Table of contents
How to Properly Maintain the Different Types of Fans in Your Home
Fans are the unsung heroes of many homes.
It’s true that air-conditioners are better at cooling down a home, but given the initial cost of buying one and how much more money you will need to spend to keep them in operation, they may not be realistic options for many people.
On the other hand, fans provide essential cooling for the summer and other unseasonably warm days without making a huge dent on your electric bill. You can also go to the store and pick one up pretty easily because fans don’t come with elevated price tags.
In order to get the true value out of a fan though, you must be diligent with its upkeep, and this article will show you how to properly care for the different types of fans that you may be using inside your home.
Caring for a Desk Fan
Desk fans are staples in many homes and offices. They are portable yet possess enough oomph to capably provide cooling for a medium-sized room. Because they can be taken anywhere, they are also the fans that are often used the most.
As much as possible, do try to find pockets of time in the day during which the desk fan can rest. You don’t need to keep them turned off for hours at a time, but giving them 20 to 30-minute breaks after every few hours should help lower the odds of them overheating.
During the summertime, try to give the desk fans more rest.
DoItYourself.com also advises desk fan owners to store the unit properly when it is not expected to be in use for an extended period of time. You can’t just store it anywhere though. Take the time to find a spot in your home where the desk fan won’t be able to accumulate that much dirt.
Place a cover on the fan to give it added protection, and if you’ve kept the box it originally arrived in, it may not be a bad idea to use that as its storage unit.
When it comes to cleaning, you will want to disassemble the unit first. Taking that extra step ensures that every inch of the fan will be properly cleaned. A washcloth that’s been soaked in a water and soap mixture can be used to wipe the fan down. Let it dry for a while and then put the desk fan back together.
Oiling the fan may also work to extend its lifespan, so keep some stored in your home and use it periodically to keep the item in fine working condition.
Caring for a Stand Fan
Stand fans are the real workhorses of many homes once the summer rolls around.
You won’t be surprised at all to see them used in multiple rooms, oscillating back and forth as the people try to stay with their motions to capture as much air as they can.
However, owing to the fact that stand fans are used quite a lot especially when the weather’s on the warmer side, they demand more attention and care out of you if you want to ensure that they will remain functional for a long time.
Ideally, you will want to set a schedule for cleaning your stand fan. Monthly cleaning is acceptable, although you should be able to notice quite easily if it’s time for a stand fan to be cleaned.
As for the cleanup process, it’s pretty similar to what you have to follow when you’re working on a desk fan.
The first step involves carefully disassembling the stand fan. Keep a container handy for the screws because you’ll see quite a lot of them and they can be easy to lose.
Once the fan has been taken apart, use a damp washcloth again to clean the fan and the blades in particular. Hunker suggests using the scrubbing side of a sponge if there are bits of dirt and debris that are not being dislodged right away by the washcloth. The website also advises against using anything more abrasive because the paint could be damaged.
After that’s done, just let the fan dry and then piece it back together.
If you can’t set aside time to clean your stand fan regularly using the method described above, you may want to look into getting a portable vacuum and use that for regular maintenance.
Caring for a Ceiling Fan
Ceiling fans, and especially Ventair fans, are also popular items to have inside a home because they don’t get in the way, and some even bring a nice design flourish into a room.
The catch with ceiling fans is that they are trickier to clean because they are hard to reach. It’s harder to clean every nook and cranny of a ceiling fan when you can’t even see their every nook and cranny.
An article from Today.com shines a light on some ways people can clean their ceiling fans more efficiently, and it involves the usage of special tools.
The first method calls on you to get a ladder and a duster. With the ladder set up and duster in hand, you can climb up to the ceiling fan and proceed to clean it carefully.
An easier way to clean a ceiling fan involves getting a tool known as an extendable fan blade duster. Just reach up with this duster and clean the blades thoroughly. No ladders have to be involved, and the cleanup can be completed much faster.
After a few months, you’ll also need to clean the motor of the ceiling fan itself. A compressed air duster is what you’ll want to have on hand for that job.
Caring for an Exhaust Fan
Exhaust fans are good to have in kitchens because they let smoke and other vapors out quickly. That prevents your kitchen from turning into a more dangerous space.
You should know that the process of cleaning an exhaust fan is significantly more complicated than the ones for other fans.
The first thing you’ll want to do is to remove the filters of the exhaust fan, according to DoItYourself.com.
After that, you will have to clean the filters, and this is the most labor-intensive part of the process. You must soften up the accumulated grease using hot water and then let them soak in a mixture made up of a gallon of water and a half cup of ammonia. The soaking should last for at least an hour.
Put on some protective gear next like gloves and a mask, and then scrub the filters until they are free from grease.
The blades of the exhaust fan can be cleaned using a mixture of a quart of warm water, a quarter cup of ammonia, and two tablespoons of baking soda. Use the mixture to clean the blades and then allow them to dry.
The good news is that cleaning the exhaust fan even just once per year should do the trick. However, cleaning the filters should be done at least quarterly.
As long as you make an effort to clean your home fans regularly, they should be able to remain in service for a long time. That’s another great feature of fans – they can remain in pretty good condition even if you aren’t watching them closely. Hopefully, the tips above have showed you how to properly execute cleanups for different kinds of fans, and the ones in your home will keep cooling you and your family for years to come.