Chances are you’re like most people who don’t clean their exhaust fan regularly and are looking for a solution when your fan is in its greasiest condition. It’s normal. It’s still easy to clean the greasiest exhaust fans if you take just some time off your schedule to do it. We recommend you take 20 minutes of your day to clean your exhaust fan thoroughly.
Bathroom exhaust fans are designed to remove moisture and odour from your bathroom. If after taking a shower or bath your bathroom mirror stays foggy, chances are your exhaust fan is not working at its full potential or you’ve not chosen the right exhaust fan for your needs.
Choose the right exhaust fan for your needs: Top 5 exhaust fans for bathroom in India.
All the humidity in the bathroom can cause problems with the paint on the walls. A hot and humid environment is perfect for bedews to grow.
Today we are going to show you how to clean your exhaust fan in 6 simple steps in under 30 minutes.
How often should you clean your exhaust fan?
It is recommended to clean your exhaust fan at least once a year but if you see a lot of gunk and dirt build up on your fan you should do it often. This will help you ensure the longevity and efficiency of your exhaust fan.
How to clean a greasy bathroom exhaust fan at home?
Cleaning a greasy exhaust fan is easy but you need some tools before starting the cleaning process.
Tools required for cleaning.
- Step stool or ladder (to climb)
- Mask and Gloves (For protection from dirt)
- Screwdriver set (to remove and disassemble fan)
- Scrubbing brush and cloth (to clean)
- Hot water
- turpentine oil/ kerosene/acetone (to remove grease)
Which cleaning solution is best for cleaning?
Depending on how greasy your exhaust fan is and your budget choose one of the solutions to clean. Turpentine Oil can be easily found in any hardware shop near you at a very cheap price. Kerosene can also be found in shops near you. The best but on the pricier side is acetone or in India people also know it as a nail paint remover. This is the best easiest way to clean the exhaust fan with ease.
Total time required for cleaning?
Depending on how greasy the exhaust fan is, it can take from 20 min to 40 min to clean the exhaust fan thoroughly. Most of this time will be spent scrubbing the sticky dirt.
Things to know before starting the cleaning process.
Exhaust fans are easy to disassemble but if you’ve never done this before in past then we recommend you watch this video as this will give you a better idea of removing the fan cleaning it thoroughly.
Step by Step guide to clean exhaust fan.
Step 1: Preparation before cleaning.
Wear the precautionary item to protect yourself from all the dirt and protect your hand from grease buildup as it can get stuck to your hand or in between your nails.
This step isn’t necessary but suggests you do so. Protect yourself.
Watch the above-attached video if you don’t know how to disassemble the exhaust fan and disconnect all the wire and electricity connections connected to the exhaust fan.
Step 2: Remove and disassemble the fan.
Exhaust fans are usually fitted at a height. Climb the stool and remove the fan from the duct with the screwdriver.
After removing the fan now you’ve to disassemble it for cleaning. The above-attacked video will be helpful here if you don’t know how to disassemble the exhaust fan.
Step 3: Remove loosely attached dust.
Not all dust on the fan will be greasy. Newly buildup dust will be easy to remove and removing it will make further work easier.
With a piece of clean cloth remove the closely attacked dust of the exhaust fan and the mesh.
Step 4: Clean with warm water and chemical.
Place the disassembled fan and grill/mesh (if your exhaust fan comes with it) in the warm water for 5 minutes and then remove it and apply one of the solutions (Kerosene/turpentine oil/acetone) on the fan, mesh and all the dirty plastic surface with a cloth and place it for 5 to 7 minutes. This solution will help loosen up most grease.
Step 5: Scrubbing and wiping.
Start with a scrubbing brush. Scrub all the grease on the fan and then wipe it with a cloth with the solution applied to it. Use a clean cloth and apply the solution to it before removing the dust. Cleaning with a solution dipped cloth is easier than a dry cloth. Keep repeating scrubbing and wiping till you remove all the dust and grease from the fan.
Step 6: Keep drying the surface.
Keep drying the fan with a cloth or paper towel to keep the surface dry and building up or spreading grease from one place to another.
Keep following steps 5 & 6 till you get a perfectly cleaned dry exhaust fan. These 2 steps are most time and energy-consuming.
Cleaning kitchen exhaust fan also follows almost similar steps.
How to increase the lifespan of your exhaust fan?
An average lifespan of an exhaust fan is around 10 years and you can easily achieve it by maintaining and cleaning your fan regularly. A non maintained dirty exhaust fan not just decreases the lifespan of the exhaust fan but also is a risk of fire hazard.
Most modern exhaust fans come equipped with thermal overloading protection so the risk of this happening is slim to none.
Important points after cleaning your exhaust fan.
1. Keep cleaning your fan every once in a while when the fan gets a little dusty to save energy and time of cleaning sticky grease.
2. You can also vacuum clean your exhaust fan once a month.
3. Using water-based cleaning detergent like some we mentioned is the easiest way to clean exhaust fans or any greasy surfaces.
4. Clan the room thoroughly in which you cleaned your fn as the dust can fly and accumulate in different corners of the room.
Find how an exhaust fan works: How does an exhaust fan work? Explained easily and scientifically.
