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Clean a dusty ceiling fan in just 60 seconds

This easy cleaning hack takes one minute flat.

Alina Bradford CNET Contributor
Alina Bradford has been writing how-tos, tech articles and more for almost two decades. She currently writes for CNET's Smart Home Section, MTVNews' tech section and for Live Science's reference section. Follow her on Twitter.
Alina Bradford

This quick tip cleans ceiling fans in seconds.

Alina Bradford/CNET

After washing windows, cleaning ceiling fans is my most hated chore. I usually end up with dust all over me and only slightly cleaner fan blades. Until recently, that is.

how-to-clean-a-ceiling-fan

Grab some rags, barbecue tongs and four rubber bands for this simple (and fast) fan-cleaning hack.

Alina Bradford/CNET

To clean your ceiling fan quickly, and without getting dust everywhere, try making a DIY cleaning tool using items you already own. All it takes is some rags, a pair of barbecue tongs and four rubber bands.

First, roll each arm of the tongs with a rag (old terry cloth towels work best) and secure them with rubber bands. Then, clamp the fan blade between the tong arms and drag the rags along the length of the blade. (Ladies and gents with long hair, the action is very much like styling your hair with a flat iron.)

With this technique, the top and bottom of the fan blade gets cleaned in one swipe. Better yet, the dust gets trapped in between the rags, so there's no dust flying in your face.

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