Our Ceiling Fans Have Never Looked Better From This Vacuum Hack

Cleaning a ceiling fan is a chore often forgotten, but when you look up after a long day and see a caked-on layer of dust and pet fur, you know it's time to do a bit of tidying. Unfortunately, however, this cleaning task is often more of a challenge than simply wiping down your shelves or removing toothpaste splatters from the bathroom mirror. Ceiling fans are high up in the air, so to reach yours, you find yourself balancing on a step stool or piece of furniture. To reach the tops and ends of each blade, you awkwardly maneuver to wipe any missed spots. Soon, the whole thing starts to spin, leaving you with chunks of dust falling in your face and to the ground. Thankfully, however, there's a hack that both extends your reach and makes cleanup easier, and all it takes is your vacuum.

You might only be used to using your vacuum on your flooring and your vacuum attachments on the blinds, in the corners, and across the baseboards, but clever TikTok users like @adayinmaryslife have tried plenty of other uses, too — from helping you clean your bathroom to, yes, dusting the ceiling fan. Once you get used to this new approach, trust us, you'll never go back to fiddling with a feather duster again.

If you plan to try this vacuum hack yourself, there's one thing you need to ensure you have: a vacuum with an extendable hose. Most typical floor vacuums have this capability, but, if you have a smaller or simpler model, it's a good idea to double-check before you go all in on the idea.

To use your vacuum to clean your ceiling fan of dirt and dust, switch the suction over to the tube, then add on any of your vacuum's attachments you have that could help make the job a bit easier and more precise — Tiktoker @adayinmaryslife used a crevice tool in her hack, for example. You might have to place the vacuum itself on a stool or piece of furniture to allow the tube to reach, but the actual cleaning process should only take a few seconds and be much easier than typical dusting.

If you have a handheld vacuum, this process will be even simpler. All you need to do is use the vacuum to suck up any clumps of hair or dust on the ceiling fan. Stop there for a quick fix, or follow up with a rag and some all-purpose cleaner to ensure everything is sparkling clean. After you're done, switch your vacuum back over and revel in the fact that a typically dreaded task took you a fraction of the time and effort that it normally would.