apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time


How To: Clean an Oscillating Round Fan

06-30-08- Osc Fan.jpgWe have almost polished off the month of June and July is knocking at the door. Having spent the month with our oscillating fans on to keep us cool, now is a good time to pause and take a few minutes to give them a quick clean. They have worked hard and could use a little bit of attention. (Plus it will keep your fan and your lungs in better shape!) Here's how...

 
 


06-30-08- Osc Fan2.jpg

How To Clean Your Oscillating Round Fan:

  • Unplug your fan from the wall, taking a second to inspect the cord to make sure your kitty, Mrs. Fluffy Feet hasn't found herself a new chew toy.

  • Using the appropriate screw driver (usually Phillips) unscrew the front grill from the back grill. Likewise, if your fan doesn't use screws, look for grill clips that can be snapped apart to allow the grill to be released.

  • Unscrew the blade cap from the blade and take it off.

  • Slide the fan blade off.

  • Unscrew the back grill nut from the back grill and take it off. (Remembering where you put the nut for reassembly later)

  • Slide the back grill off.

  • Use a mild soap and warm water on each fan part to clean it. Your favorite earth friendly cleaners will work just fine.

  • Set each cleaned part on a hand towel and allow about 10 minutes for each fan part to dry. Even if you hand dry them, it's best to make sure all moisture is gone before reassembling.

  • Follow disassembly instructions given above in reverse to reassemble the fan.

  • Plug your cleaned oscillating round fan in and turn it on. It should be quieter and cleaner than before. If it is not, try the steps above again until totally clean.

  • Use your hand towel from drying the parts and quickly wipe down the stand and base. The extra moisture in the towel will pick up any remaining grime.

  • Make yourself a delicious beverage in celebration of a job well done.




    The small amount of time will increase the life of your fan and help to keep the dust down in your space. It should be done a few times a year, more if you tend to have a dustier space.
    Your fan will run with a reduction in noise and with less resistance, reducing your energy usage. Every little bit helps right?

    Lower Photo by: sea turtle via Flickr.

  • Tags

    How To..., air & water quality, cleaning, heat & cold, Cleaning, Dissasemble, Oscillating Fan, Round

    Related Links

    Share

    Comments (9)

    and do it often. it makes the whole place look better. no matter how messy it is.

    posted by Lady J on 2008-06-30 16:51:13
    view Lady J's profile

    ummm...sorry to be a hater but that was a pretty uninformative 'How To'. Might as well have said, step 1, take it apart, step 2 clean it, step 3 put it back together.

    A more useful article would have given us tips on how to get into all those nooks and crannies in the wire cage, how to get off that caked on dust on the blades, how to clean the place where dust accumulates on the motor. The article just stated the obvious.

    kwak

    posted by kwak on 2008-06-30 18:38:28
    view kwak's profile

    It wasn't obvious to me.

    posted by Erika in Seattle on 2008-06-30 19:29:39
    view Erika in Seattle's profile

    i guess cleaning the wire cage & the other parts will be posted in "cleaning your oscillating fan part 2"
    hehe

    for the nooks & crannies, what about a can of compressed air (whatever it's called) that is used to clean keyboards?

    posted by little flower on 2008-06-30 23:10:26
    view little flower's profile

    quack quack i agree... thanks for detailing the obvious!
    maybe you just dont use fans too often in Seattle? obviously that just means you're pretty cool already...

    posted by sarahjam on 2008-07-01 01:22:42
    view sarahjam's profile

    compressed air prob wouldn't work too well for a fan because it gets this "caked on" dust and since the fan is blowing all the time, the dust that is on the fan is usually pretty stubborn.

    Haven't tried it but I thing a strong bristled brush would work the best on the wire cage. Use the nozzle of a good vacuum to suck off whatever dust you can from the motor. A good microfiber cloth (wet or dry) also works wonders on dust in general...doesn't just move it from place to place like a wet rag does.

    posted by kwak on 2008-07-01 03:58:19
    view kwak's profile

    I just take them outside and hose them down...not sure it it's good for longevity...theirs or mine, but I do wait till they're dry before plugging them in.

    posted by carlamarx on 2008-07-01 08:00:53
    view carlamarx's profile

    so i have a vintage sears fan at home and it recently started making an awful rattling noise that managed to scare my entire house.

    is it necessary to oil an old fan? i haven't noticed any loose parts on it, it's just noisy now!

    posted by grphcgurl on 2008-07-01 19:13:11
    view grphcgurl's profile

    i don't know, grphcgurl, but from your description i wouldn't wanna be around when the shit hits your fan

    posted by little flower on 2008-07-01 22:34:48
    view little flower's profile