Everybody loves a ceiling fan…until they quit on you.

Ceiling fans help keep your home comfortable year-round. They circulate cool air during the summer and push warm air down to you from the ceiling in the winter. Of course, the best way to keep your ceiling fan healthy is with a little preventive care and maintenance. 

Caution!

Please remember to turn off the ceiling fan and allow it to come to a complete stop before going near it. Otherwise the spinning fan blades will wreak havoc on your knuckles and your head.

Dust is the enemy.

As you may have noticed, dust finds ceiling fans very attractive. It gathers on the blades and accumulates around the motor, which can reduce a fan’s useful life. That’s why you should dust your ceiling fan at least every two months.

Your vacuum is your friend.

With its hose and brush attachment, use your vacuum cleaner to remove the dust from the top and bottom surfaces of your fan blades, as well as their leading edges. Don’t forget the motor housing and any ventilation screens. If it’s not practical to use your vacuum, you can use feather dusters, too.

Wipe all surfaces with a clean, damp cloth. If your fan has them, it’s also a good idea to remove the glass light fixtures that cover the light bulbs and wash them with soap and water. Hold the glass fixture securely with one hand while loosening the thumb screws at its base. When you replace them, make sure to tighten all the screws firmly by hand. But don’t over tighten them because you can break the glass.

Are you hearing noises?  You might have a loose screw.

There are a lot of screws in a ceiling fan and when any one of them becomes loose, it can turn your silent friend into a noisy nuisance. That’s why it’s a good idea to go over the whole fan and make sure all the screws are snug. Aside from the noise, loose screws can damage your fan – and in some cases, your body. And, that would not be cool.