The TikTok Hack For Cleaning Your Ceiling Fan

Let's be honest — unless you're a serious clean freak with a regimented schedule that targets every single surface in your house, there's a good chance there are certain areas that you're overlooking. These spots can include the tops of cabinets, your baseboards, or any other tough-to-reach areas in your particular home.

Even in relatively thorough cleaning routines, one key spot that often gets ignored is the blades on your ceiling fan. Since they're so inconvenient to clean, you constantly avoid the task, which is easy since you never see the tops of the fan. Plus, the movement of the blades means all the dust will be cleared off while spinning, right? Well, not quite. 

You still want to ensure the tops of your fan blades get dusted, but you may not want to rain dust down on the surfaces below, especially if your fan is positioned above a bed or table. According to Parade, that's where one TikTok cleaning hack comes in handy. You'll be able to clean your fan effectively and efficiently without getting dust all over the place. All you need is one household item that you likely have multiples of just sitting in your linen closet. Who doesn't love repurposing items that are already found in your home? 

TikTok user @s.e.cleantok walked users through cleaning the blades of a ceiling fan with the help of a pillowcase. You'll want to clean the blades individually, inserting each blade into the pillowcase so that there's fabric both above and below the ceiling blade. The material above will ensure you're cleaning every inch of the blade's surface, and the fabric below will help catch all the dust as it falls. As the user explained, you'll want to move the pillowcase slowly down the blade, getting the dust along all the edges and surfaces of the blade. Then, the dust will simply collect in your pillowcase and can be easily thrown out afterward. If you don't have an old pillowcase that can be used as a rag, then Parade recommends using an old college T-shirt instead.

While this hack recently made its rounds on TikTok, this particular trick has been beloved by cleaning enthusiasts for years. In response to a Reddit question posted in 2017 about "the best cleaning tip you've ever received," many individuals flagged the pillowcase ceiling fan hack as their top tip. Some users clarified they simply tossed the dusty pillowcases in the wash after cleaning. In contrast, others recommended shaking out the gathered lint and dust into the trash before laundering the pillowcase. Whichever method you prefer, you'll rest easy knowing that your fan isn't blowing around dust during every use.