post-tenancy or any other moving in or out types of cleaning!
Moreover, engaging commercial help allows you to obtain an official invoice or receipt, which may be warranted by landlords or property agents.
Otherwise, if you are inexperienced, scared of heights, dust, or just cleaning in general, you would want to simply contact a ceiling cleaning veteran for assistance too.
Finally, for the unacquainted, cleaning a cleaning fan may be daunting at first. But with guidance, and watching how experienced cleaners do this, soon, you would likely be able to do it independently too.
Alright, enough talking and time to get cracking!
Book your #1 home services today, or join our team!
meide.sg is here for you, always.