If you have a dryer vent then you are going to know that you should be continually cleaning them to make sure that you prevent the possible result of a fire breaking out.  With dryer vents they can be a little bit risky at times, because if they are not cleaned properly then you could be helping the cause of a fire starting.  You might think that you cannot be bothered to clean out the vents but it is something which could actually save your home and family in the long run.

To clean out the dryer vents it is a simple process and one which is not going to be taking a long time for you to do so don’t think that a few minutes each week is going to be a daunting process because it could save you at the end of the day.

If you want to stop a dryer fire from happening then you should try to follow a few of these steps so that you can clean your dryer vents and keep you safe.

Tools and Materials Needed:

• Screwdriver
• Vent clamp
• Wire hanger
• Vent cover

Step 1 – Prepare Your Dryer for the Cleaning

The first step is the easiest step to do; locate your fuse box and remove the circuits from the fuse box this will help prevent you getting any nasty shocks.

Step 2 – Remove Your Vent

You will need a screwdriver to help remove the dryer vent clamps; remaining these clamps will mean that you can remove the hose that is in the dryer.  The hose for the dryer vent will be located at the back of your dryer but it is quite easy to find.

In the vent hose there will be a lot of lint, this is the most common problem that you will find with dryer vents; you will get more lint than anything else.  It is very important that you remove the lint from the vent and hose because it could mean that you get a lot of problems when it comes to working the vent.

Step 3 – Clean Your Vent Tube

You will have to locate your vent tube from outside your home, and once you do you will have to clean out the tube and the vent itself.  There will be a lot of lint that has been building up in your vent tubing however so you are going to have to take a lot of time to try to remove all of the lint from the vent; if you cannot get everything out then you could use an old coat and wire hanger and pry out any remaining lint in the tubing.

You will then put the vent tube back into its place.

Step 4 – Apply Your Finishing Touches

Now that your vent tube has been cleaned then you can just put everything back into its original place again; you need to put the tube back into its place and put the vent cover back into place once more.

You are going to have to run a test on the vent; this is too make sure that your vent is working properly and it is just good to do this to get any remaining dirt from the vent.  It is always wise to get the quality of your vent checked out even if it is a few times a year’s you need to know that the dryer vents are still in perfect working order.  It is also wise to keep checking the vent yourself and cleaning it out every week or at the end of every month; it could be wise to do so every week because these are dangerous somewhat so checking up on them regularly could be a wise decision.

A lot of us are going to have different methods of keeping our homes conditioned as well as humidified now that doesn’t mean to say that you will need to go out and buy all sorts of fancy and expensive systems.  You can just get one simple one and many today are turning to something called the ultrasonic humidifier; now this can really help a home.

If you don’t use the humidifier correctly then you are only going to get spray of minerals back into your room so you want to make sure that you are using it correctly and that it is in perfect working order.  If your ultrasonic humidifier is not cleaned properly then bacteria can be spread back into the air and the room meaning that you could find yourself prone to get anything like mould or even mildew forming because of your ultrasonic humidifier if not cleaned properly.

If you want to know a few ways to help keep your ultrasonic humidifier tidy and clean and want to make it run smoothly then follow these few rules to help you.

Use Distilled Water in Your Ultrasonic Humidifier

You should know that any tap water could have minerals present in it meaning that the ultrasonic humidifier could be spreading these minerals all across your room and house which is something you don’t want of course.  If this does happen then you are going to more than likely see little powdery and white almost like dust that tries to settle on everything it sees.  That is something that you don’t want to have because it could take a long time to clean and is just a long process that you don’t want to have to keep on doing every day.

However, if you use water which has been distilled then that could help stop this process from happening.  By the water being distilled then it has gone under a very specific and special process which has been created to help take away the minerals from the water meaning you are going to be less likely to get dust spreading across your home.

Empty the Water and Clean Everyday

You really should be using clean water every day so that you are using fresh water in your refilling of the ultrasonic humidifier.  If you keep on continuingly use the same water every day without changing it then you could find there are going to be a lot of bacteria growing in the humidifier.  That is why you are really should be trying to change your water every day so you don’t get any bacteria growing in the humidifier.

You should try to keep on wiping clean the ultrasonic humidifier every week or so with something like a disinfectant so that if there is any bacteria then it is going to be destroyed and not harm your air or the room.

Clean the Base and Tank with White Vinegar

It is wise if you should clean your base and tank with something like white vinegar; you should even leave the mixture there for around half an hour and then remove it and wash it properly once more so that you get all the vinegar removed.

It is easy to clean your ultrasonic humidifier and now you know how then go out and try it yourself, you might find this has helped you a lot and probably save you money.

If you have an oscillating fan then they can be great but they can also be a right pain; they could be a little noisy and if so then they can get right on your nerves.  If you follow these instructions then you could find it a little easier for you to clean out your oscillating fan with ease and as well as staying safe.

If you want to clean out your oscillating fan then try to do so regularly, once you get the hang of it then it will become second nature to you so try cleaning out every month or few weeks to help keep the maintenance up.  You don’t want to have to replace the fan every few weeks or months because it will end up costing you a lot of money and in the end your patience will run out

What You Will Need

• Hot water
• Cleaner
• Screwdriver
• Cloth

Step 1 - Disassemble

You should firstly try to disassemble the parts of the oscillating fan; if you have no experience in taking apart electrical things then don’t worry we all have to start something.  To clean the fan you should remember to turn off all power in your home or certainly to your oscillating fan because you don’t want to have an accident and give yourself an injury.

Once you have got all of the power off for the oscillating fan then you can start off by cleaning the outer part of the fan, the grille first.  It’s usually screwed into place so you will need to simply unscrew them and remove the grille.  Now once you have removed it you are going to be able to wash that, you could really give this a good wash if you were to soak this for a good ten or so minutes.

You are going to be able to see your blades; now you can take them out – usually one piece – they will be attached by one screw which you will remove and you are going to be able to clean the blades one by one.

Step 2 – Cleaning and Drying

When it comes to the cleaning part of the oscillating fan then you are going to have to get some hot soapy water and a cloth and clean as much dirt off your blades as possible.  Go over each one carefully because you might find that some of the dirt is stubborn and won’t move but don’t worry after a lot of elbow grease then you should be able to get the dirt removed.  You are also going to need to scrub the grille of the fan also; this might be some work but you’ll get there in the end.

You are going to have to make sure that there are no water anywhere near the electrical components of the fan because you might end up short circuiting the fan meaning it won’t work again.  Clean the inside of the fan with a cloth but no water at all otherwise you might end up damaging the fan.

You will need to wash all of the parts and leave them to dry off for around thirty or so minutes; then when they have dried off you will have to put all of the parts back into the fan.

The last part will be to try to test the fan out so that the parts are all back in right working order and is working properly also.

If you do find that you have a extractor fan vent or duct in your home usually found in your kitchen, then you might have noticed that is will usually get more clogged up with the debris inside.  This is usually the grease in your kitchen produced when you are cooking; but if you are worried when it comes to cleaning the extractor fan duct or vent then don’t, cleaning this can be actually quite easy to do once you know how to.

Cleaning out your extractor fan is something that is going to be great to help extend the life of your fan.  You are going to need all of the equipment to help clean out your extractor fans; doing this won’t take all day, in fact an hour or two is all that is needed.

Tools and Materials Needed

• Soapy Water
• Polish
• Cloth
• Sponge
• Vacuum

Step 1 – Unscrewing the Extractor Fan

You can start by taking out all of the screws to the extractor fan and remove it from the wall; you should be able to take the housing off the wall when you have unscrewed all of the screws keeping the fan attached to the wall.  Then you can get to the actual vent or duct; it could be something just as simple as a vacuum to clean your fan out or if you want to use a cloth then you could also.

When you re deconstructing the fan then make sure that all of the parts are kept in a safe place so that when you want to put them back in then you are not going to miss a piece out or lose them.

Step 2 – Cleaning the Vent

To clean you vent then you are going to have to use some hot water combined with some soap and a bit of elbow grease.  If you can remove the fan from the extractor wall unit then that is great because you will be able to clean it better but a lot don’t so you are going to have to use water and your soap but a little amount on the vent itself.

Step 3 – Scrubbing

Now you are going to have to scrub your heart out to get rid of all of the dirt and grime on your vent; you are going to need hot water and of course some sort of cleaner – getting something which is great for taking tough stains out would be best.  Try to work on the parts which are really bad and are in need of plenty of cleaning.

To get rid of all of the tough stains then you should try to wash the extractor fan a few times just to make sure that you have got all of the dirt away; a lot of the times getting rid of the dirt can be quite tricky however.

Step 4 – Cleaning Outside

To clean the outside of the vent, then you can do what you did before, it is that easy; the only thing that is a little different is that you can take your vent from the wall.  You will need to unscrew the fixtures and then you can wash the vent in hot soapy water and if you do this right then you could have your vent looking brand new again.

Before you think about reattaching the vent then make sure everything is completely dry.

Step 5 – Fixing the Vent

Your vent can be  reattached back to your wall again but don’t worry this is the very easy part you will follow the guide to where you had the vent originally and affix it by using the holes in the wall from where the vent used to go.

Many of us have a evaporative air cooler in our homes but they can be a nightmare to clean because if you have one of these evaporative air coolers then you are going to need to properly clean and maintenance these.  If you look after these then you should be cleaning regularly and making sure that all parts are still in perfect working order.  It can be done if you know what you are supposed to be doing.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED;

• Hose with squirt nozzle
• Scrub brush

Step 1 – Open

The first step you need to do will be to open up your air cooler; this part is simple, everyone of these air coolers are different really but there is an easy way to find out how to open them up.  All you need to do is to locate your manual that came with the air cooler and that should tell you how to open the air cooler up.  Not opening up the air cooler properly could actual damage the cooler if not done right.

Step 2 – Inspection

You are going to inspect the air cooler; you might have some mildew or mould building up on the inside of the air cooler and if you have then you are going to have to replace any part which is not in proper condition.  You are going to have to clean the parts up or if you can’t then it may be best to try to replace the parts instead.

Step 3 – Float Valve

Your float valve should be found; this should be clear and if it is not then you will need to try to clean it properly because a lot of debris can stick to the valve which could be harder to clean.  Most of the times it water deposits that have stuck to the valve, if you cannot get the valve clean or think it is not in good working order then you should think about replacing the float valve.

Step 4 – Belt

The belt on your air cooler should be tightened as much as you can get it to be; if not you might get a lot of problems associated with your air cooler so you should try to make sure you don’t have the air cooler loose but as tight as possible.  If the belt is in a bad condition then replacing it at once is the best idea.

Step 5 – Oil

Oiling the air cooler parts is vital for your cooler because they need to be kept oiled so they can continue to work and move properly.  It could mean that you get a quieter machine also.

Step 6 – Clean

You are ready to clean to your heart’s content; you can remove all of the part to the air cooler and begin to carefully wipe down all of the parts to the air cooler.  It is crucial that you get all dirt removed from the cooler before you start to dry them off and replace them back into the cooler itself; taking off all dirt and then you can dry the parts back again.